Sheetrock – What Is It?

Sheetrock is a type of drywall and is manufactured and a trademarked product by US Gypsum Company, one of the leading suppliers of drywall in the world. It is also referred to as gypsum wallboard. Sheetrock is a blend of natural gypsum, water, and sand that is pressed between two heavy sheets of paper. It is a construction material that is used worldwide to build architectural elements like ceilings and walls. It was invented in 1916 but it took another thirty to forty years before it caught on with builders, who had traditionally constructed walls from plaster.

Benefits of sheetwork vs plaster

• It is faster to install sheetrock than it is to install plaster

• Sheetrock can be painted or primed immediately after it has been installed so the building of the home or office can be continued without any delay. With plaster it needs days or even weeks to completely dry

• Plaster weighs more than sheetrock so there is less wear and tear on the building’s foundation and structural systems

• There is a higher level of fire-resistance with sheetrock than there is with platter. This can give the ones in the building more time to exit the building safely in an emergency like a fire.

Size of sheetrock

The standard sheet of sheetrock measures four feet by eight feet but for buildings with specialty requirements or have high ceilings the builder can get larger sections. Generally, the interior walls of a building are constructed from drywall that is one-half inch thick. If the building’s walls are going to be subjected to more wear and tear, the builder can find thicker sheets of five-eights thick. If there is a curved wall, a builder can use sheetrock that is one-fourth inch thick. The sheets of sheetrock can be shaped because they are moderately flexible.

Types of sheetrock

There are many different types of sheetrock that can be used for different applications.

• Traditional-it is naturally fire-resistant but the builder can choose Type-X, which is fire-rated sheetrock. This sheetrock is enhanced with vermiculite and perlite to increase its resistance to flames and heat. Builders use Type-X drywall in commercial buildings, which has fire-rated ratings from twenty to one hundred eighty minutes.

• Greenboard-this gets its name from its green paper coating, which is a material that is moisture-proof and is used in bathrooms and kitchens.

• Blueboard-this is the type that a builder would choose if the owners want the walls to have the look of plaster.

• Soundboard-this type of sheetrock is constructed to block the transmission of sound between different rooms. It can be installed in multiple layers to make sure that the levels of noise can be maintained.