Best drywall in 2020

Drywall is a relatively new material, which, however, has managed to establish itself in the market of working materials and demonstrate its indispensability in the construction business. It combines simplicity, practicality, convenience and beauty at the same time. The best drywall in 2020 is a new and high quality material that never fails. No modern construction can do without this material. Nowadays, drywall is used in the decoration of buildings, the installation of partitions, serves as an excellent coating for walls, ceilings, and sometimes even floors in apartments, offices and other residential, work and domestic premises.

Drywall

Gypsum board is a composite sheet of compressed material, which is actively used in industrial and domestic construction, as well as in the design and landscape decoration of premises. Plasterboard consists of two sheets of reinforced industrial cardboard, between which there is a layer of high-impact gypsum.

Types of drywall

There are several types of drywall, and they all fall into two conditional categories - official and unofficial.

The official types include those that are produced at factories with special markings - "moisture resistant", "fire resistant", and unofficial - designations of the material in the field of construction work, in which it is better to use it - "ceiling", "arched", "decor" , "Wall".

• Moisture resistant - This type of drywall is designed specifically for installation in wet rooms, such as a bathroom or shower. Its structure includes not ordinary, but waxed multi-layer cardboard with polyester splashes, which makes the entire board resistant not only to direct water ingress, but also to prolonged exposure to various liquids. A little plastic and polyester are also added to the gypsum to make the contents of the sheet more waterproof and durable.
• Fire retardant - this type of drywall is designed for installation in fireplaces, saunas or boiler rooms, in other words - it is great for rooms with open sources of flame or for buildings in which high temperatures are constantly maintained and there is a risk of spontaneous combustion. some foil, which actively resists the fire of the sheet. And powdered asbestos is mixed into the gypsum itself to create a more durable barrier from fire or high temperatures. This makes the sheet very resistant to prolonged exposure to open flames.
• Ceiling... This type of drywall is a large slab. Specially adapted for the installation of ceilings in spacious rooms.
• Arched... Plasterboard, made using a special technology with the addition of plastic, which allows the slab to bend quite strongly and makes it possible to install a plasterboard arch.
• Decor... Thin and rough drywall, which is used to decorate the relief of walls and ceilings in a room.

Which drywall is best?

There are a large number of drywall models. And each of them is specially designed for certain conditions.

The best conventional drywall

Plasterboard is a standard size plate of 2500x1200x12.5mm, and is the most common version of this building material.

There are several drywall manufacturers who have been strengthening their authority in the building materials market for more than one year. These include only three companies - Knauf (Germany), Lafarge (Poland) and JSC "Gips" (Russia).

JSC "Gips"

The company, based on the former Volgograd gypsum plant, currently produces a wide variety of gypsum products, including building gypsum boards.

The plant's products are a mixture of the latest European technologies and Soviet quality. Traditionally, the model "Volma" is chosen by consumers as the best drywall for walls due to the excellent ratio of the size of the board, its strength and durability. The company's products also confidently feel in the quality of the ceiling covering, as well as as interior partitions.

"Knauf"

The oldest drywall company. It is "Knauf" who are the inventors of this type of building material and the first mass producers of drywall in the world. This German company has set incredibly high quality standards and still does not lower the bar, releasing various models of drywall for a variety of purposes and constantly expanding the scope of this material not only in practical construction, but also in the field of interior decoration and modeling.

"Knauf 2500х1200х9.5 mm".

The most common drywall model, used in almost all construction sites in Europe, Russia and the CIS countries. It differs from its moisture-resistant and fire-resistant counterparts in a smaller thickness - 9.5 mm versus 12.5 mm. Ideal for installing ceilings or wall coverings. Due to the perfectly flat and smooth front surface, it does not require absolutely any additional coating, excluding the priming of joints and painting with ordinary paint or "KCh".

Advantages:

• Relatively low weight - one slab weighs only 17.5 kg, due to which problems with transportation, delivery and installation usually do not arise;
• Gypsum insulates the room well from possible exposure to water or fire;
• It bends very well, which allows you to create smooth ceilings, arched openings and any other types of architectural ideas using drywall;
• It conducts heat very poorly, due to which it serves as an additional source of thermal insulation for the room, not releasing heat outside and maintaining a constant climate in the building;
• It has a very high density - 800 kg / m3;
• The package contains 68 sheets at once;
• Low price - 190 rubles.

