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I’m not sure what you’re asking – where are you installing?
“Blueboard”, or “greenboard”, is often installed in bathrooms as a water-resistant wallboard. Note that it’s water-resistant – not waterproof and not water tolerant.
If you’re doing tiling, then it seems that more people use fibreglass or cement backerboard.
For non-water contact areas, such as walls outside shower stalls or the ceiling, greenboard is fine and I’d personally use it rather than regular wallboard.
A pro painter evaluates a variety of drywall sanders and dust collection systems for quality of finish, user fatigue, and more.
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Replies
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I'm not sure what you're asking - where are you installing?
"Blueboard", or "greenboard", is often installed in bathrooms as a water-resistant wallboard. Note that it's water-resistant - not waterproof and not water tolerant.
If you're doing tiling, then it seems that more people use fibreglass or cement backerboard.
For non-water contact areas, such as walls outside shower stalls or the ceiling, greenboard is fine and I'd personally use it rather than regular wallboard.
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andrew,
I've found that textured drywall over sheetrock can look just as good as textured plaster over blue board.
Ed. Williams
*No, the Blueboard I'm referring to is USG's proprietary drywall that has special paper to receive a 1/16-1/8" "Imperial" veneer hard plaster coat. It's kind of an upgrade to regular drywall.Some people mean blue XPS when they say blueboard.It occurred to me that I had forgotten to search the OLD archives; here's what I found, and if whoever reads this is like me searching for info you need look no further, this is pretty much the contents of the older board postings.Haven't heard anything about Fiberock in a long time, either...***Bill Connor:I still find it curious that Mass (eastern) and Rhode Island still do so much veneer plaster (blueboard) compared to other regions. It is a great system - my bigsplurge - but practically unheard of in many regions. (2) I use and really like USG's 2 coat Imperial veneer plaster system - also known as blueboard. Most of the qualities of plaster and quicker than drywall (assuming youdon't have to import plasterers). Great system.Geoff:Well after reading all the opinions I couldn't help but throw in my two cents worth. Blueboard, fiberglass mesh tape(self-adhesive type), Dura-Bond 90 first coat,skim coat plaster finish.Why? plaster is 3 times faster than taping, mudding,sanding;mudding,sanding;mudding,sanding(assuming 3 coats of mud),leaves a muchsmoother finish for paper or paint and is more durable(won't dent or ding as easily),and is more productive time-wise since most good plasterers can skim 2-3rooms per day depending on size, all-in-all much faster than mud, just one contractors opinion!! Rick A.:Here in Rhode Island plaster ( blueboard with a skim coat )is to be expected in a new home, sheetrock is considered to be cheap. But sheetrock is the norm incommercial work. I've used both many times. Plaster is much more durable, it forms a nice hard shell able to withstand more abuse. As to your question of a morenatural, softer look; I've found that it's the finish you apply to the walls, whether plaster or sheetrock, that give you a desired look. There are different types ofprimers, and finish paints that give certian results, also different aplication systems, sprayed, brushed, or rolled. And when rolled, different types of sleeves andnaps. Not to mention the different techniques that some of the good painters have. Try reposting your question after you rephrase it to catch the eye of the propainters out there. Paul Monday:I'm a DIY who recently remodeled my bedroom and used the veneer plaster system -USG Imperial base and finish plaster over blueboard- described in other postshere. It's much easier than drywall. I tried, as best as I could, for a hard-trowelled finish. The walls are hard, fairly smooth, and have a light grey and white color. Ihave left them unpainted and unsealed because the natural finish is so nice. In New Mexico, where I first saw plaster walls, it is common to leave them unpainted.Occasionally they are sealed with a clear sealer; I'm not sure what kind. Hope this helps
*Textured ... compound? Yeah, I guessed that would be the truth. I guess plaster still is harder and has a different feel.
*andrew d,Our old house in the St Louis area had blueboard covered with sand coat plaster. I do not recommend this finish. Almost impossible to wallpaper and very difficult to repair. Hard plaster has a quality "feel" but finding craftsmen to put it on may be difficult. Even if it is "easier than taping" it will most likely cost more for materials and labor. Around here there are a lot of really good dry wall craftsmen but plasters are hard to find (most are tied up doing commercial stucco exteriors). You can do a lot with dry wall mud if you know what you are doing. Not sure the difference between a good dry wall job and a skim coat plaster job warrant the difference in price.
