Compare drywall and plaster | What is best for walls

Often, if it is necessary to finish the premises in new buildings or during repairs, the question arises: which option to choose for leveling the walls — sheathing with plasterboard sheets or plaster? No one can give a direct answer to this question, because each of these types of finishes has certain advantages, but also disadvantages. Our experts, professional builders, have analyzed the features of drywall and plaster finishing methods and highlighted the pros and cons of each method to help you make your final choice.

For better clarity, we have summarized all the pros and cons of both methods of wall decoration in a table, using which you can make your choice.

What is drywall

Gypsum plasterboard (GKL) is a prefabricated building product in the form of a thin-walled panel consisting of building gypsum and glued on both sides with a dense layer of cardboard. Manufacturers produce several varieties of drywall, which have different properties and are intended for finishing rooms for various purposes.

Types of drywall and their application

Geometric characteristics of drywall sheets

The most common type of drywall sheet has dimensions of 1200 x 2500 mm, although manufacturers produce sheets of other sizes: from 625 mm wide and from 1500 mm to 4000 mm long. The thickness of the sheet can be in the range of 6.5 — 12.5 mm. You can also distinguish GKL by the profile of the edges:

1. rectangular edge with marking — PC;

2. edge with one-sided thinning — marking UK;

3. edge, semicircular on one side — PLC marking;

4. edge, thinned and semicircular on one side — marking PLUK;

5. rounded edge — ZK marking.

The edges of the plasterboard sheets are profiled to simplify the finishing of the joints between them after installation.

Features of the use of drywall

The main purpose of drywall is to level the surfaces of walls and ceilings in rooms. When using drywall, you should know the following features and rules for use:

1. for facing walls and partitions in rooms with normal operation, as well as in the construction of light partitions with a frame made of wooden beams or thin-walled steel profiles, standard 12.5 mm thick plasterboard sheets are used;

2. when sheathing the surface of ceilings and installing suspended ceilings with a frame made of steel thin-walled profiles, as well as from a wooden beam in rooms with normal operation, a standard gypsum board with a thickness of 8 or 9.5 mm is used;

3. for cladding walls and ceilings in rooms with a special mode of operation — with high humidity or fire hazard, with increased requirements for sound insulation, drywall with the appropriate properties is used — fire-resistant, moisture-resistant or acoustic;

4. a standard drywall sheet with a minimum thickness of 6.5 mm is used when constructing structures of complex shape — arched, rounded walls, round racks and columns, multi-level suspended ceilings, etc., since drywall can be bent after wetting or cutting the surface of the sheet into segments.

Plasterboard surface technology

The technology of plasterboard cladding of wall and ceiling surfaces is simple and consists in sheathing a frame made of wooden beams or thin-walled galvanized steel profiles attached to the wall or ceiling surface. The frame includes horizontal rails that are attached to the floor and ceiling along the wall, and vertical posts installed in 600 mm increments with fastening to the rails. A step of 600 mm was not chosen by chance, as it corresponds to the standard width of a plasterboard sheet of 1200 mm.

1. After the frame is installed, drywall sheets are installed, which are installed vertically and attached to the frame posts and guide screws. It turns out fastening around the perimeter of each sheet and exactly in the middle, self-tapping screws are placed in increments of 200-250 mm, while at the junction of two adjacent sheets they are placed in a run.

2. After mounting all the sheets, the joints are glued with sickle masking tape, then the joints and the entire surface of the cladding are puttied. The use of drywall with thinned edges makes the process of puttying joints more convenient and ensures a high quality finish. After puttying, the surface of the walls is primed and finished in accordance with design solutions for interior design — painted, wallpapered, tiled, etc.

3. The same technology is used to produce ceiling cladding.

Another option for leveling walls or ceilings with drywall is that the sheets are attached directly to the surface with a special adhesive without a frame. The main condition for this is that the surfaces must be perfectly even, for which a number of preparatory work is performed.

Advantages and disadvantages of plasterboard cladding

To the advantages of plasterboard wall cladding sheets include:

1. the simplicity of the technology of work that can be performed by non-specialists with basic skills in working with hands. Plasterboard sheets are easy to process — they can be cut with a hacksaw, bent after wetting or cutting into segments;

2. relatively low cost of work and materials used in comparison with other methods of leveling walls;

3. short terms of performance of works on facing;

4. “cleanliness” of work, since much less waste, construction debris and dirt is generated when sheathing walls with drywall than when performing other, especially “wet” finishing processes that use solutions;

5. the ability to use different types of drywall, specially designed for finishing rooms with special operating conditions — moisture resistant, fire resistant or acoustic;

6. the possibility of using drywall to create architecturally expressive interiors with elements of complex shape;

7. when facing along the frame, it is possible to hide engineering communications under the surface of drywall, or devices in this space for additional heat or sound insulation.

The disadvantages include:

1. a decrease in the usable area of ​​​​the premises when facing along the frame, which is installed, although close to the walls, but “eats up” a space of several centimeters;

2. low resistance of drywall sheets to mechanical stress;

3. difficulties when hanging cabinets, shelves, etc. on the walls

What is plaster

Plastering walls consists in applying a layer of plaster mortar to a previously prepared base, which may vary in composition. The main component of the plaster solution is a binder. The solution is kneaded on a cement, lime or gypsum binder, the choice of one or another composition of the solution depends on the material of the wall to be finished. The main materials used in the construction of walls are brick or stone, concrete and wood. In each case, the plastering process is carried out according to its own rules.

