Obviously a fairly fundamental question, but I’m wondering why sheetrock (a.k.a. gypsum board) is used on interior house walls nowadays. It seems like a product that’s essentially just ground rock would pretty much be the heaviest, most inconvenient thing you could use on a wall.
Why not something like thin pressboard or a similarly paintable surface?
Because sheetrock doesn’t burn?
I would think the main reason is its fire resistance. Pressboard, particle board, etc. would be flamable. Sheetrock is a more or less portable version of plaster, and as such is a fire retardant, and would make a house built with it much safer.
Being fire resistent is one main reason as has already been pointed out. The other is cost. It’s very inexpensive when compared to other material’s.
JZ
Sheetrock is attempting to approximate plaster-and-lath construction – and does it much more cheaply and with less skilled labor. It’s modular and cut-to-fit and probably, all else being equal, allows for easier materials shopping, transporting, and cost estimating than other alternatives.
Agreed on the reasons why. However, I tend to shy away from using it to do anything besides put it on walls. Some former owner of our house decided to make a shelf out of sheetrock. Yes, just what we wanted to get when we put our stuff up on that handy shelf–gypsum all over it.
What I prefer to use in wet areas is the concrete stuff. We used that when we had to redo the bathroom where the water had gotten under the tiles and got the sheetrock wet. The concrete isn’t that much heavier, though it is harder to cut and you have to use different screws. Good stuff, though.
Fire resistance is strictly a side benefit.
It’s used because it’s the cheapest, easiest way to get a flat, smooth surface for a wall. If you used any type of wood it would have to be sanded & heavily painted to make it as smooth as drywall.
Also, even though sheetrock has little structural strength in the way plywood or particle board does (i.e. you can’t make a shelf out of it!) being rock it doesn’t warp the way wood does.
Drywall is almost a perfect building material. Not only is it fire resistant and very easy to work with, but it doesn’t rot or really wear out in any way. It’s also strong, and really easy to patch if a hole gets knocked into it. And finally, it’s an excellent sound barrier. Drywall is very heavy, and mass is what you need to stop low frequency sounds like the bass from a stereo or footsteps.
Let’s not forget, it’s SHEETROCK® Brand Gypsum Panels, a trademark of the United States Gypsum Company.
Hehe…I was in my 20s before I figured out that wallboard and sheetrock were the same thing (but, apparently, not everyplace!).
Maybe it’s time to reiterate that fireproofing is one of the advantages.