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andrew d. If you have a copy of my book, _Complete _Building_Construction_4th Edition, turn to page 508, Gypsumite and FiberBond. Gypsumite went out of busainess, but FiberBond--maufactured by Louisiana-Pacific is still available.
If you don't have a copy let me know and I'll quote the applicable passage. GeneL.
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andred d. If you have a copy of my book_Complete_Building_Construction_, 4th Edition, turn to page 508, Gypsumite and Fiberbond. Gypsumiter is out of business, but FiberBonmd is still available. It is an excellent for conventional GWB, skim coating or platering.GeneL.
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You obviously do not live in the Boston metro
area. Blueboard and plaster is the most common
interior wall finish in all residential
construction. In fact standard drywall and joint
compound is very uncommon in residential work and
would be associated with lower end and inferior
jobs. I am not sure why skimcoat plaster is so
common in this area; one reason may have to do
with the number of Irish immigrant laborers in
this area. These lads make up a sizable percentage
of plasters. Also historically in the Boston area,
residential structures have been plastered,
starting from the late 1800's when wood lath and
horsehair plaster was used. It has progressed
through varied stages (eg. wire lath, Gypsum lath
with basecoat and skim coat to current blueboard
and skimcoat) Finally, skimcoat plaster finish is
definitely a superior finish to joint compound;
ask any painter experienced with both.
*As an addendum to my last message: Plastering is not a DIY job. It should be done by a pro. It may look easy, but it is not. It takes alot of practice.
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So, what is the difference between blueboard and sheetrock besides the widths, and, I am assuming, colour?
Love to get plastered, BB
*An excellent ... alternative? Of course I have a copy of your book -- shoudn't you be sending us, your audience, complimentary copies by now? oprah does.
*So ... DIY's have no patience? Gotta learn somehow, and plasterers are literally dying out.I've done the metal lath thing. A lot of work, but then everything is the first time. Certainly more of a craft/art than d-wall. Our house's original walls are button-board and plaster.I lived in Boston nearly ten years -- not the "metro area," which I bet means suburbs. The apts I lived in had REAL plaster! So I'm wondering whether the blueboard shortcut is like vinyl siding or is a real improvement over lath.
*Just the paper -- it is "preglued" to bond well to the plaster veneer coat. Brian Ewing says the same effect can be achieved by coating regular d-wall with white glue. The core may be somewhat better, too, I'm not sure. It's blue just so it doesn't get mixed up with the green and gray. I don't know exactly why, but the plaster is a lot more fun to work with than drywall compound. More "body."
*andrew d. If Oprah would mention my book on her program I'd be happy to give you and others a complimentary copy.Blue board-or skim coating is a lesss expensive alternative to plaster. FiberBond-manufactured by Louisiana-Pacific- is an alternative to both. It has a center core of Perlite--an insulation--between two layers of fiber-reinforced gupsum.There is no taping. The finish is much harder and and is more like plaster than drywall. Absent are the settlement cracks so typical of plaster. GenerL
*Gene, is your book, perhaps in the library, I'm on a budget. Speaking of which, is plaster cheaper everywhere?I'm in NC, and very little plaster is done here anymore. Matter of fact, I've never even seen a plasterer.I'm building, and agree that nothing looks quite like plaster. Just seems a little realer.Funny thing is, I had never even considered anything other than sheetrock. I love this place!I'm gonna have a swell home, BB
*Nothing is cheaper than sheetrock, in more ways than one. I think a 60 lb. bag of wood-fiber plaster was about $10, about the same for bags of lime and finish/gauging plaster. Like I said, it's kinda fun, and decent exercise. The wall I built in the kitchen would probably break your fist before it cracked. I wouldn't want to pay someone else for the labor to install, though!
*That's in line with my experience. I've done plaster (part of a trim job, don;t ask me why it was a part), brown coat, skim, and finish, it was a bitch.Still looked a lot better than sheetrock. I was just hopin', BB
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board and skim coat plaster is definetly an
improvement over the old style of lath and plaster.
