What is Drywall?
Drywall is a modern building material that comes in large panels (typically 4' by 8') having a gypsum core sandwiched between two heavy paper faces. These paper faces are often made from recycled paper. One face is very smooth and is the surfacing face and the other is more of a kraft paper backing face. It replaced older and more labor intensive interior finishing processes involving plaster and lath. Drywall came into popularity after WWII as faster and less expensive methods of home building were being developed.
Drywall is now the de-facto standard of interior wall surfacing used in new home construction and existing home repair and renovation.
The name "drywall" came from the fact that it went on "dry" versus "wet" like plaster. It is referred to by several common names, some proprietary just like facial tissue is commonly called Kleenex®. Some common names of this product include:
Benefits
What's great about this product is that it is inexpensive, easy to work with, can be used in a variety of applications and can be used even if your home has plaster walls. It readily accepts a wide range of paints and finishes. Drywall is is easily cut with just a sharp knife and once taped and sanded, it allows painting and finishing almost immediately. Also, drywall is non-combustible.
