Commercial Building Interior Finishing
Drywall is a construction product commonly used to finish building interiors. For hundreds of years prior to its development, the interior walls of buildings were usually made of plaster. This was applied in layers over narrow boards called laths that were nailed directly to the studs. The plaster was pressed into gaps between the laths to make it adhere, and was built up in progressive layers. This building technique called for a fair degree of craftsmanship and experience, but allowed the builder to incorporate interesting textures or decorations as the plaster was worked.
In the mid-twentieth century, drywall, also called plasterboard or gypsum board, came into widespread use, and now almost all buildings have drywall walls. Drywall has a number of advantages over plaster, ease of installation being the most obvious. In addition to being easy to install, drywall provides a measure of fire protection to buildings.
