Gypsum board: what it is, types, application

Plasterboard is a material for finishing walls and creating partitions. It is a sheet of gypsum, pasted with several layers of dense paper on both sides. This material is easy to cut. Let's consider the types of drywall and ways of using it.

Types of drywall

The material drywall is divided into several types:

• Ordinary drywall is used for finishing walls, ceilings and for creating partitions dry rooms with good heating and ventilation. It is not suitable for use in damp rooms.
• Fire-resistant gypsum board in the inner part of the sheets impregnated with water-repellent and antifungal agents. Such plasterboard is suitable for use in bathrooms, kitchens and garages.
• Fire-resistant gypsum board on the inner part of the sheets contains mineral additives and fibers. They increase the fire resistance of this material.
• Moisture-resistant plasterboard combines the properties of low moisture absorption and high fire resistance.
• Design plasterboard for finishing arches and various shapes has a small thickness of 6.5 mm to 9 mm. It is flexible, easily repeats curved shapes.
• High-strength drywall is reinforced with fiberglass or other reinforcing materials. It is thicker than other types of drywall. It is used as a base for flooring and installation of floor structures.
• Acoustic plasterboard has a very high degree of sound absorption due to the large thickness and friability of the base. This material is used for finishing movie theaters, music studios, lecture halls and classrooms, other rooms where high noise insulation is required.
• X-ray-proof plasterboard is used for finishing rooms of medical institutions. For high protection, the ceiling walls are covered with this material without gaps very tightly.
• Facade gypsum plasterboard is suitable for exterior work and building cladding. It is reinforced and has high moisture repellent properties.

The dimensions of the gypsum plasterboard sheets vary. For example, it can be 2.5 or 3 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. The thickness is 9 or 12.5 mm. On sale you can find small sheets, convenient in work. However, they are much more expensive than the classic ones and it will be necessary to caulk the joints between them.

The thickness of the sheet of gypsum board should not be lower than 12.5 mm, if you need to finish the walls or ceiling. Thinner materials are used for finishing arches or curved and semicircular areas in the room. When creating radius partitions, two layers of plasterboard with a thickness of 9 mm are used.

Application of plasterboard

Installation of this material is not complicated. Plasterboard sheets can be cut with a knife if necessary. They are fixed with screws on metal profiles for walls, ceilings, partitions, arches.

For what they use gypsum board:

• Fill openings and cavities.
• Perform design finishing of ceilings, create multi-level structures.
• Build partitions in a room or office.
• Level walls before decorative finishing.
• Create arches, shelves, columns.

Gypsum board is used not only in rooms in concrete or brick buildings. They finish and wooden houses. Plasterboard can be combined with insulation material. Insulation is laid under it.