Sheetrock Types and Sizes

The sheets of a drywall are made up of fiberglass material instead of ordinary paper, so that the growth of grime and mold can be prevented. Therefore Sheetrock, which is commonly called a drywall, is an ordinary wall in the form of fiberglass material. In the construction field, a Sheetrock is a gypsum board panel which is squeezed tightly in between thick sheets of paper. Hence it's called plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board as well. The term Sheetrock comes from United States Gypsum Corporation and today it is widely used all around the world. Another good thing about using Sheetrock in home improvement projects is its quick, economical and easy to install the material on a wall or a ceiling. After installation, the wall looks neat and uniform finished even before the primer or the paint is added. So, if you plan to use this efficient material to install it on any wall or ceiling in your home, clear the facts about the Sheetrock sizes before you purchase anything.

Sheetrock Sizes

As mentioned before, Sheetrock has many sizes and types, although the standard sizes are 8 feet by 4 feet with a thickness of 3/8'', ½'' and 5/8'' regardless of the panel size. These sizes are known to be the standard sizes available in places like Home Depot or Lowers. For an ordinary homeowner, they are easy to handle and install as a DYI project. Now these sizes are worth installing for any wall in your house, in case of tall ceilings the sizes can go up to 16 feet in height. With its height, the quality of the material, too, is worth the price.

In the same breath, there is one thing about all these differing Sheetrock sizes, i.e since the drywall is made up of multiple layers of paper and gypsum material, the installation work shouldn't get tedious and impossible to handle. Hence, if the Sheetrock is bought in one full sized sheet, it's unnecessary to install the full sheet at one time. Instead, with the help of a T-square, you can cut it to different panel sizes as per your requirement.

Sheetrock material has literally replaced many common plaster of Paris walls in most American homes. In addition, it is also called a backup material for wall treatments. Installing drywall having Sheetrock as an insulated material is easy and totally inexpensive. Apart from the standard size say, 4x8 feet, there are a few other sizes as well, like, 4x9 feet and 4x10 feet sheets with thickness remaining the same, i.e., 3/8'', ½'' and 5/8''.

Sheetrock Thickness

Of all the above mentioned Sheetrock thickness, ½'' thickness is the one which is most widely used in several construction projects. They are in fact known to be the standard thickness of any interior walls. This is subject to installation on walls, in case of ceilings the Sheetrock thickness can be extended up to 5/8'' too. Such a thick layer prevents sagging of ceilings, and gives a sturdy appearance to any infrastructure. A Sheetrock of thickness ¼ inch is available under this category too. That, of course, is considered to be the thinnest material under the topic of drywall. Apart from the above mentioned, a ¾ inch Sheetrock thickness is made and sold in the market quite often. That in particular is called fire resistant drywall. A fire resistant Sheetrock can be installed in places like garage walls or kitchen walls to provide protection against the risk of fire.

Types of Sheetrock

Insulated: Insulated Sheetrock have a typical thickness of ½'' and they are suitable for walls which do not retain heat quite well.

Baseboard: Chiefly designed to cover the ceilings, a baseboard Sheetrock is mainly used for stud-work partitions and wall linings. The sizes available in this category are 3/8'' and ½'' thickness. Specific for ceiling installation, 3/8'' Sheetrock size is ideal.

Water Resistant: Sheetrock has no specific location of its utilization and can be used in wet and moisture filled areas like bathrooms and kitchen walls or ceiling. They are easy to identify, because they are available in ¼" and 5/8'' thick panels.

Fire Retardant: These Sheetrock are non-combustible and fire resistant. They come in a size of 5/8'' thick panels having a grayish coat on the sheet backing and are known to be quite expensive in the market.

Remember: whenever you begin any improvement project in your home, learn to take all the measurements accurately, and sort all your priorities before you proceed further to purchase the desired Sheetrock type or size.