# When did drywall come into common use?



## Ohio painter

Stripping wallpaper today in an early 1800 home. While all walls are plaster we noticed that some walls have been lined with drywall, presumably to cover bad plaster at some point in time. 

The drywall has been up a long time based upon the multiple layers of paper, I noticed that the drywall is nailed up with nails that have very small heads and barely sunk into the surface, one layer of mud over the nails. 

Our conversation turned to when drywall would have come into common use and plaster fell out of common use, we figured the transition time had the 1940's or 1950's. What we found today had to be some of the earliest.


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## EmmCeeDee

That's probably about right. I believe drywall was invented in the late 19th century but did not really become popular until well into the 20th. Alot of things like plywood and drywall really took off 
with the post-war building boom. 

Here's a good one; the Greeks and Romans knew how to make concrete, but after the fall of the empire no one knew how they made it for more than a thousand years. It was only rediscovered the 1750s!


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## Cole82

My 1958 home has drywall but they skim coated it not just the seams.

Cole


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## Inner10

I'd say in the 50's around here. Where I live there was a period after wood lath and plaster (late 40's?) that they had a drywall like board that came in 1 foot wide planks that they put over the studs then metal lath and plaster went over top...I don't know what it is actually called but we call it "clap board".


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## woodworkbykirk

from what ive seen plaster rock started to be used around late 40's early 50's . it was a replacement for lathe then a 3/8 layer of plaster went on top of it. in one neighborhood our company has done like 24 renos in there and ive done 5 or 6 either on my own or with other companies. 

straight up drywall was in the mid 70's. the house i bought was done with 3/8" board with just masking tape on the seams but the put pannelling over it


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## griz

I believe the evolution went from lath & plaster, to "plaster board", which was approx. 2'x4' sheets of gypsum, punched w holes, which replaced lath, which evolved to what we have available now as sheet rock or drywall. 

I have been told by a couple of OLD guys that the term "drywall" evolved from the lack of wet plaster being applied over a substrate.

Plaster Board was used to mid late 50's in most places.


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## chewy

Did you guys ever have pinex? Its basically a soft kind of MDF it was used alot for ceilings but I have encountered it used on walls. They stopped making it here because as soon as water touched it it would swell like crazy.


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## chewy

griz said:


> I believe the evolution went from lath & plaster, to "plaster board", which was approx. 2'x4' sheets of gypsum, punched w holes, which replaced lath, which evolved to what we have available now as sheet rock or drywall.
> 
> I have been told by a couple of OLD guys that the term "drywall" evolved from the lack of wet plaster being applied over a substrate.
> 
> Plaster Board was used to mid late 50's in most places.


Old timers call drywall, "plaster board" over here, its just known as "Gib" (j sound) by most people which is a manufacturers name and drywallers are known as "Gibbies" and you cut it with a "gib saw" not a jab saw.


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## Inner10

chewy said:


> Did you guys ever have pinex? Its basically a soft kind of MDF it was used alot for ceilings but I have encountered it used on walls. They stopped making it here because as soon as water touched it it would swell like crazy.


Pinex must be a Kiwi term we call it tentest in Canada...my house was built in the 20's and has a ton if it. I've ripped most out but before all the exterior walls were sheathed in it.


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## chewy

Inner10 said:


> Pinex must be a Kiwi term we call it tentest in Canada...my house was built in the 20's and has a ton if it. I've ripped most out but before all the exterior walls were sheathed in it.


This stuff is for for interior use, the glue holding the sawdust together seems to be water soluble, typically they would do a ceiling with it then use timber beading across the joins.


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## Inner10

chewy said:


> This stuff is for for interior use, the glue holding the sawdust together seems to be water soluble, typically they would do a ceiling with it then use timber beading across the joins.


Yep that's the stuff! Makes for a nice wavy ceiling in a few years....in cheap houses like mine it was used for finishing interior walls too.


