What is Drywall? – Drywall Alternatives and Repairs

Drywall first came into the construction scene in 1916. It has been very popular since then and has recently been gaining more and more popularity. Drywall is made up of paper and gypsum-based plaster. When it is compared with the regular plaster, we will find out that it is much lighter and easier to repair.

Apart from all that, the installation process of drywall is also very easy and fast. Unlike the traditional plaster, this is also fire resistant which is a great thing for households.

Drywall is produced in sheets which means that you do not require the support of multiple laths like the lime-based plaster and can be nailed down to wood easily. Apart from this, walls that are constructed using drywall are completed not in weeks but in days.

One might wonder, if there are all of these attractive benefits related to drywall plaster why are people still not considering it over any other alternative.

The reality is people are just not aware of this benefit. It actually took almost a quarter-century for Drywall plaster to actually become a popular construction material among others. The increase in popularity is mainly because of the greater efficiency and the substantially lower cost.

Alternatives of drywall

As we have mentioned above, drywall has been getting popularity recently which means there are lots of other alternatives available in the form of drywall that are different from drywall. Drywall plaster is a great type of product that you can use for your internal walls. Due to the rising popularity, there have been different types of Drywall plasters in the market with different objectives and qualities. All of them are suitable for different purposes which we will discuss down below.

Sheetrock – Sheetrock is nothing but a type of drywall and the name is only a trading name that is used for a specific brand of Drywall. This is also a very common type of drywall in the United States.

Blueboard – It is a type of surface that permits plaster to be placed on it through a process which is called veneer plastering. Keep in mind that unlike drywall, a blue board cannot be painted upon if the process of veneer plastering has not been done.

Greenboard – Greenboard is a type of drywall that is popular for being water-resistant and it can easily help solve the moisture issue. It is most commonly used in placements for bathrooms where the problem related to moisture is very common but at the same time it is not suitable for installing in interiors shower walls as it is not completely waterproof but only water-resistant.

Cement board – Cement board is highly water-resistant and it can be easily used in the areas that have a high level of exposure to water like the shower and other such areas. Cement board has combined cement using fibers which form a sheet which is very thick, almost similar to the thickness of the drywall but it is highly water-resistant. The quality of it being water-resistant makes this type of drywall very common in wet areas of the household.

Wonderboard – Wonderboard is nothing but a cement board but the name wonder board is given to a specific brand of cement board which is constructed using glass mesh and cement.

Maintenance of drywall plaster

Just like anything else, it is important to take care of drywall plaster if you want them to last for longer periods of time just like your house. If you take good care of your interior walls then they will be less likely to require replacement frequently.

A very common mistake that many homeowners that have drywall plaster are installed in their interior walls is that they hang decorations or photo frames in a way that is not suitable and causes damage to the wall which is very unnecessary.

While hanging something on the wall you must keep in mind that it is important to look for the stud which supports the driver because if not then you are just trying to use force directly against the drywall and it is certainly not strong enough to hold a heavy picture or others decorations for a long period of time and will be damaged gradually.

The best thing here is to find the studs in the wall and try to place your nails over there. Studs are normally too strong items that are placed along with the wall in order to support the wall. Because of this, they are actually very strong and sturdy, which makes them suitable to support your decorations and pictures as well.

If you are not having a great time finding a stud, you can easily use a stud finder which can help you in the process. The normal process is to just locate the studs in your wall by tapping on it and listening to the tones.

Regardless of this situation, you need to make sure that you properly maintain your drywall plaster because if it is not maintained then there will be some damages on the wall which will require repairing them and keep in mind that repairing a wall requires effort and can even damage the overall life of the plaster.

Repairing drywall

As time passes by, no matter how strong drywall is, some damage in the form of holes cracks or other damage is meant to happen, this is why it is important to repair it. In most cases the cracks and damage are very generic which means they can be easily fixed without special attention. The usual process of repairing walls require drywall tape, drywall plaster, or/and joint compound. The actual requirement depends upon the location, size, and nature of the damage on the wall.