Drywall vs. Blueboard Explained

Project: Victorian Restoration, Episode 8, Part 1



Bob talks with Bill Reid (from US Gypsum) about the differences between blue board and the drywall. In the backyard, Bob meets with Fred Goode (from BrattleWorks) to talk about the special landscape fencing being put in. (Then they take a tour of the nearby factory to see how the fencing is made). Finally, a new Clopay garage door is installed.
Part 1: Drywall vs. Blueboard Explained
Bob meets with Bill Reid (of US Gypsum) in the barn of the Victorian restoration project house. Bill differentiates imperial board (blue board), which is skim-coated, from drywall (gypsum panels), whose joints are taped.

In 2000, US Gypsum developed a new core technology that makes the boards stronger and lighter for easier handling, cutting, and scoring.

These new boards snap cleanly on the ends. The installer puts a back cut on the edge (so the back of the sheet doesn't hit before the front does). The blue board and skimcoat application is typically not a do-it-yourself project.

Traditional plaster jobs were very cost prohibitive so, when veneer plasters came along, they became very popular, as they give a much more monolithic look than gypsum panels, while providing an abuse resistant finish.

Upstairs, in the studio, the homeowner has specified blue board with veneer plaster. Downstairs, where he wants the option to tack artwork to the wall, the homeowner has specified a traditional drywall and tape application.
Part 2: Trellis and Lattice Fencing & Workshop Tour
Part 3: Installing Drywall with Wallboard and Taped Joints
Part 4: Garage Door Installation
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob's scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.

The home's new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home's floor plan, update the building's mechanical and electrical systems, and add home office and work spaces for two busy professionals.

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