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## hdavis

Ohio painter said:


> The drywall has been up a long time based upon the multiple layers of paper, I noticed that the drywall is nailed up with nails that have very small heads and barely sunk into the surface, one layer of mud over the nails.


I don't suppose you congratulated the HO on probably having an asbestos mine?


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## woodworkbykirk

Inner10 said:


> Pinex must be a Kiwi term we call it tentest in Canada...my house was built in the 20's and has a ton if it. I've ripped most out but before all the exterior walls were sheathed in it.


here on the coast its been nicknamed "suicide board" because if the house catches on fire that stuff lights up like you wouldnt believe


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## greg24k

According to History, The U.S Company (USG) invented drywall in 1916It was originally called the sackett board, named after the Sackett plaster company which was a USG subsidiary. 
Sheetrock was first sold in the form of small fireproof tiles and after a few years it was sold in multi-layer gypsum and paper sheets. 
Then less then a decade it was made in the form as it is now which was a single layer of compressed gypsum between two sheets of heavy paper.


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## Part Time Taper

greg24k said:


> According to History, The U.S Company (USG) invented drywall in 1916It was originally called the sackett board, named after the Sackett plaster company which was a USG subsidiary.
> Sheetrock was first sold in the form of small fireproof tiles and after a few years it was sold in multi-layer gypsum and paper sheets.
> Then less then a decade it was made in the form as it is now which was a single layer of compressed gypsum between two sheets of heavy paper.


Was it displayed on the east or the west in the original store? :thumbup:


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## world llc

I see a lot of soft osb looking board that has horse hair in it.... Is that the pinex stuff u speak of? The edges have copper mesh bedded in plaster


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## Crawdad

When sheetrock first hit the market, did the professional plasterers piss and moan about their industry, now that a less talented person could build a straight wall?


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## greg24k

Part Time Taper said:


> Was it displayed on the east or the west in the original store? :thumbup:


Midwest :thumbsup:


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## Paulie

I think the actual date varies between area's and there was years of using the above mentioned materials at the same time.

However I do believe the *sears houses* actually made drywall common. 

It was easier than strapping a couple of plaster guys to the load that got delivered on site. :laughing:


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## Chris Johnson

My first house was built mid 60's about 25 years before I bought it. It had 3/8" drywall everywhere. My parents house was built late 60's and had 1/2", so I'm not sure if there was a standard that changed in the time period or not


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## 3rdGenUnionCarp

As far as I know, in nyc. It was plasterers work because they already owned the walls. Light metal framing was also a major dispute. With lathers and sheet metal workers both claiming the work based on the material. The carpenters ultimately gained jurisdiction due to skill set. The trade skill remained the same, only the material had chaged from wood to metal.


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## Greg from K/W

3rdGenUnionCarp said:


> Drywall is now considered carpenters work, but was originally awarded to the plasterers. The plasterers shortsightedness allowed the carpenters to take jurisdiction over the work.


Its is not a carpenters work. In reno work yes carpetners do it but ICI work or design build the work is done by the drywallers and tapers. They are two different trades up here. One will not do the others. The painters union won't touch the tapers at all. Barely will fill a nail hole. 

Even the steel stud is set by the drywallers. Carpenters only set backing for the bathrooms and kitchens. Hardly even see a carpenter on a union job any more.


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## mrcharles

Greg from K/W said:


> Its is not a carpenters work. In reno work yes carpetners do it but ICI work or design build the work is done by the drywallers and tapers. They are two different trades up here. One will not do the others. The painters union won't touch the tapers at all. Barely will fill a nail hole.
> 
> Even the steel stud is set by the drywallers. Carpenters only set backing for the bathrooms and kitchens. Hardly even see a carpenter on a union job any more.




In Detroit and Chicago (two places I've worked union) drywall is carpenters work, however it is usually done by crews that exclusively do that work....i.e. a hanging crew and finishing crew.... Plasters are in a union with the masons.... I've never been on a job with plasterers, but I know they do still get some work.


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