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View Full Version : Drywall vs Gypsum Baord Plaster



Matthew Poeller
01-13-2008, 6:01 PM
OK, I am at a complete loss. My wife and I are slowly renovating the house that we purchased a couple months ago. We were tearing some stuff out of the closet and put a small hole in the wall. OK, maybe not so small as you can see by the pictures. I can fix it without a problem but I was trying to see if it would be better just to take it out and put up drywall. I thought the walls were plaster and lathe. No lathe, this is gypsum board and plaster. At least that is what is looks like to me. I know that putting up drywall would definitely not increase the value of my house but would it make it easier in the future?

I have done a little reading and it seem as if we were going to replace it the drywall is cheaper. Going to blue board and plaster veneer seems to be expensive and a bit of a black art.

I was looking for the properties of each and I have not really found anything so my question is:
WHAT IS BETTER, DRYWALL OR GYPSUM BOARD PLASTER.
- More energy efficient by retaining more heat?
- Easier to fix if there is ever a problem?
- Anything else you can think of?

The only think that I did find was a builder mentioning that he would use drywall throughout a house except in the bath and kitchen where the walls would be subjected to moisture. This leads me to believe that plaster is a superior material.

Any help?

Thanks,

Jim Becker
01-13-2008, 7:22 PM
Actual plaster walls on new construction is a bit rare anymore. Given this is in a closet, it may very well be a lot more cost effective and easier to replace that one wall surface with Drywall...or by putting a layer of 1/4" drywall over it to avoid the demolition. I seriously doubt the value of your home is going to be affected by either method...

Joe Pelonio
01-13-2008, 7:29 PM
Actual plaster walls on new construction is a bit rare anymore. Given this is in a closet, it may very well be a lot more cost effective and easier to replace that one wall surface with Drywall...or by putting a layer of 1/4" drywall over it to avoid the demolition. I seriously doubt the value of your home is going to be affected by either method...
I did that on a couple of walls, unfortunately 1/4" drywall cost more than 1/2" for some odd reason, but saves a lot of work. I blew on texture with a gun and it came out really nice and went quickly less the drying time.

Jason Roehl
01-13-2008, 7:42 PM
There are some (very few) who prefer plaster over drywall. Plaster, of course, is much harder, so it is less susceptible to minor nicks and dings that drywall easily falls victim to. That said, it's much more expensive up front (more labor intensive to finish), and more involved to repair as well. Also, plaster cracks over time--not that drywall doesn't, but drywall cracks are usually due to poor framing construction. Every old house that I've been in with plaster has hairline cracks all over the place--and I'm not in a seismicly active area.

As for not using drywall in kitchens and bathrooms, that's "false quality". There are drywall and paint products out there to deal with those issues. From the drywall side, greenboard at a minimum around the shower, toilet and sink areas (or everywhere), or there is now a gypsum board that is fiberglass-backed instead of the typical paper (won't support mold). From the paint side, the drywall should be primed with a good primer and then painted with a washable paint, usually at least a satin sheen, eggshell or semi-gloss do better. You can even have a paint store add mildecide to the paint, but that can cause deeper colors to fade more quickly. For better durability, you can upgrade to 5/8" drywall over the standard 1/2"--it really does hold up better.

I just think plaster is old school, outdated technology. It's like a hand-tools-only carpenter trying to compete in the tract homes market. Don't get me wrong, it does have some benefits, but I think the benefits of drywall far outweigh those of plaster.

Not that I hold any strong opinions or anything... :rolleyes:

George Morris
01-13-2008, 8:08 PM
All you have to do is cut out bad section with old drywall saw ,install a backer pc. of 1x screw it on thru old plaster. Cut pc of drywall to fit screw it to stud and backer, Tape and patch . If you want something that sets up fast try durabond 45 at lumber yard.

The plaster over gypsum is much supperior to drywall but for the most part they stoped building this way when drywall came out in the 60ies It is much faster but you have to deal with nail pops!!

Good luck not a hard repair may need a couple of coats,also the durabond is hard to sand so apply accordingly. George

Matthew Poeller
01-14-2008, 6:14 AM
Thank you for all your posts.

Jim, Yes I thought that plaster was pretty rare anymore. You state it exactly, I have a problem taking on this large of a project if it is not going to significantly increase the value of my house. Point taken on the switch, this hole is not so large that it cannot be patched.

Jason, I see what you are saying. I understand all about new technology and that is why I am worried. I see done all the time for the sake of manufacturing and not the with the end user in mind. Sortof a "good enough" scenario. Make the product just good enough to satisfy the customers needs and nothing more. That is why I am skeptical. In my reading it seems as though most switched to drywall for ease of building the house rather than what was the BEST material.

George, this is probably the route I am going to take. What do you use for backer. I know you state that plaster is far superior but do you have any f reasons why? This is what I am struggling with. Most people say that is the case but I cannot find why.

Matt

Nancy Laird
01-14-2008, 8:05 AM
The plaster over gypsum is much supperior to drywall but for the most part they stoped building this way when drywall came out in the 60ies It is much faster but you have to deal with nail pops!!


Most reputable drywall installers these days use drywall screws rather than nails to install--no nail pops, and it goes up just about as fast with a drywall-screw gun.

Nancy

Jim Becker
01-14-2008, 9:12 AM
Most reputable drywall installers these days use drywall screws rather than nails to install--no nail pops, and it goes up just about as fast with a drywall-screw gun.