Disadvantages:

• The semicircular edge of the sheet requires more careful work on the joints and a lot of primer;
• The stoves practically do not allow steam and smoke to pass through, so you should refrain from installing them in bathrooms, saunas, fireplace rooms, etc.

"Gyproc"

Scandinavians have always been, are and will be ahead of the rest in terms of rationalizing the construction process. Drywall from the Norwegian manufacturer Gyproc has long been a reference product for the installation of flat walls, ceilings and partitions. The harsh weather conditions of Scandinavia can, to some extent, be compared with the climatic zones of Russia, therefore, those building materials that have been able to prove themselves well in the northern countries are ideal for the domestic consumer.

Lafarge

Polish company for the production of various building materials, has long been considered one of the best manufacturers of drywall in Western Europe.

Polish drywall is slightly different from its competitors in the size of the boards - they are smaller, and in color - Lafarge products wear a pleasant creamy shade instead of the usual matte.

In terms of technical characteristics, drywall is in no way inferior to its Russian and Scandinavian counterparts, being the highest quality products.

Lafarge Standard 2500х1200х12.5mm.

The standard representative of the Lafarge gypsum board range. According to their technical characteristics, the plates are no different from the German counterpart. The only exception is color - the Polish company produces building material of three colors at once - gray, light green and burgundy, which allows using a coating of similar colors after installing the plates, without fear that the bright color of the outer panel of the sheet will shine through the wallpaper or a thin layer of paint.

Advantages:

• Extended color palette allowing for more complex manipulations with the building relief;
• The flexibility of each slab can be up to 2000mm, which allows you to mount rather steep arches, ceiling passages, as well as simulate the floating relief of walls and ceilings;
• The standard package contains 50 sheets;
• The weight of one slab is only 10 kg, which makes delivery, transportation and installation quite easy;
• Low price - 150 rubles per sheet.

Disadvantages:

• Before installation, the plate requires additional processing with sandpaper or a rough rag.

The best moisture resistant drywall

Moisture-resistant gypsum board differs from the usual only in a different composition of the gypsum itself, as well as reinforced cardboard walls, which undergo special processing and are covered with a special anti-water composition. Such material not only does not interact with water, is not saturated with it, but also successfully repels liquid from its surface, constantly remaining dry.

"Volma moisture resistant 2500х1200х12.5mm".

One of the best plasterboards for wall cladding in a toilet, bathroom or for making partitions in places of high humidity. The coating of each slab is impregnated with a water-repellent solution. In addition to reliability, the sheets also have an even smooth surface, which is enough to cover with a moisture-repellent paint or "KCH", without using a primer, putty and other means of leveling the wall surface.

Advantages:

• Domestic production, does not require additional purchase or delivery costs;
• A hygienic base without any tendency to mold or fungal growth;
• Between the two layers of gypsum in the center there is a rather thick layer of fiberglass, which has a positive effect on the strength of the frame and the moisture resistance of the entire sheet as a whole;
• It can be easily cut even with an ordinary stationery knife;
• Convenient for transportation - a standard truck holds 16 packages of 49 sheets each;
• It is impregnated with special agents that prevent the appearance and penetration of moisture into the sheet;
• Smooth surface without rough texture;
• Easy to install in winter without additional heating sources;
• Low price.

Disadvantages:

• Before direct installation, a small processing of the plate with emery paper is required, as well as chamfering at the ends for a more airtight putty of joints;
• The weight of one sheet is 26 kg, which creates great inconvenience for loading, transporting and installing material.

"Knauf moisture resistant 2500х1200х12.5mm".

The moisture-repellent material sheets from this company are very popular in the foreign and domestic building materials markets. Ideal for cladding rooms with high humidity. Due to the special impregnation, it can not only protect the walls of the room from moisture, but also remove moisture from the room, making the climate in the building drier. It perfectly resists even large water flows, holds its shape well and does not deform over time.

Advantages:

• High panel strength due to the 12.5 cm board thickness;
• Can be used as a separate independent partition, subject to the presence of a metal frame;
• Shockproof;
• Resistant to deformation and high pressure;
• Has excellent sound insulation properties, almost completely blocks the path of any sounds and various types of noise;
• Actively prevents the appearance of moisture;
• Resistant to prolonged exposure to water;
• Resistant to high temperatures and prolonged exposure to flame;
• Possesses increased moisture resistance;
• Does not lose its shape and properties even after repeated repetition of the "wet-dry" cycle;
• Actively maintains a warm indoor climate;
• Sold in huge packs of 52 sheets each.

