Hi everyone,
What alternatives are there to drywall for interior walls? I have white surface bonding cement exterior walls w/ a few interior walls that are stud framed.
I was thinking since drywall seems to be a pain maybe there is something else I could use. Any ideas?
Various types of paneling or the Structolite Chuck posted. Maybe a type of plaster - Tadelakt http://www.tierrafino.com/tadelakt.html
As I recall you have block exterior walls.
For covering studded framing drywall seems to be prevalent. The amount of work involved compared to other wall types depends some on how well the taping/jointing goes. It is one thing I don't like to do either.
Sprayed on texture is used around here a lot, but you still need to do a decent job on the jointing.
I personally don't like most 4x8 sheet paneling. Maybe it's just me but it always looks like panels. Looks cheap to me.
T&G boards applied horizontally is a choice I like. Gives you the option of various color stains or a natural look.
I plan on putting at least few few walls up with drywall but covered with American Clay Earth Plaster. I got a chance to do a section of wall in a sort of "mini class" for a few hours and it has the possibility of turning out truly beautiful, with a cool finish. The neat thing about it was the degree of personalization you could put into it. Colors and textures could widely vary depending on what technique used and materials. Pretty neat stuff.
If you do go that route, there is special drywall you should use. Here is the link to one of USG's offeriengs:
http://www.usg.com/navigate.do?resource=/USG_Marketing_Content/usg.com/web_files/products/prod_details/IMPERIAL_Brand_Gypsum_Base.htm
We did an apartment building completely in this stuff, and the plaster guys were right on our tail to put on the veneer. It still looks nice 20 years later.
I believe the paper coating is the big thing. It is designed to work better wet than standard drywall.