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As a DIYer that has done far too many drywall patches, as much as I dislike it, it's hard to imagine something easier and/or better. Most of the time, the vast

As a DIYer that has done far too many drywall patches, as much as I dislike it, it's hard to imagine something easier and/or better. Most of the time, the vast majority of the work comes down to the painting part. The human eye is pretty darn good at noticing slight color differences and breaks in patterns, so any flat, smooth surface will show inconsistencies in paint color from the natural fading/discoloration of old vs new paint. One could imagine a 'panel' system (like old school wood panels) that could be removed and replaced, but that would involve seams and fasteners that would need to be visible at all times. Even with wood panels or, let's say, plywood sheets, hidden fasteners would mean you're likely to damage the finish when removing it. Not to mention that it would require a regular pattern to (somewhat) conceal the seams of pieces. Drywall, on the other hand, is almost a perfect compromise. It's extremely inexpensive, very fire resistant, and with some practice, it can be installed and/or patched with simple tools to make seams almost imperceivable. What it trades in durability and strength vs something like L&P, it more than makes up for in ease of repairs.

citrin_ru 4y ago
> that would involve seams and fasteners that would need to be visible at all times Probably I have an unconventional taste but I would not mind visible fasteners at all (if they look neat i. e. not at irregular intervals/angles/depth). Moreover I perceive what would be considered an ideal drywall (flat, smooth surface) to be an imitation of brick/stone wall covered by plaster, like jewellery made from plastic with 'gold' paint - looks similar to gold but at closer look you can see that it is not the one.
zihotki 4y ago
To add to that, painting wall in patches will always be visible under certain circumstances. That's because paint is essentially a film you apply to a wall. Any new film will be on top of new one and no matter how you try the border will be visible. So in order to hide the repaired area well you have to paint the whole wall from a corner to a corner. And indeed there is no better general alternative for the drywall. If you replace it with any other solution like MDF, plywood, etc. the repair process will be still the same - paper, mud, paint. But the material will cost you much more. And those materials are harder to cut, you'll definitely need to use a saw instead of a knife.
amanaplanacanal 4y ago
Maybe I watch too much science fiction, but I can easily imagine a grid of plastic or aluminum panels which you could snap off when you wanted to work in the wall, and snap back on when finished. I don’t have a feel for if it could be done economically. It would certainly be a way different look from what we are used to.
- 0_____0 4y ago
  There were briefly prefab houses built exactly this way. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house

citrin_ru 4y ago

> that would involve seams and fasteners that would need to be visible at all times Probably I have an unconventional taste but I would not mind visible fasteners at all (if they look neat i. e. not at irregular intervals/angles/depth). Moreover I perceive what would be considered an ideal drywall (flat, smooth surface) to be an imitation of brick/stone wall covered by plaster, like jewellery made from plastic with 'gold' paint - looks similar to gold but at closer look you can see that it is not the one.

zihotki 4y ago

To add to that, painting wall in patches will always be visible under certain circumstances. That's because paint is essentially a film you apply to a wall. Any new film will be on top of new one and no matter how you try the border will be visible. So in order to hide the repaired area well you have to paint the whole wall from a corner to a corner. And indeed there is no better general alternative for the drywall. If you replace it with any other solution like MDF, plywood, etc. the repair process will be still the same - paper, mud, paint. But the material will cost you much more. And those materials are harder to cut, you'll definitely need to use a saw instead of a knife.

amanaplanacanal 4y ago

Maybe I watch too much science fiction, but I can easily imagine a grid of plastic or aluminum panels which you could snap off when you wanted to work in the wall, and snap back on when finished. I don’t have a feel for if it could be done economically. It would certainly be a way different look from what we are used to.

0_____0 4y ago
There were briefly prefab houses built exactly this way. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house