When talking about construction and renovation in South Africa, homeowners, builders and even architects are more inclined to focus on brick and mortar than looking at lightweight material options like drywall, argues a well known supplier.
By: Gyproc South Africa
Images: Gyproc South Africa
As leaders in lightweight construction building materials, Saint-Gobain Africa recently took to the market to understand why this is the case and to dispel some of the myths relating to using drywall within the home.
“Internationally drywall is used in most homes, both at the start of construction and for renovation purposes,” explains
Asaad Manjoo, from Gyproc South Africa, a division of Saint-Gobain Africa (www.gyproc.co.za).
Misconception that drywall is a poor alternative
“In South Africa, where the residential market makes up 52% of the building market, one of the main reasons people do not use drywall is the misconception that it is a cheap alternative and will not offer the same quality overall that a brick-and-mortar wall will.”
Studies conducted have shown that many people believed drywall options to be of a lower quality than brick-and-mortar, offering less privacy and insulation, resulting in a home that looks cheap. The reality is that by using good quality drywall products, your home can have all the benefits of brick-and-mortar builds with the convenience and simplicity of light weight construction materials.
Some of the benefits of using drywalling
- Less mess and dust – drywalling is three to four times faster than standard masonry construction, leaving less mess and dust and allowing your renovation to be completed quickly and efficiently.
- Drywall offers great design flexibility, with ease of construction that saves you money in the long run. As an example, if you buy your home at an early stage in your life, your needs will change as the years go by. The Covid pandemic showed us how quickly people needed to turn a room or garage into a study so individuals could work from home. And now that we’re back in the office, do we need to turn that room back into its original state? It is also eight to ten times lighter than standard masonry construction meaning it has less of a load on your foundations.
- With traditional brick and mortar, it is relatively difficult to complete renovations as the internal walls will require a foundation. Drywall systems for internal walls do not require foundations.
- Contrary to what 79% of people polled in the study think, drywall is extremely durable, with solutions that allow you to easily hang heavy objects in your home straight onto the wall without additional noggins, for example, multimedia screens, artwork, and kitchen cabinets.
- Noisy neighbours? In residential estates and townhouses, how many times do you get frustrated listening to your neighbours arguing, or loud braais and parties disturbing your peace? Using a drywall system (plasterboard with insulation in the cavity) offers you acoustic performance, so noise is not a problem. The degree of acoustic insulation can even be better than an existing brick wall.
- Using drywall is also more sustainable as you use less water in the construction process than you would with brick and mortar. The drywall material is also made from recyclable materials.
- Aesthetically the appearance is crack-free, allowing ease of decoration.
- A high-performing, correctly rated drywall will also be fire resistant.
Contact the supplier for further information.
