Uses of Gypsum in Home Interiors
Uses of Gypsum outside the Construction Industry
Gypsum Products Unique Properties

Uses of Gypsum in Home Interiors

Who of us does not live surrounded by Gypsum? What home does not have plaster on the walls or plasterboards for its ceilings and interior lining? Who has not been impressed by offices, hotels and public institutions whose interiors are shaped into intricate arches and curves, which are made possible by the use of plasterboards to create an aesthetically pleasing environment?

Gypsum building materials are used in all construction types (residential, non-residential, new or refurbished), ranging from complex high-tech systems to easy to install products adapted for use by the great public. Its environmental benefits linked to its safety and usability credentials greatly help to create a pleasant, warm, cozy, healthy and comfortable built environment.

Gypsum plasterboards, fibreboards and plaster blocks are manufactured in hundreds of variations, satisfying a vast number of technical and aesthetic requirements. In order to assist architects, contractors and engineers in choosing the right solution for any given situation, manufacturers offer a wide range of systems. An architect no longer has to research and put together different components and then have the system tested. He uses approved solutions which include the appropriate product and the relevant accessories, such as framing components and finishing products, along with any necessary technical information. Thus, Gypsum systems enable the architect to create sublime, divine, practical and money-saving design solutions.

Uses of Gypsum outside the Construction Industry

We should not forget the many uses of Gypsum outside the construction industry.

Gypsum can also:

• Be added to some bread and dough mixes as a Calcium source and baking aid;
• Be used as a filler and fire retardant in plastic products;
• Be used in Portland cement and special cement products for set andexpansion control;
• Be a source of Calcium and Sulphate Sulphur for plant growth;
• Be used as a modelling material for tooth restorations;
• Be an ingredient in many patching compounds;
• Be used with glass to fabricate large, lightweight architectural decorations;
• Be used as a mould material to fabricate custom body parts for trucks and automobiles;
• Be an aid in juice extraction of some fruits and vegetables.

Gypsum Products Unique Properties

Gypsum-based products and solutions have numerous outstanding and unique qualities in construction

Gypsum is fire protective

Gypsum is non-combustible and able to delay a fire’s spread up to 4 hours. Gypsum acts, in that case, as a fire barrier and thus reduces home or business fire damage.

Gypsum regulates sound and solutions

Gypsum walls, ceilings and floors together with insulation materials create quiet zones in the house or business environment. They are designed to provide a physical barrier to sound, incorporate a sound break and minimize reverberation.  These solutions are virtually indispensable for the interiors of homes and offices and indeed all types of building where people congregate such as schools, shops, cinemas, airports, etc.

Drywall Systems: a Sound Investment that adds to Home Value 2006-en.pdf

Gypsum acts as a thermal insulator when combined with insulating materials

Thanks to its low thermal conductivity, Gypsum plasterboards contribute together with the insulating material to the insulation of external walls and linings

Gypsum equilibrates humidity and heat peaks

Gypsum is capable of storing humidity when a room is humid and automatically releasing this humidity if the indoor air becomes too dry.  Plasterboards have also a “heat-storing” ability.  Small temperature increases are absorbed and radiated back later when the temperature in the room decreases.

Gypsum is impact resistant

The Gypsum Industry provides plasterboards, gypsum fibreboards and plaster blocks with a degree of hardness equivalent to a thick wall heavy masonry construction.

Gypsum is easy to install and to dismantle

To construct an internal wall, for example, a frame is erected, plasterboard is fitted to it, joints are filled and the wall is created. The operation is clean, dry and uncomplicated.

Gypsum is multifaceted, multipurpose, supple and aesthetic

A richness of forms can be created in plasterboard or stucco. For architects, building with gypsum products allows them to unleash their creativity thus allowing them to answer, even more dramatically, to the demands of their customer while remaining within an affordable budget.  In short, Gypsum allows the creation of stunning interiors in any and all styles, from the Classical to the Modern.