Disadvantages:

• Each board has a semicircular edge cut, which is why more finishing materials are required to seal the joints between the boards;
• A large space is required for installation work, since due to their large dimensions, the sheets can be damaged when working with them in a cramped room;
• The weight of one panel is about 25 kg, which can create certain difficulties in the delivery of materials, as well as in working with them.
• High price, from 345 rubles for one slab of material.

The best fireproof drywall

Fire-resistant drywall is produced by analogy with moisture-resistant, but the coating for the walls is used a little differently, the composition of the gypsum changes accordingly so that there is no contact of fire with the surface covered with slabs. Such a material actively resists fire, not allowing the flame to heat up its surface. In the event of an intense fire, the front side of the drywall may be covered with soot or even smoke, but you can be sure that the walls of the room will not receive the slightest damage.

"KnaufGSP - DFH-2 moisture-resistant 2500х1200х12.5mm".

When asked which drywall is best for walls in rooms where the temperature is constantly maintained, Knauf gives a convincing answer. This model has truly amazing properties. In addition to the usual fire resistance, the surface of the gypsum board can reduce the risk of fire due to the extremely low thermal conductivity of the facing. In other words, the slab and the adjacent surface are practically impossible to heat, and prolonged exposure to very high temperatures is required to cause the sheet coating to deform or turn black from fire.

However, this was not enough for the German developers, and they decided to supplement the technical characteristics of drywall with water resistance, making it both moisture and water repellent. The gypsum between the cardboard sheets is impregnated with two special solutions at once, which do not allow it to either heat up or soak in water, even with prolonged exposure to both elements.

Advantages:

• The edges of all sides of the sheet are neatly seamed with cardboard seams;
• When installing the slabs, the gap between the sheets is minimal and can be easily sealed with putty;
• The special composition of the glue with which the gypsum is impregnated ensures better adhesion of the cardboard to the gypsum sheet;
• Does not require additional coating with any other finishing material, except for the usual paint or "KCH";
• Does not contain any harmful or toxic components;
• The package contains 52 large sheets at once;
• Shockproof;
• Not prone to deformation or destruction under the influence of time;
• Possesses high thermal insulation, keeping the indoor climate;
• Perfect sound insulation.

Disadvantages:

• High price - from 440 rubles per sheet;
• Large weight of each sheet - up to 30kg.

"GyprocAqua Strong 2500х1200х15mm".

Scandinavian quality has long been a symbol of simplicity and a guarantor of peaceful leisure for the owners of the premises. A model that significantly surpasses its competitors not only in thickness and dimensions, but also in technical characteristics, which clearly demonstrates which drywall is better for walls in industrial premises and boiler rooms.

The sheets themselves are more durable and coarse in structure, since they are designed for installation in boiler rooms, factory and warehouse premises. They can also be installed in basements and garages.

Thanks to special impregnations and additives, the sheets actively resist open flames and prolonged exposure to water, which makes them an ideal material for covering a sauna or bath in a summer cottage.

Advantages:

• Reinforced sheet structure, which makes it possible to mount drywall even in industrial boiler rooms;
• It actively resists open combustion, easily withstands prolonged exposure to an open flame on the surface of the sheet;
• Not covered with fungus even after prolonged exposure to water;
• Possesses excellent soundproofing properties;
• Due to its high density, it is resistant to surface wear;
• Shockproof.

Disadvantages:

• High price - 470 rubles per stove;
• Very heavy - one sheet weighs about 35 kg;
• It bends poorly, which makes it impossible to install the arch or use the sheets as decor drywall.

Important information

Plasterboard should be purchased strictly as directed. For example, if you are going to cover the bathroom, then you need to buy moisture resistant drywall. If the room is at risk of fire, it is fire resistant. An ordinary room, without moisture and the risk of fire, can be faced with any kind of drywall.

Also pay attention to the thickness of the sheet - it is recommended to install thinner models in living quarters, but thicker and stronger sheets are recommended in domestic and industrial buildings.