Screws have short term benefits when it comes to drywall...usually about as long as the builder's warranty. But their small heads provide less surface area than drywall nails and yes, they don't "pop"....they rip the drywall when the structure moves. Nail pops are much easier to fix since they don't damage the drywall.

Tom Godley
01-14-2008, 4:22 PM
In New England you still see plaster in new construction - In fact about 15 years ago in MA -- a plaster over blue board job was not that much more than what I was paying in the Philadelphia area for regular "rock and tape".

Just like you see that dreadful "popcorn" ceilings in some parts if the country (mine) you see plaster in NE.

There is no comparison IMO between the two -- A painted plaster wall is a thing of beauty. I also have had very few problems with any cracking or popping.


I can not tell from your picture -- but that wall looks thick -- is there already more than one layer.. Years ago after WWII and before "Blue Board" they use a product called "Rock Lath" for plaster jobs. More than likely went by other names as well -- It was thicker and heaver than drywall and it came in a size like 2' wide - you may have that.

For patching large areas I find that the fast "setting" type of compound works the best. Just follow the instructions - if it says 15min it is not a typo.

To patch a hole I normally place a 1x2 that I put through the hole and then glue and screw it through the front of the drywall. I then attach a drywall patch to the wood strip -- also using glue and screws. I normally make the patch on the small size so I can push the fast setting compound around the wall and patch. Leave the fast setting compound bellow the surface till dry - then I finish with regular compound or longer "setting compound"

I also like a product called "Rock Puddly" comes in a small can - it is a yellow powder -- very good for small patches.

I also use it on nail holes before painting. It dries very hard - great for painted woodwork.

Jason Roehl
01-14-2008, 5:54 PM
Screws have short term benefits when it comes to drywall...usually about as long as the builder's warranty. But their small heads provide less surface area than drywall nails and yes, they don't "pop"....they rip the drywall when the structure moves. Nail pops are much easier to fix since they don't damage the drywall.

Around here a lot of drywall is now nailed at the edges by the guys hanging the "rock", then a guy with a screw gun comes behind them to get the field of the board. I'd have to say that I've probably fixed about even numbers of screw and nail pops over the years as a painter, so it would be hard to say one way or the other.

That said, I did read of a technique that a large builder had his drywaller do in the Chicago area. No drywall was nailed or screwed within 8-12" of an inside corner, and a drywall clip was used to connect the two pieces. The result is that there is more give to the corner, and the builder's callback losses dropped from an average of about $1500 per house to about $150 per house. Were I ever to build a house, my drywallers would be doing it this way.

I could go on about bad drywall jobs I've seen, but usually it's due to poor structure or poor drywalling. EVERY plaster home I've been in around here (they're all 50+ years old) has hairline cracks. In comparison, my current house (~35 years old) has near perfect drywall.

Drywall also has the benefit of being very easy to fix. Problems usually happen in the corners due to structure movement--to fix, cut out the old tape, re-tape and mud. Plaster will have cracks in the field of a wall, totally at random, and unless you have a pro plasterer (expensive) repairs don't last long.

Did I mention I'm a bit down on plaster? :D (My last house was plaster...)

Glenn Clabo
01-14-2008, 6:07 PM
That said, I did read of a technique that a large builder had his dry waller do in the Chicago area. No drywall was nailed or screwed within 8-12" of an inside corner, and a drywall clip was used to connect the two pieces. The result is that there is more give to the corner, and the builder's callback losses dropped from an average of about $1500 per house to about $150 per house. Were I ever to build a house, my drywallers would be doing it this way.

:D (My last house was plaster...)

Not that I'm anywhere near Jasons expertise...but my experience makes me agree with him.

Jim Becker
01-14-2008, 6:19 PM
Around here a lot of drywall is now nailed at the edges by the guys hanging the "rock", then a guy with a screw gun comes behind them to get the field of the board.

This is how our addition was done. Inspector insisted on nails in the corners or my rockers (great and skillful guys including the a-capella singing... :rolleyes:) would have left them out for the reasons you state. As it turned out, the inspector only "inspected" for about 30 seconds just inside the door, so in the end, they could have done it the way they wanted including using just nails. Actually, they could have used just nails, but the township would have required two side-by-side in the middles of the sheets. That's a lot of nails on 16' board!

Ben Grunow
01-14-2008, 8:29 PM
I dont care either way (Jason) but as a builder I use 5/8" drywall as it is a more durable surface and not much more expensive.

I think the real advantage that plaster offers is that (IF you have a good crew) it is flatter and hides bowed studs and sags better as the installer uses his touch to even the wall out. Additionally, the entire surface is covered in mud instead of drywall which is paper and mud which can cause flashing in the finish paint. We us drywall with a skim coat of compound on the entire surface to avoid this. More work but the result is really nice.

Jason Roehl
01-15-2008, 8:16 AM
You're right on that, Ben--usually, the entire surface of the drywall is NOT covered with mud, so there can be flash between the mudded/non-mudded areas. There are a couple solutions for this, one of which you mentioned: doing what is known as a "Level 5" finish (that's what it's called in the union, I'm told). Solution #2 is to use a good primer, such as a high-build, or one that sands well. We generally go with a sandable primer, and give a new drywall job a quick pole-sanding a day after the primer goes on. (You should try the newer Radius pole-sanders--impossible to roll them and gouge the walls).

Ben Grunow
01-15-2008, 9:05 PM
I avoid painting like the plague, but I know a good job when I see one. Hence, I have no pole sander and dont aspire to own one. I just do carpentry and some concrete.

Jason Roehl
01-15-2008, 9:17 PM
Ben, that sounds like me and drywall...:D