Difference Between Gypsum and Drywall

Gypsum vs Drywall

Drywall is a product used as finishing mainly for interiors of buildings. Drywall may also be called gypsum board or plasterboard. Gypsum plaster is the material used to make drywall with fiberglass matting covering on the sides of the board. Sometimes depending on the maker of the drywall, fire-resistant materials may be added to the gypsum plaster to make the finished product resistant to fire and other external conditions. It usually comes in wide panels measuring four by eight feet. Dry wall has become the first choice standard for interior wall finishing in new homes being constructed and those having a facelift. Some of the benefits of drywall include; its fire resistant, it’s relatively cheaper than conventional plastering, it can be easily fixed and virtually needs no skilled labor to fix in a house, it can be used over plastered walls and it is easy to paint and repaint. Materials used in the manufacture of drywall include gypsum plaster, which is the core inner material and paper liner that is wrapped around the gypsum plaster. The gypsum used to make drywall is first subjected to the process of calcination while in its raw form so that the volatile part is extracted.

Gypsum is a mineral occurring naturally, also known as hydrated calcium sulphate. Gypsum is mainly used as a raw material for a number of different products including drywall. Being a naturally fire resistant mineral, it is especially very useful in the construction industry, as well as manufacturing and to a small percentage in agriculture. Within the mineral industry, gypsum takes on several names, for instance like selenite. It is a variety of gypsum that is colorless and transparent with a luster that glows. Other gypsum varieties include satin spar, which has a close resemblance to satin, and alabaster, which has fine grained crystals. Gypsum forms some of the largest crystals known. When gypsum is heated to temperatures of about 150 degrees Celsius, it loses much of the water and turns into a building material known as Plaster of Paris. It was extensively used as a building material until another gypsum plaster product replaced it, which is called drywall. The fire resistance properties of gypsum make its products very favorable in the building and construction industry because structural damage can be greatly reduced in case of a fire.

Summary:
1.  Gypsum is a natural mineral while drywall is a manufactured product.
2. Gypsum is a mineral containing water while drywall consists of gypsum plaster, which contains no water, pressed between two thick paper panels.
3. Gypsum in its natural form is crystalline whereas drywall is not since the plaster is in paste form.
4. Gypsum is used to make other products while drywall is a product already made.

Sharing is caring!