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The article linked in this thread mentions the strengths of plaster—the tech that preceded drywall. Plaster has some nice aesthetic properties, good fire resist

The article linked in this thread mentions the strengths of plaster—the tech that preceded drywall. Plaster has some nice aesthetic properties, good fire resistance, good sound isolation, can be shaped into organic contours. All those things make it great, though I hate the mess of working with old work.

frosted-flakes 4y ago
Plaster and gypsum board (drywall) can be used together. The author's own house uses plastered gypboard, and from what I understand plastered gypboard is still extremely common in Europe and around the world.
- sgerenser 4y ago
  It’s also pretty common in New England (Boston area especially) although almost unheard of outside that area in the U.S.
  - asmithmd1 4y ago
    We had rehab work done when we moved to a Boston area house and they skim coated everything with plaster as standard of practice. That is definitely not the standard anywhere else I have lived. Another regional difference is they put the powder room light switch next to the door on the outside, why? Has anyone seen this in any other area?
    - dsr_ 4y ago
      It's a Massachusetts standard, explained to me as an early safety procedure before GFCI was invented -- and probably dating back to early exposed wiring. Separation of water and voltage.
bombcar 4y ago
Drywall provides a significant amount of structural strength- it braces the walls something pretty fierce even if you can kick it. It also lets all the “look good” labor be done at the very last moment. In my personal opinion the only thing that comes close is shiplap and it don’t look as good to some and doesn’t fireblock as well.
- danans 4y ago
  It also can serve as a decent primary air barrier as long you don't put big holes in it.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    Or any holes at all - it turns out that a TON of moisture can get through even a small hole: https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/88629-permeability-and-performance-in-water-resistive-barriers https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/88629-perme... (third image)
- clairity 4y ago
  no, drywall is basically chalk sandwiched between paper and provides no structural strength to a wall. studs provide compressive strength while plywood provides shear (and some impact) strength to walls. metal strapping is usually added to provide tensile strength. plaster is backed by lath (wood slats), which provides some shear strength akin to plywood backing.
  - lazide 4y ago
    Bwaha, that’s just not true. As long as the paper is halfway intact, drywall is very difficult to remove and provides significant strength to a wall. It’s a composite material, and excellent fire barrier. It’s really obvious when it’s up compared to not. It’s not as much as lathe and plaster, but lathe and plaster is extremely difficult to work with in every other way, and far more labor intensive. Plywood on a wall is important for shear strength, but lathe and plaster doesn’t replace it. Properly designed earthquake resistant shear walls became a thing long after lathe and plaster were phased out.
    - clairity 4y ago
      i probably overstated my point by saying drywall has no shear strength, but we seem to agree that drywall < plaster & lath[0] < plywood in that respect. i'd suggest you've also overstated the strength of drywall as "significant". it's not nothing, but against an earthquake, it's approximately nothing. plywood backing, of course, is the minimum required by code for earthquake resistance. plaster & lath is harder to work with, but has many superior qualities (re: moisture, sound, heat, malleability) that it makes it worth it in many residential cases (not so much commercial, where reconfiguration is more frequent). [0]: a lathe is a machine tool

frosted-flakes 4y ago

Plaster and gypsum board (drywall) can be used together. The author's own house uses plastered gypboard, and from what I understand plastered gypboard is still extremely common in Europe and around the world.

sgerenser 4y ago
It’s also pretty common in New England (Boston area especially) although almost unheard of outside that area in the U.S.
- asmithmd1 4y ago
  We had rehab work done when we moved to a Boston area house and they skim coated everything with plaster as standard of practice. That is definitely not the standard anywhere else I have lived. Another regional difference is they put the powder room light switch next to the door on the outside, why? Has anyone seen this in any other area?
  - dsr_ 4y ago
    It's a Massachusetts standard, explained to me as an early safety procedure before GFCI was invented -- and probably dating back to early exposed wiring. Separation of water and voltage.

bombcar 4y ago

Drywall provides a significant amount of structural strength- it braces the walls something pretty fierce even if you can kick it. It also lets all the “look good” labor be done at the very last moment. In my personal opinion the only thing that comes close is shiplap and it don’t look as good to some and doesn’t fireblock as well.

danans 4y ago
It also can serve as a decent primary air barrier as long you don't put big holes in it.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Or any holes at all - it turns out that a TON of moisture can get through even a small hole: https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/88629-permeability-and-performance-in-water-resistive-barriers https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/88629-perme... (third image)
clairity 4y ago
no, drywall is basically chalk sandwiched between paper and provides no structural strength to a wall. studs provide compressive strength while plywood provides shear (and some impact) strength to walls. metal strapping is usually added to provide tensile strength. plaster is backed by lath (wood slats), which provides some shear strength akin to plywood backing.
- lazide 4y ago
  Bwaha, that’s just not true. As long as the paper is halfway intact, drywall is very difficult to remove and provides significant strength to a wall. It’s a composite material, and excellent fire barrier. It’s really obvious when it’s up compared to not. It’s not as much as lathe and plaster, but lathe and plaster is extremely difficult to work with in every other way, and far more labor intensive. Plywood on a wall is important for shear strength, but lathe and plaster doesn’t replace it. Properly designed earthquake resistant shear walls became a thing long after lathe and plaster were phased out.
  - clairity 4y ago
    i probably overstated my point by saying drywall has no shear strength, but we seem to agree that drywall < plaster & lath[0] < plywood in that respect. i'd suggest you've also overstated the strength of drywall as "significant". it's not nothing, but against an earthquake, it's approximately nothing. plywood backing, of course, is the minimum required by code for earthquake resistance. plaster & lath is harder to work with, but has many superior qualities (re: moisture, sound, heat, malleability) that it makes it worth it in many residential cases (not so much commercial, where reconfiguration is more frequent). [0]: a lathe is a machine tool