What are Moisture-Resistant Gypsum Boards?

The year was 1888, the location, Rochester, Kent, UK. The first plasterboard plant was just unveiled, and it was a trailer of what is coming in the future years. 

The first known gypsum board was invented in 1894 by Augustine Sackett and Fred Kane, and it consisted of four piles of wood felt paper. Since then, they have continually evolved, but they have had a significant drawback.

The traditional gypsum boards suffer from being ineffective against moisture. As a result, it prevents people from using them to decorate their bathrooms and moisture-affected areas. 

After a few years, we saw the unveiling of moisture-resistant gypsum boards that offered better protection against moisture.

This article discusses moisture-resistant gypsum boards and their characteristics.

Definition of moisture-resistant gypsum board

Also known as MR board or green board, moisture-resistant gypsum board offers better resistance against moisture than traditional drywall. It is because they come with an aerated gypsum core along with special water repellent additives. It uses moisture-resistant paper liners to encase these cores and hold them tight.

It makes moisture-resistant boards such as Glasroc® H an excellent option, both for indoor and outdoor usage. In addition, our Aqualine® range is excellent for your bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, or other areas susceptible to moisture.

Advantages of moisture-resistant gypsum board

Even though moisture-resistant drywalls include additional layers, it doesn’t make it difficult to install and finish. Here are the benefits it offers –

Protection from moisture

As the name suggests, these offer better protection from moisture. The priority of these panels is to repel both liquid and vapor moisture. If the wall cavity retains the same, the board’s ability to protect the structure from deterioration improves. Most of these panels can absorb a maximum of 5% of board weight.

No shrinkage and crack-free

Unlike mortar plaster, these panels do not suffer from shrinkage while drying. Also, these ensure there are no cracks because of movement in the overall structure.  

Improved mold resistance

The moisture-resistant panels have anti-microbial properties that help them repel mold and mildew. If these are well-maintained, these can help improve the life of interior surfaces and ensure better health for the people dwelling in the place.

Improved fire resistance

Like standard gypsum board, these variants are also excellent at fire resistance. They come equipped with Type C and Type X cores, which are approved to reduce flame spread, fire protection, and lower smoke generation.

Eco-friendly

The board is asbestos-free and a non-carcinogenic offering. It means that these panels are eco-friendly and do not produce anything harmful during installation and after that.

Blocks noise

Traditional gypsum boards are great at blocking noise, Gyprok here are too. Even though moisture-resistant gypsum board may not offer the same blocking level as our Gyptone® range, the sound attenuation is pretty good and helps curtail incoming noise.

Easy to handle and install

When it comes to the physical structure, a moisture-resistant gypsum board is not much different from the traditional moisture board. So it also means that these panels are easy to handle and apply. Plus, these are cost-efficient during the construction process, which compensates for the high cost of the board.

Tile fixing

These panels support direct tile fixing. So you can apply tiles up to 32 kg/m2 on a moisture-resistant gypsum board with ease.

High on aesthetics

Moisture-resistant gypsum boards are easy to finish. You can use either paint or wallpaper to elevate the overall aesthetic value of your living room or other spaces.  

Wrap up

Using a moisture-resistant gypsum board means you have greater flexibility and improved performance. These are especially popular in humid areas with low access to water and are a sustainable alternative.

At Gyproc, we specialize in a variety of gypsum boards. These include moisture-resistant to higher fire-resistant boards.   

Click here to explore our range of Gypboard.

The article is a part of our series “What is gypsum board: uses and benefits”