Although many people use the terms drywall and Sheetrock interchangeably, this is incorrect. Drywall is gypsum wallboard; Sheetrock is a brand name of drywall. Confused? Don't be; it's as simple as calling all soft drinks “Coke” or all vacuum cleaners “Hoovers”.
Before the advent of this mass produced building product, interior walls and ceilings were generally built with lathe and plaster. Lathe is a metal screen mesh sheet material which is secured to the studs or ceiling joist nailers. The first coat of plaster is called the scratch coat and its purpose is grip the lathe for a strong bond. This is followed by one or more finish coats.
Along came drywall around the year 1915. It was a bit slow to catch on, but the money saved on installation labor and any subsequent repairs was more than enough to convert the most skeptical construction Luddites. Today there is a wide range of drywall types to suit many building and construction requirements.
Types of Gypsum Wallboard
- Conventional drywall. This is the kind you will most often encounter. Common sizes are 4' X 8', 4' X 10', and 4' X 12'. Most residential applications call for 1/2” thickness and commercial projects call for 5/8”. It is also available in thinner sizes like 1/4” which is useful for crafting things like arched case openings. Sheetrockers wet the board liberally with a sponge and water until it's pliable enough to bend into the arch shape without breaking either the gypsum or the paper.
- Greenboard. Identifying these sheets is easy, as the name is self explanatory; the finish side is green. This building material is engineered to be moisture-resistant and used to be widely used as ceramic tile backing in bath shower enclosures. Now, fiber cement backer board is the norm. The color contributes nothing to its moisture resistance; it's just there to distinguish it visually from regular drywall. This comes in handy since an increasing number of residential drywallers are now illegal aliens who can't read English.
- Sheetrock brand UltraLight Panels. This product is a blessing for hanging ceilings (also known as lids in the trade) due to its light weight. These sheets are 30% lighter than traditional Sheetrock and the paper facing is 100% recycled.
- EcoRock drywall substitute. EcoRock has entered the construction arena as a direct result of the green, sustainable building movement. It uses waste materials instead of a gypsum core and the manufacturer claims that it costs 80% less to manufacture as compared to traditional sheets. The downside is that it costs roughly twice as much. It's not cheap or easy being green, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra.
- Noise-reducing and acoustical drywall. QuietRock is arguably the best known product in this category. Where might this come in handy? It's a great solution for converting a room into a media room, home theater, or recording studio for the budding teenage garage band. It can be installed right over the existing wall.
These are some of the most common choices you have when it comes to home renovation or new construction. Knowledge of your options is important whether you hire a contractor to do the job or choose to install gypsum board drywall yourself.
Kelly Smith - Kelly has over 30 years experience as a journeyman carpenter and 20 as a freelance writer and photographer.
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