Most plasterers would agree to that. Most good
plasterers basecoat seams, corners, etc before the
skimcoat. Please dont associate with vinyl siding.
Plaster is plaster; vinyl is not wood clapboards!!
Simply put, in the professional residential const.
and remodeling business in the Boston area, board and
plaster is the standard mode of wall finish. That is
just the way it is.
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Part of a trim job? OK, you said don't ask.
I get a sense of how bloody hard and physical the works was fifty years ago, with hand tools and hundreds of pounds of plaster. Plastering is quite aerobic, especially if you don't use enough water!
Blueboard sounds plysically easier -- the plaster only comes out like 1/16 - 1/8" thick, but you of course have to have the knack for getting things flat. I think I'll probably try it ... if things aren't going well I'll just call it "drywall" and break out the paint. It's a couple bucks more a sheet ... the expensive part is paying someone to finish it.
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I have been skim-plastering (with finish plaster) over blueboard in my own house. I find it is EASIER to get a finish I like than with reg drywall and compound. Thats faster but to my taste looks crappy. If you want the glass smooth finish of a professional plasterer you will be disappointed, but if you start on an out of the way wall and like a slightly textured look it is definately in the realm of the DIYer. By the way, blueboard from the big masonry supply houses here costs exactly the same by the sq ft as regular DW.
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Cool endorsement. Glass smooth, then who's going to notice your hard work?
*BB. Your library might have a copy of my book. Try Barnes & Noble. They'll let you read it before you buy it. GeneL.
*hotsawdust, would you explain what you've been doing, ie. spacing of the boards, taping (fiberglass or paper), finishing tools, and time involved. It sounds like the look I want.I'd also appreciate any other advice.Just waiting to get plastered, BB
*Wow, now TWO people are interested! This could be the beginning of something big, BB.Blueboard is 4x8,12,etc; aping is paper and mud; plastering is, I believe, trowels and 1 or 2 thin coats of plaster: one scratch, one finish. Time involved depends on skill, and it is a fast-setting system. USG says the wall can be ready for decorating the next day. The USG site has some limited info and I've dropped an e-mail requesting more.They also produce a 16-24" wide Rocklath gypsum board product for use with gypsum plaster than perhaps gives a more realistic plaster appearance. I'm confused.
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Sure...
My house is a timberframe so I fit the blueboard in as large sheets as possible between the timbers: even with the plaster you save plenty of hassle eliminating as many seams as possible. First I papertape the seams and fill the screwholes with regular joint compound.
Then put finish plaster straight on. You'll need a drill powered mixing paddle to mix the stuff in a 5 gal bucket. Be careful to mix up small amounts at first: you have about 30 mins to get it on the wall before it sets up. I use a plastering trowel (which is convex as opposed to concave drywall seam trowel). Basically you glob the stuff on and spread it out thin as you want it. My coats are in the range of 1/16 to 3/16" I would guess. If you want a smoother look you can wait until it is hardening up, then mist water from a spray bottle onto the surface and hard trowel as you do a concrete surface to bring the cream up to the top. Real plasterers can get a hard, smooth-as-glass surface this way.
You can also build up various textures by allowing the trowel to skip and so forth. I have been trying for a fairly smooth but not completely regular surface- so far I am pretty happy. I started ont he walls behind where my kitchen cabinets are going so it would be hidden- my technique definately improved over a few walls! Now I find I can do a full section of wall (about 10x12 between my timbers in most cases) in one go, which eliminates getting the seams to match up.
In my situation I have had to caulk around the timber edges to allow for thier movement. After its all painted it gives a look that really complements the timbers well as compared to the dead-flat look of drywall.
Hope this helps- any other questions please ask!
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I've never seen this stuff installed. I can get it easy enough and I like the gently textured look and density of the plaster I did over metal lath, but have no idea whether blueboard is worthwhile. If not, how is plaster done "the hard way" nowadays -- what backing? (I'm thinking of just skim coating drywall with compound and call it a day.)
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USG sent me their instructions on the Imperial Plaster system in PDF format. Because it is a 65 K file, beyond the 50 K limit imposed by Webmaster, I've posted it HERE. Hope it is helpful.