What is drywall? Partitions, suspended ceilings and niches

Drywall is a board made of a gypsum core faced with paper on both sides, screwed onto a metal frame. It is light, quick to build and needs no wet trades, so a space is usable again within days.

Where it is used

• Partitions: non load-bearing internal walls, far lighter and faster than blockwork.
• Suspended ceilings: hide services, ducts and lighting infrastructure and allow level changes.
• Niches and shelving: recessed storage and concealed lighting details.
• Acoustic separation: mineral wool inside the frame cuts sound transfer between rooms.

Board types

• Standard (white): general use in dry rooms.
• Moisture resistant (green): bathrooms, kitchens and around wet areas.
• Fire resistant (red): escape corridors, service shafts, high risk areas.
• Acoustic (blue): bedrooms, hotel rooms, meeting rooms.

How it is built

1. Wall and ceiling lines are set out with a laser.
2. A frame of U and C profiles is erected; hangers are fixed to the slab.
3. Electrics and services are run inside the frame.
4. Boards are screwed on with staggered joints.
5. Joints are taped and the face is skimmed.

Advantages

• Light — adds no meaningful load to the structure.
• Fast — a dry system with no waiting time.
• Reversible — layout changes stay cheap.
• Tidy — cables and pipes disappear into the wall.

Points to watch

• Heavy items such as a wall-hung TV need timber or steel backing in the frame.
• In wet rooms the green board alone is not enough; tanking is a separate job.
• Stud spacing should not exceed 60 cm or the surface will ripple.