Sometimes called plasterboard, gypsum board or sheetrock, drywall is one of the world’s most common materials used in construction. The majority of homes in the USA, Canada and Europe that are not brick clad have drywall interior walls and ceilings and even most brick homes have drywall ceilings and some drywall separation walls. What is drywall and what makes it so popular?
What is Drywall?
Drywall comes as the result of the development of the building industry. For hundreds of years, for smooth interior finishing builders used plaster, which was made from lime, sand, animal hair and other ingredients. With time, bright minds discovered that gypsum dried faster than lime, so gypsum became the main ingredient in plaster. However it wasn’t until the late 20th century, that someone decided to make a sandwich from two layers of paper and a layer of gypsum, thus creating prefabricated sheets of drywall, which began to replace traditional wet plastering.
Today, drywall comes in standard sizes and thicknesses. The drywall sheets used in Canada are usually 8, 10 feet long and ½ inch or ⅝ inch thick.The latter is considered fire rated. The sheets are heavy and brittle and care must be taken when handling them. Straight cuts can be made in drywall simply by scoring through one outer paper layer and snapping off the unwanted excess.
Drywall is applied to walls and ceilings using special drywall nails or screws, which penetrate the gypsum without shattering it and hold the heavy sheets firmly with their wide heads.
Drywall nails and screws are sunk just beneath the surface of the drywall. After it is installed, the indentations and seams are filled using special plastering compound. This process is called taping and mudding.
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Choosing a Drywall Contractor in Toronto
Professional drywall contractors in Toronto make their job look easy. However that’s only because they do it every day for many years. Technically the process is straightforward and can be done by anyone, but if you need to install and tape drywall for anything larger than a very small home renovation project, it’s better to let the professionals do the job for you. Aside from having the expertise to create a smooth finish, professional drywallers know the best techniques and materials to use in any given situation. Wet areas, for example, require special products and techniques.
Can’t decide whether to try your hand at drywalling or hire a professional? Use the form on the right side of the page to get a quick free quote to see how much a professional job will cost. The quote includes labor and materials, so you can better compare the price of doing it yourself and having the job professionally done. When calculating your DIY costs, don’t forget to include all the materials you will need for the job, including tools and the cost of hiring equipment to hold the drywall in place on the ceiling while you fix it and a ladder, if needed. Don’t forget to include some extra materials in case you make some mistakes. All professionals add 10%, you will probably need to add extra 20%, since in the case of miscalculation the delivery will cost you much more. When you add it all up, you’ll probably agree that it’s well worth letting the drywall experts handle the job for you.
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