5 Facts About Drywall and Drywall Services

Before drywall was invented, most walls were formed from plaster applied over wood strips called laths. The plaster, made from lime or gypsum, was wet when applied. Drywall, by contrast, comes in large, preformed sheets. While drywall requires a wet joint compound between sheets to smooth out gaps between sheets after installation, the wall itself is "dry" when installed. Drywall replaced plaster as the wall material of choice because drywall is easier to install and repair than plaster. Another common term for drywall is "Sheetrock." Sheetrock refers to a particular brand of drywall, similar to how "Scotch" refers to a particular brand of transparent tape. The proper name for the large sheets of wallboard is drywall.

The main component of drywall is gypsum. To make drywall, gypsum rocks are mined, crushed, and mixed with water and additives. The gypsum slurry is poured over the backing material and dried to drive off the water. The resulting gypsum board is mold-resistant and fire-resistant. Since gypsum is plentiful, drywall is fairly inexpensive.

Drywall backing material is usually paper or fiberglass. While the gypsum itself is resistant to mold, the paper backing material surrounding the gypsum board can grow mold when exposed to water. Fiberglass backing material, on the other hand, resists mold and moisture, to some extent. Although drywall with fiberglass backing can resist the occasional splash of water, it is not designed for continuous exposure to water. Gypsum is soluble in water and any drywall, including mold and moisture resistant drywall, can become water damaged. Water damaged drywall must almost always be repaired or replaced by a drywall services provider.

Aside from different backing materials, drywall comes with different treatments to the backing material and the gypsum core. Type X drywall, for example, is thicker than regular 1/2 inch drywall and has glass fibers embedded in the gypsum core for increased fire resistance. Type X drywall, for example, can withstand fire for about an hour. Type C is an improved version of Type X drywall with more glass fibers embedded in the gypsum core to increase resistance to fire. According to one test, Type C drywall resisted fire for at least twice as long as Type X drywall.

Drywall is the wall material of choice. It is relatively inexpensive and can be repaired and painted by providers of drywall services. Drywall comes in different varieties, including versions that are resistant to mold and moisture and resistant to fire.