drywall has a fake wood grain paper surface

If it peels off when wet, then it probaly is just wallpaper. Use a solution of DiF--a product for stripping wallpaper that dissolves the wallpaper glue--that you can get at Home Despot or other home centers. Drywall paper does not just peel off unless you tear into it.

It isn't drywall. I was at a house in Hemet, CA that had the same exact product. It is hung to the framing but no joint compound was evident between the panels. My curiosity lays with whether or not the material could have asbestos!

1. I am a huge fan of your site! DIY forever! I live in a city and am relaly excited to see what you do in NYC! Congrats and best wishes on the upcoming move!2.I rent so contact paper has been a GODSEND. I have used a faux leather black contact paper to redo my entire kitchen! I've covered my counter-top (which was stained, burned, severely damaged) and I also covered my fridge so it would match my decor! A tip I've picked up for applying it is using either a bowl scrapper (if you are a baker) or a credit card, and for removal a hair dryer is handy in warming the glue for clean removal!

I have this and want to know if it is safe to remove. It has fauz wood grain and no joint compound. It has been nailed to wood furring stips. The urring strips are nial to solid block walls and can be easily removed with a pry bar.

I found the same drywall with a wood grain printed finish where I live, Long Island NY. The house is 1950's and there is painted wood paneling over this faux wood drywall. I have read that you can not use joint compound on this style of drywall. Supposedly it was a quick and easy way to renovate unfinished areas such as the garage. I don't believe it was made to be an interior finished wall. I put the paneling back in place for now. My concern is safety. If the product had a short life on the market there must be a reason, unless it was just because it was ugly. I can't imagine why anyone would use this inside the home. I am in a true 4 level split level which was purchased from the original owner. No disclosures were made at closing because the son claimed he didn't know anything whatsoever, his father had the house built and the seller grew up here.
I am not in a rush to disturb anything in this house even though it needs repairs. This latest discovery of wood grain printed drywall has me wondering about asbestos. We will need to upgrade the electric as we discovered it is not up to code. I desperately need the info on that drywall.

Any updates on this?!?!

I just found the same in my old house. Ripped off the wood panel and I see this drywall but a wood grain sheet. Interested. Can I mud the seams and paint over it?

nobody has figured anything out? I have the same.

I found the same in my house recently - I located this article online today.
https://baronandbudd.com/news/at-home-with-asbestos-walls/
I’d say it’s a pretty good chance of having asbestos in it.
I’m lucky to know how to deal with it.

Silvacore

I recently bought a cabin/house in northern MI that was built in the early 60’s. The entire house has this for the ceiling. Has anyone discovered if this can be painted? It is not a wallpaper so can not be removed.

Hey @BV02200 I work for a restoration company in Ohio and came across this recently, we are going back today to flood cut the drywall and take asbestos floor tile. But we had the drywall tested for asbestos and it came back negative so if it’s the same material you should be okay

I have this in my all walls of garage and have a mold problem along one wall. What is the product called? I curious the best way to replace the one wall without having to do all the walls.

It's a gypsum product. It's generally known as predecorated gypsum, basically the paper facing was printed with a faux wood image (sometimes an additional clear coating was applied over the image). One brand was Ultrawall. See this excerpt from a hearing in Congress of a gypsum representative requesting changes to proposed bills that would require some sort of labeling to distinguish between real wood products and products having simulated wood appearance (Hardwood Labeling: Hearings Before the Committee on Commerce, United States ...
By United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce).

https://books.google.com/books?id=Byg86PwiqyoC&pg=RA5-PA66&lpg=RA5-PA66&dq=Wood+grain+Gypsum+board&source=bl&ots=2gSpaU926S&sig=ACfU3U01lBLgts6j1dolnCjxhbQwBh99QQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiembuZs_vpAhU1ZDUKHbymDfY4FBDoATAHegQIBxAB#v=onepage&q=Wood%20grain%20Gypsum%20board&f=false

Also see for example US Patent US3694298A

It's a gypsum product. It's generally known as predecorated gypsum, basically the paper facing was printed with a faux wood image (sometimes an additional clear coating was applied over the image). One brand was Ultrawall. See this excerpt from a hearing in Congress of a gypsum representative requesting changes to proposed bills that would require some sort of labeling to distinguish between real wood products and products having simulated wood appearance (Hardwood Labeling: Hearings Before the Committee on Commerce, United States ...
By United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce).

https://books.google.com/books?id=Byg86PwiqyoC&pg=RA5-PA66&lpg=RA5-PA66&dq=Wood+grain+Gypsum+board&source=bl&ots=2gSpaU926S&sig=ACfU3U01lBLgts6j1dolnCjxhbQwBh99QQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiembuZs_vpAhU1ZDUKHbymDfY4FBDoATAHegQIBxAB#v=onepage&q=Wood%20grain%20Gypsum%20board&f=false

Also see for example US Patent US3694298A

We have this drywall at our camp. It was made by the United States Gypsum Company. I have included the label from the back of one of the sheets. Our camp was built in 1960. The label says its is fireproof gypsum board and apparently it came in 3 styles, Sablewood, Cherrywood and Ranch Pine. Our camp is the ranch pine. It still looks good after all these years, small amount of rippling near the floor from flooding a few years back, but over all an outstanding product that has stood the test of time.... 60 years and counting

BV022966

08:49PM | 07/15/20
We have this drywall at our camp. It was made by the United States Gypsum Company. I have included the label from the back of one of the sheets. Our camp was built in 1960. The label says its is fireproof gypsum board and apparently it came in 3 styles, Sablewood, Cherrywood and Ranch Pine. Our camp is the ranch pine. It still looks good after all these years, small amount of rippling near the floor from flooding a few years back, but over all an outstanding product that has stood the test of time.... 60 years and counting

Sorry my photo didn't up load, I have tried several times. Here is a link to it on my google drive where you can view it. Just copy and paste.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1twosa0C67A2PyrIdbYazlmtGb9lkbhvE?usp=sharing