Facts you should know about Plasterboard
What is plasterboard?
Plasterboard is made of gypsum sandwiched between two sheets of lining paper. It is also referred to as drywall, wallboards, gypsum boards, sheet rock and gypsum panel
What is drywall used for?
It is mainly used for the construction of interior walls and ceilings.
What types of gypsum boards are there?
Gypsum boards help meet building regulations. For example fire safety regulations. There are many different types of boards. For instance the most popular types are:
Standard plasterboard:
This is by far the most popular board type because it is suitable for most application. Therefor standard boards are use for walls and ceilings with normal fire, acoustic and moisture levels.
Fireproof or Fire Rated Plasterboard:
A special glass fibre reinforced gypsum board which usually comes with a pink paper face. Depending on the thickness of the board and the construction of the stud wall, fire resistance of 30, 60, 90 and even a 120 minutes can be achieved.
Acoustic Plasterboard:
The density of this board is higher than that of standard drywall boards. As a result it will reduce noise transmission such as speech and music to improve insulation against sound. It is most often used with additional mineral wool and resilient bars to reduce sound vibration.
Moisture resistance plasterboard:
Used for bathroom, kitchens and other areas with high humidity to prevent damp penetrating the board.
Impact resistant Plasterboard:
This board has a very dense core and is lined with heavy duty paper to resit damage caused by impact or vibrations.
What Sizes of Plasterboard are available?
The standard width of gypsum board is 1200 mm wide. This is to fit the standard 600mm centres of studs for walls or 400mm centres for furrings in ceilings. Standard length is 2400mm to fit a standard room height however wallboards are available in many different sizes and thickness with the most popular being:
- 2400mm x 1200mm
- 2700mm x 1200mm
- 3000mm x 1200mm
Boards usually come in a standard thickness of 12.5mm but are also available in other sizes such as 6mm or 15mm.
What Plasterboard brands are out there?
In the UK the major drywall manufactures are British Gypsum, Knauf and Siniat.
The difference between Tapered edged and square edged boards?
Most boards comes with the option of tapered edge (TE plasterboard) or square edged (SE plasterboard). Tapered edge boards are for tape and joint whilst square edge board are best suited for skimmed finishes. Some specialist boards are available with square edges only.
Plasterboard which side?
Most standard gypsum boards have a grey side and a brown side. The grey side should face out as it is specially designed for plastering (skimming). Paper liners are usually made from recycled paper which is great news for the environment.
