Heavy news - Lighter Drywall

The old adage “worth its weight in gold” may be getting a bit of an overhaul.  During a press conference in July of this year the President of the United States Gypsum (USG) Company – the original inventers of drywall – announced the launch of a new product dubbed Sheetrock Ultra-light. This new and improved version of the old classic promises to shave up to 30% off the weight of conventional drywall products without losing structural integrity.

Though it took a little getting used to, when builders finally realized the benefits of Sheetrock over traditional lathe and plaster methods it changed the industry.  Construction projects could be completed with significantly less labor in a fraction of the time, which meant huge savings to both builder and client.  Since its introduction in the early 1900s, Sheetrock has remained relatively unchanged.  A few years ago however, USG went back to the drawing board and “reinvented” Sheetrock from a molecular level.  According to USG the drywall panels “utilize colloidal chemistry to feature a significantly higher strength-to-weight ratio and improved sag resistance.”  In layman’s terms - they figured out how to lighten the load without sacrificing strength.  After more than 2 years of field testing the new product it is finally ready for its debut. 

Drywallers and do-it-yourselfers around the globe rejoiced as they held hands and sang “What a Wonderful World.”  Okay, maybe they didn’t actually hold hands and sing but it is pretty exciting – at least as exciting as drywall can be.  What used to be two man job – lugging and hanging heavy sheets of drywall – can now conceivably be a single person project – at the very least, you’ve lessened the fatigue factor considerably, not to mention the recovery time from that weekend warrior remodel project.

Currently Sheetrock Ultralight is available at Home Depots in a select cities.  Click here to find out if your Home Depot is carrying it yet.  If the lighter wallboard has not hit your city store shelves just yet, not to worry, the nationwide roll-out should happen soon.  While the new Sheetrock does “weigh in” at a slightly higher price tag (approximately 10% over conventional), think of how nice it will be to never again have to beg the next door neighbor to give you a hand ‘hauling 100lb sheets of drywall into the garage – that in itself is “worth it’s weight in gold” (and 30% lighter to boot). 

Happy remodeling