Wallboard, gypsum or drywall as it is commonly called has been used throughout the construction industry as a building material for interior walls since the early 1900’s. Now with modern technology and various additives it has evolved to a material that will resist mildew and increase fire resistance allowing it to be used in a variety of areas throughout a construction project.Drywall Sanding

The beauty of using drywall as the finished interior wall surface is its versatility in providing a background that easily adapts to different styles of final finishes. Each of the final texture products has its own character and can deliver a look that is tailored to different individual tastes.

To achieve a wall ready for the finish let us start from the beginning. The first step is applying the drywall using screws and fastening it to the bare studs. Next the contractor will start applying drywall tape and additional joint compound over the tape which seals off the butt joints visually hiding them. Repeated steps of feathering out the mud and sanding will provide a surface ready for the texture. Remember that before applying the texture it is very important, a primer first be applied to the walls to eliminate banding and texture problems.

Now comes the texture and the choice for what texture to apply depends on solely on the individual and their personal tastes. You can choose from a number of different ones but the three most common are knockdown, orange peel or smooth finish. Knockdown is frequently used in new construction and is the most forgiving of textures masking many imperfections. Here the contractor splatters mud onto the wall with a sprayer and after a short period of drying takes a wide broad knife and goes over the splatter creating the knockdown effect. Orange peel is similar in application but less forgiving and leaves a smaller pattern of mud on the wall so that the contractor does not take any further steps but instead lets this pattern dry on the wall. Smooth finish has no texture mud applied, is the least forgiving and as the name suggests leaves the wall smooth without any surface variation.Drywall Spray

Whatever the finish is that you choose for your new home have the contractor provide you with an example board so that you can see the differences between the different texture types and choose the level of the application you want for the knockdown or orange peel whether it be a heavy, medium or light splatter.

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