You started your big project – house renovation, basement or addition building. You have already dived deeply into the world that until now seemed so far away and mysterious – the world of construction. You have started to easily operate such terms as drywall studs, blow insulation and corner beads. But still sometimes you feel your head is going to explode trying to digest and make sense of all this new info.
In this series of articles we will try to cover the basics of various drywall types, help you understand the difference between them and figure out which to use for your particular project. We will start with moisture and mold resistant varieties of this product.
What is Drywall?
First things first, let’s get an understanding of what drywall is. Drywall is a panel made of gypsum plaster sandwiched between two thick sheets of paper and used to finish interior wall and ceilings. Drywall also goes by such names as plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board.
There are different types of drywall with different characteristics and which type of drywall to use will mainly depend on your needs, requirements and area of application.
We have already touched up on sound proofing types of drywall in this article and will continue the conversation with moisture and mild resistant interior panels varieties.
Greenboard
Greenboard is drywall covered with water resistant paper, the paper is green in color and hence the name of the product. Greeboard is to be used in areas with damp and humid conditions like bathrooms and basements. Important thing here is not to confuse water resistant with water proof and keep in mind that Greenwood cannot be used for wet conditions like shower stalls, for example. Greenboard comes in two sizes – 1/2″ and 5/8″ and is slightly more expensive than regular drywall.
Blueboard
Blueboard is a plaster base board with blue coating made specifically to be finished with veneer plaster. It has high water and mold resistance. Its advantages are those that it is faster to finish walls with veneer plastering as there are less steps involved as opposed to traditional mudding and taping. Plastering however requires a very skilled professional to do it as veneer plaster sets much faster than regular compound and is less forgiving to flaws. Similarly to Greenboard it is used in areas of dampness, like bathrooms and laundry rooms. Pricewise it is a more expensive option than Greenboard
DensArmor Paperless Drywall
DensArmor is a brand name for a new mold and water resistant type of drywall. It is made without paper. Instead, gypsum panel is covered with a fiberglass mat. Since no paper is used, the mold will have nothing to feed on – that’s the idea behind this product. The core of this high-performance interior panel is moisture resistant, however DensArmor does not have water-stopping acrylic coating and similarly to Greenboard and Blueboard is not for wet application. The concern with DensArmor is the rougher surface of the panel as compared to regular drywall, therefore it requires skim coat of joint compound to achieve a smooth finish.
Also, since it is made of fiberglass, some precautions need to be taken when working with this material – wear long sleeves, pants that cover your legs, dust mask, gloves and goggles during installation and after finishing the work rinse off with cool water.
Hope this mini guide to different types of water and mold resistant drywall panels will help you get a better idea of what you need for your particular project.
Will continue this series with the articles on fire-rated panels and different thicknesses of drywall. Stay tuned.
In the meantime feel free to contact DryWallTaping.ca for a professional advice and estimate of your project.