On stone or brickwork, plastering is carried out with cement or lime mortar with various additives, on concrete surfaces — with a cement binder-based mortar, on wooden surfaces — with lime-gypsum mortar.

In general, the plastering technology consists in the sequential application and leveling of three layers of mortar: spray, soil layer and coating layer. Taking into account the peculiarities of the technology for applying these layers and their thickness, three types of plaster are distinguished: simple, improved and high-quality. Different types of plaster are used depending on the functional purpose and mode of operation of a particular room.

Plastering stone or concrete surfaces

Before installing any type of plaster, it is necessary to prepare the surface, the technology of which depends on the material of the walls.

1. Stone, brick and concrete wall surfaces intended for plastering must first of all be cleaned of various contaminants — dust, oil and oil stains, salts that have come out on the masonry surface. Stone and brick masonry, erected without jointing, is excellent for any type of plaster, providing good adhesion to the finishing layer. On smooth concrete surfaces, for this purpose, it is necessary to make a cut or notch.

2. To obtain a perfectly flat surface, the walls are first checked by hanging in the vertical and horizontal planes, followed by the installation of marks or beacons. Vertically, the walls are checked with a metal plumb line, the diameter of which should not be more than 20 mm, horizontally using a plaster-rule-rule with a level. Nails or wooden slats can be hammered into brick and wooden walls to set landmarks, mortar marks are used for concrete surfaces, which are pyramids with a truncated point, about 5×5 cm in size and a height equal to the thickness of the future plastering. Inventory metal stamps are also used.

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4. Nails and stamps are attached to the wall at a distance of 1 to 3 meters from each other, and from the walls and ceiling at a distance of 300-400 mm. To perform high-quality plaster, beacons from mortar or wooden blocks with a section of 50×50 mm are installed in front of the preparatory leveling layer. In the case when the solution from which they are made does not correspond in composition to the solution of the finishing layer, after the plastering work, the beacons and marks are cut down.

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6. The protruding parts of the walls — pylons, pilasters — are covered with a plaster mesh, since the finishing layer does not adhere well to such protrusions. For this, a fine wire mesh with a mesh size of 10×10 mm or synthetic fiber mesh is used. In order to prevent cracking, plasters also strengthen the joints of walls erected from different materials to a width of 50 cm on each side of the seam. Reinforcement with metal and fiberglass meshes is also used to close various furrows in the walls, for example, grooves and channels with electrical wiring and other communications.

7. Fiberglass nets can be of several types: serpyanka, radish and nets made of glass threads. Serpyanka is made of lavsan, the radish is made of polypropylene. For the construction of a reinforced base, the first layer of plaster mortar is applied to the right places, then the mesh is sunk into it, after which the second layer of mortar is immediately applied.

Plastering wood walls

Before plastering the wooden surfaces of the walls, they are also cleaned of dirt, then upholstered with shingles from a thin lath with a distance of 45 mm between the individual laths. The shingles are fastened with nails through two intersections of the laths to the third, if the ceiling is upholstered, and through each drapery in the case of wall upholstery. Reiki are located at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor surface. A convenient way is upholstery with shingle boards, which are pre-made on a horizontal surface, and then quickly attached to the surface of the walls.

The distance between the ends of the lathing rails must be at least 3 centimeters, otherwise, if they swell under wet plaster, cracks may appear on the surface. The shingles are stuffed, starting from the bottom of the wall, reaching the top, if necessary, continue to upholster the ceiling.

In places where wooden walls are joined to walls made of other materials, reinforcement from a metal mesh is arranged. If plastering work will be carried out in rooms with high humidity — bathrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, then a waterproofing layer is laid before upholstering the walls with shingles.

Upon completion of the plastering work, the finishing layer should dry out for several weeks. Then the surface of the walls is treated with a primer and puttied in several layers. After the putty dries, a layer of a special primer is applied, then they proceed to the finishing — painting, wallpapering, ceramic tiling, etc. in accordance with the decisions of the interior design project.

Advantages and disadvantages of plaster

The advantages of the method of leveling walls with plaster include:

1. coating durability. After high-quality plastering of the walls, the coating will serve for many decades without the need for repair, only the front finishing layer — paint, wallpaper or cladding — will be updated;

2. strength and reliability — the plaster coating is resistant even to significant mechanical stress, which cannot be said about drywall;

3. furniture, heavy interior decoration accessories, household and electronic appliances, and other equipment can be hung on plastered walls without fear;

4. due to the small thickness, the plaster slightly reduces the useful area of ​​the premises;

5. with the help of decorative plaster, which is distinguished by a wide variety of types and textures, you can create rich and original interiors.

The disadvantages of plaster include:

1. complexity and long terms of work;

2. the need for strict adherence to the technology of work that must be performed by highly qualified specialists;

3. «wet» processes, accompanied by the formation of a large amount of dirt and debris;

4. relatively high cost of work and materials used.