• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Construction folks - drywall alternatives?

bholder

bholder

Affable Sociopath
Gold Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Sep 2, 2001
32,370
87,077
Vestal, NY
Disclosures
Received a gift from Sire* (see sig)
#1
I'm having my entire downstairs gutted to the studs and joists as part of a mold remediation erffort. :( So once all of the nasties are out, I need to rebuild. I'd rather not use drywall again, yuck. Is there anything cheaper, easier, and more mold and humidity resistant? For the garage and family room, I want slatwall from about 3' up, hoping I don't need anything underneath that.

So any recommendations? I'll be paying someone to do it, fwiw.
 
#2
I have no idea how this stuff fares in terms of mold/humidity resistance, but I can confirm -- albeit from experience at least 30+ years ago, so take it with a grain of salt -- that Homosote is easier to work with than sheetrock.

But if mold/humidity resistance is important perhaps look at that stuff used for bathroom & bathtub walls...Greenboard, or MMR Drywall, or Cement Board. Doubt those are any easier than sheetrock though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ostie, MonetBass and bholder
#3
Bob_Ross said:
I have no idea how this stuff fares in terms of mold/humidity resistance, but I can confirm -- albeit from experience at least 30+ years ago, so take it with a grain of salt -- that Homosote is easier to work with than sheetrock.

But if mold/humidity resistance is important perhaps look at that stuff used for bathroom & bathtub walls...Greenboard, or MMR Drywall, or Cement Board. Doubt those are any easier than sheetrock though.
Click to expand...
Yeah, gotcha, that makes sense, but I really don't want drywall, even the mold/humidity resistant stuff. Hoping there's some sort of paneling that'll do. Haven't really started looking yet, but I need to get moving - demolition starts next Wednesday.
 
#4
"trusscore"

Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard vs. Drywall - Trusscore

Probably not esthetically appropriate for non-utility living spaces, but an alternative wall panel, (also claimed to be compatible with "Slatwall" systems). SlatWall - Trusscore

Not sure about the code in your location, but regardless of the code, I will advise that whatever material you consider, check out the "fire rating", especially for a garage. You should be able to ask your local building inspector questions regarding your plan so as to avoid an expensive lesson after installing something in some way that is not permitted.

Edit to add link to trusscore fire rating:Fire Performance and Safety - Trusscore
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bholder
#5
Hoochie Coochie Man said:
"trusscore"

Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard vs. Drywall - Trusscore

Probably not esthetically appropriate for non-utility living spaces, but an alternative wall panel, (also claimed to be compatible with "Slatwall" systems).

Not sure about the code in your location, but regardless of the code, I will advise that whatever material you consider, check out the "fire rating", especially for a garage. You should be able to ask your local building inspector questions regarding your plan so as to avoid an expensive lesson after installing something in some way that is not permitted.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Hadn't thought of checking the fire rating...
 
#7
bholder, I added a link about the slatwall aspect of trusscore to my post. Off the top of my head, I can think of one, (of many) fire code considerations. if you have an attached garage, you need to take care where you make openings, (like for electrical, and plumbing) in the stud bays of a wall that is common to the garage, and the living space. You should not penetrate both spaces in the same stud cavity.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: spiritbass and bholder
#8
Of course, I'm not sure I'll ever use the garage as a garage again, but need to keep it "garage-able" for resale after I croak. But if I'm dead, what do I care? Hmmm....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Scott
#9
Just fired off an email to the local building code officer with some links asking whether it's in code. Apparently, in some areas, they require wallboard underneath - that would completely defeat the entire purpose...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hoochie Coochie Man
#11
As a former drywall finisher, your aversion to drywall is puzzling. What's the deal with drywall (gypsum panels)?
I'll set my hurt feelings aside ( :D ) and provide some alternatives, some of which any guy handy with basic construction tools can install:
Reclaimed wood, think old barn wood, etc.
Tongue and groove new wood, similar to flooring on the walls.
Wood panels, thicker than wainscot.
Plaster. Hire a pro if you have no experience with it.
Stucco. Hire a pro if you have no experience with it.
Cork panels. We did this flooring in our last home and loved it. Apparently it's a wall covering now as well.
I'm glad to see you're in touch with your local building inspectors. Smart move my man to keep your domicile in compliance with local/national building codes. As yucky as drywall may be to you, it might save your life if the unthinkable happens.

-Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: spiritbass, kodiakblair and bholder
#12
S-Bigbottom said:
Cement everything?

All of your electrical and such will be external with conduit and boxes, but I got a building that all the perimeter walls are cement for the first floor.
Click to expand...
It's about half in-ground on 2 sides, so concrete maybe to 3', but ground level on the rest (built into a hill).
 
