What Is Drywall? A Homeowner's Guide to the Basics

Drywall is the material behind almost every wall and ceiling in a modern home. Knowing a little about how it's made, installed and repaired helps when you're talking to a contractor or deciding what a repair needs.

What drywall is

Drywall is a panel of gypsum, a soft mineral, pressed between two sheets of heavy paper. It's also called sheetrock (after the best-known brand), wallboard or gypsum board. Some drywall today uses synthetic gypsum, a byproduct of power plant scrubbers, which performs the same way.

Why it's used almost everywhere

• Cost. It's inexpensive and fast to install compared with plaster.
• Fire resistance. Gypsum contains water bound into its crystals, which slows the spread of fire. Fire-rated drywall goes further. See types of specialized drywall.
• Easy to repair. Holes, cracks and water damage can be patched, textured and painted to match.
• A clean finish. It takes texture and paint well, smooth or textured.

How drywall is installed

Panels are screwed or nailed to wood or metal framing. The seams between panels are covered with tape and joint compound, corners get metal or vinyl corner bead, and fastener heads are covered with compound. After several coats and sanding, the surface is textured or left smooth, primed and painted.

A short glossary

• Joint compound (mud): the paste used to tape seams, cover fasteners and patch.
• Tape: paper or fiberglass mesh embedded in compound over seams and cracks.
• Corner bead: the metal or vinyl strip that forms outside corners.
• Floating: spreading thin, wide coats of compound to make a surface flat.
• Skim coat: a thin coat of compound over a whole surface, used for smooth finishes.
• Nail pop: a fastener that has pushed out, leaving a small bump or crack.
• Blue board: a drywall made to take a thin coat of veneer plaster.

Types of joint compound

• All-purpose: premixed and versatile, used for taping and finish coats.
• Lightweight all-purpose: easier to sand, shrinks less.
• Topping: for final coats only; smooth and easy to sand.
• Setting-type (hot mud): a powder mixed with water that hardens chemically in a set time, used for fast repairs and filling deep holes.

Finish levels

Drywall finishing is graded in levels, from bare taped seams to a full skim coat for a perfectly smooth surface. The level you need depends on the texture, the paint sheen and the lighting. See the levels of drywall finish.

Common drywall problems

Cracks, nail pops, peeling tape, holes and water damage are the most common repairs. See the most common ways drywall gets damaged and types of drywall cracks.

Drywall repair in Orlando

New Ceilings repairs and replaces drywall on walls and ceilings across Orlando and Central Florida, with the texture and paint matched. See drywall and ceiling repair.