What is Drywall?
For many years lath and plaster was used to form interior walls. Benjamin Franklin first introduced gypsum plaster to the United States after discovering its use in France. It wasn’t long before plaster was being applied to wood lath on walls. Lath and plaster is a wet application system. Wet plaster was typically spread over wood strips and toweled to the desired finish. Gypsum board, a core of gypsum with paper facing on each side, is generally a dry material by comparison. Gypsum wallboard was considered to be a “dry wall” compared to plaster, hence the name. Drywall can also be called gypsum board, plasterboard, and wallboard. The term “sheetrock” is actually a brand name for gypsum board products produced by the United States Gypsum Company (USG). USG made the first gypsum board panel (drywall). It was 48 inches by 96 inches. Calcined gypsum is mixed with water and additives to make slurry that is poured between two continuous layers of paper. The slurry hardens as it moves along
Video Transcript What Is Drywall? Hi! This is John on behalf of Expert Village. In this video clip, I will be answering the question what is drywall. Drywall is a construction product that is commonly used to finish the interiors of buildings. Since it was invented, it revolutionized the construction industry. It used to be a very time consuming process to put a finished wall up, but now we have these big sheets. We just put them up and we are almost done. Drywall can typically come in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets; however, you can also get the sheets longer. Each drywall panel is made from a paper liner that is wrapped around an inner core that is usually made out of gypsum plaster. Drywall is easy enough to install that just about anybody can do it, which is what makes this product very nice.
“A description of gypsum drywall must first begin with a discussion of gypsum itself. Gypsum, a naturally occurring mineral, is composed of calcium sulfate and water. Also referred to as hydrous calcium sulfate, gypsum is mined from deposits formed by ancient seabeds as a raw material for many different manufacturing, industrial, and agricultural uses. Over 80% of the gypsum mined is used in manufactured products such as drywall. Gypsum possesses many attributes that make it an attractive construction material. Calcined gypsum can be wetted to form a paste that can be directly applied to a structure’s surface or that can be molded into a desired shape; the gypsum hardens upon drying. Gypsum is naturally fire resistant. Gypsum drywall, often referred to as gypsum wallboard or sheet rock, replaced gypsum plaster as the major material used for interior wall surfaces because of its ease of installation. Gypsum drywall consists of approximately 90% gypsum and 10% paper facing and backing. D
Drywall (also called wallboard, gypsum board, and plasterboard) is an economical building material usually used to face walls and ceiling inside structures. Composed primarily of gypsum rock stretched out in a flat sheet between two pieces of thin board (or heavy paper, as some say), drywall is low-budget and easy to installtwo reasons why its the most commonly used interior building material throughout the world! Forms of Drywall White boardregular. This form of drywall looks appealing, is the cheapest, and is used for those who need either a quick-fix or wish for a nice appearance at a very cheap price. Fire-resistive (“Type X”) A bit more expensive, for obvious reasons. This form of drywall holds up better, although it has its drawbacks as well.
Drywall is a construction product commonly used to finish building interiors. For hundreds of years prior to its development, the interior walls of buildings were usually made of plaster. This was applied in layers over narrow boards called laths that were nailed directly to the studs. The plaster was pressed into gaps between the laths to make it adhere, and was built up in progressive layers. This building technique called for a fair degree of craftsmanship and experience, but allowed the builder to incorporate interesting textures or decorations as the plaster was worked.