#13
If you have a mold problem , you have a moisture problem. The problem isn't the drywall , it's the water getting to the drywall. Eliminating the water infiltration is more important than what you use to cover the walls. Almost any wall covering is somewhat susceptible to mold. Drywall just tends to let it show up easier. Getting the water away from the outside of the house is the best way to eliminate water infiltration. Any downspouts should be extended at least 8 feet away from any foundation walls. I did this at my house simply by adding a piece of 3" or 4" pipe to the end of the downspouts. Yeah , it looks a little wonky , but it really solved the problem. I have done this in the last two homes I have owned and completely eliminated water problems in both basements.
There are "waterproofing" companies galore out there and they will charge you thousands of dollars to install "drain tile" around the base of your house and run it to a sump pump to pump it out of your house. It has been my experience that this is a bit of a stopgap method. Getting the water to NOT enter your house in the first place is a better idea. Waterproofing companies don't like this idea because it takes a couple hundred dollars of pipe and labor to accomplish it rather than thousands of dollars to install drain tile.
50 years in the construction industry (mostly new home construction) including about 8 years with companies that did "waterproofing" tells me I'm right.
Once the water problem is eliminated , the possibility of mold is any wall covering pretty much goes away. Of all the wall coverings mentioned above , drywall is by far the easiest and cheapest method.
Feel free to P.M. me if you have any questions. Sharky
 
  • Like
Reactions: spiritbass, Bob_Ross, Code Brown and 2 others
#14
sharkbait130 said:
If you have a mold problem , you have a moisture problem. The problem isn't the drywall , it's the water getting to the drywall. Eliminating the water infiltration is more important than what you use to cover the walls. Almost any wall covering is somewhat susceptible to mold. Drywall just tends to let it show up easier. Getting the water away from the outside of the house is the best way to eliminate water infiltration. Any downspouts should be extended at least 8 feet away from any foundation walls. I did this at my house simply by adding a piece of 3" or 4" pipe to the end of the downspouts. Yeah , it looks a little wonky , but it really solved the problem. I have done this in the last two homes I have owned and completely eliminated water problems in both basements.
There are "waterproofing" companies galore out there and they will charge you thousands of dollars to install "drain tile" around the base of your house and run it to a sump pump to pump it out of your house. It has been my experience that this is a bit of a stopgap method. Getting the water to NOT enter your house in the first place is a better idea. Waterproofing companies don't like this idea because it takes a couple hundred dollars of pipe and labor to accomplish it rather than thousands of dollars to install drain tile.
50 years in the construction industry (mostly new home construction) including about 8 years with companies that did "waterproofing" tells me I'm right.
Once the water problem is eliminated , the possibility of mold is any wall covering pretty much goes away. Of all the wall coverings mentioned above , drywall is by far the easiest and cheapest method.
Feel free to P.M. me if you have any questions. Sharky
Click to expand...
TL;DR. I'll come back to re-read, but yeah, there was a moisture problem, rats chewed open the main water supply pipe which then flooded the basement for at least a day before being discovered Rats are all gone, so is the moisture, plumbing is fixed, but the damage was done.

I just think gypsum wallboard is stupid in a basement, especially the laundry / plumbing room.

If I had questions about dealing with moisture, I would have asked them. Don't assume I'm so ignorant and incompetent, please.
 
#17
Hey there buddy. I don't believe those comments were meant to insinuate you're incompetent or ignorant. Like mine, they come from many years of experience in the industry and having seen and fixed issues exactly as you have described multiple times. I get it you're possibly frustrated with what happened, but gypsum panels (drywall) are the industry standard in wet and dry locations for a few reasons.
I don't have any experience with the Trusscore product linked above, but it seems legit. Then again, I do not consider drywall to be a messy and problematic process, so I'd never consider using it. It'd be good to find more real life experiences from folks other than Trusscore or the HGTV people.

-Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: FRoss6788 and bholder
#19
The gypsum wall board in the laundry utility room in the back corner with the oressure tank and water heater, was nasty and moldy from about 4' down, back before any of this happened. Yuck. Besides, I want most of the wall area to be slatwall, which this Trusscore is designed to integrate with and sheetrock doesn't.
 
#20
MJ5150 said:
Hey there buddy. I don't believe those comments were meant to insinuate you're incompetent or ignorant. Like mine, they come from many years of experience in the industry and having seen and fixed issues exactly as you have described multiple times. I get it you're possibly frustrated with what happened, but gypsum panels (drywall) are the industry standard in wet and dry locations for a few reasons.
I don't have any experience with the Trusscore product linked above, but it seems legit. Then again, I do not consider drywall to be a messy and problematic process, so I'd never consider using it. It'd be good to find more real life experiences from folks other than Trusscore or the HGTV people.

-Mike
Click to expand...
I'm sure he meant well and was trying to be helpful, but it's more than a bit condescending to assume I hadn't dealt with the moisture source by this point in the project.

Keep in mind that the mold remediation company holds all the cards, and I hold none. Once your place is found to have mold, your rights as property owner are simply gone until the mold remediation is certified complete, homeowners have basically no say in the interim. So the pros have had to deal with the moisture source for me to have gotten to this "rip out and rebuild" phase. The dominoes have to fall in order, and dealing with the moisture was one of the first to go down.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back