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An ideal home, for many people, is an abode where they are to spend their lives without fretting over its upkeep. For them, an ideal place is the one which once built, don’t even need a repaint, ever.

But it doesn’t happen. Our homes have a life, after which they just give up on living. Then we have to look after them, get them repaired to bring them back to their old glory.

It is called renovation.

The most common wear-and-tear a house sees is paint, moisture walls, faded façade, and ruptured water pipes. With time the walls deteriorate, and the home begins to give a quite shabby look.

The walls in our houses are made of plaster for as long as any one of us could remember. They create solid barriers for sound, strengthen the house’s foundations and create a concreted division between rooms.

Drywalls are now replacing these plaster walls. A drywall is also called a wallboard. It is large rigid sheets of various material that is used as walls in modern homes. These materials include plywood, asbestos-cement board, gypsum, wood pulp, and wood grain.

These walls are easy to put up and serve the purpose of creating extra divisions in a house. Although their strength, compared to a traditional plaster wall, is limited, they are quite effective in being a barrier for sound and adding more rooms.

However, with the growing concerns about the environment and the need for more eco-friendly houses, alternatives to traditional drywalls are being considered.

Luckily, there are several options for an eco-drywall that you can use in your home if you want more eco-friendly living. Even if your house has traditional dry walls, they can be easily replaced by eco-dry walls to enhance the looks and feel of your house.

Why you should transition from traditional drywall to an eco-friendly drywall

The material of which traditional drywalls are made generates enormous greenhouse gases. The amount of greenhouse gases produced is considerably huge as compared to other modern construction materials.

When the raw material for drywall is extracted from gypsum mines, a massive amount of carbon dioxide is generated. The process with which the material for these drywalls is produced also poses a threat to nature.

After their life, these walls are dumped at landfills without proper recycling. As a result, the gypsum drywall combines with water and produces hydrogen sulfide gas, which is harmful to humans and other living creatures.

Therefore, people are making a move from more sustainable and eco-friendly construction. If you are thinking of making this transition, here are some alternatives if you wish to take down your traditional drywall and put up an eco-drywall.

Compressed Fiber Panels

Compressed fiber panels are drywalls made up of compressed agriculture material (CAF). It offers ten times more strength than gypsum drywall.

These fiber panels use agricultural products left after the plantations of crops like wheat, rice, and straw. 

The compressed fiber panels do not contain any chemical, preservative biocide, or additive. It makes it easy to dispose of or recycled without posing a threat to nature. 

MgO boards

MgO boards are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional drywall. They can be applied as firewalls, ceiling boards, wall panels, and tile backers. They are made by combining magnesium and oxygen to form magnesium oxide.

To turn magnesium oxide into panels, stone-like material is crushed and turned into a fine powder. Then it is mixed with water, chloride, perlite, wood dust, sulfate, or Epsom salts. 

Magnesium oxide has no harmful effects on the environment as it doesn’t contain chemicals like asbestos, ammonia, and benzene.

The MgO board also has an extended life span and doesn’t require any significant repairs or renovations for a long time. 

Aside from long life, another benefit of MgO boards is the reduced carbon footprint. It consumes 25% to 30% of the energy needed to produce calcium hydroxide.

The MgO boards can be recycled, thus considered ‘nutritional waste.’ Their disposal does not contaminate the earth and water.

 Synthetic gypsum

The traditional drywalls are made up of natural gypsum, which is extracted from the mines. However, this extraction has server environmental and health implications. It makes gypsum drywalls a threat to nature.

However, an alternative to natural gypsum is synthetic gypsum. It is a byproduct of industrial processing. These byproducts typically come from coal-fired energy generation plants.

Drywall compose of almost 70% gypsum. Most manufacturers still use natural gypsum, while some use a mixture of natural and synthetic gypsum. If you are considering getting drywall for your place, ask the manufacturer about its composition and whether it is made up of synthetic gypsum or not.

Reclaimed Wood

Another eco-friendly option for the drywall is the one made of reclaimed wood. The use of drywalls made of reclaimed wood is still not widespread. However, it offers good resistance and a suitable eco-friendly option as compared to the traditional drywall.

The wood comes from old or demolished buildings. However, this option can cost you a little more than your traditional drywall options or other eco drywalls. 

The chemical process to create drywall out of reclaimed wood generates very little chemical and greenhouse benefits. Also, this drywall comes in the form of wooden planks, which makes its installation very easy.

How to find an eco-dry wall installer near you

Although most drywalls installation companies now offer eco-friendly options, it is still advised to ask them about the alternatives to traditional drywall beforehand.

If you are looking for a drywall installer near you, an internet search could help you. For example, if you live somewhere in Toronto, a simple Google search like “eco drywall Toronto” will give you a list of companies that offer eco drywall installation.

You can simply call them to get a quote or book an appointment for them to visit your home.

Final words

An eco-drywall might cost you more than the traditional drywall, but if you assess the environmental impact, the benefits of an eco-friendly option clearly outweigh the traditional option.

Eco-friendly drywalls have, over time, become more resistant and durable. They offer good strength and last as long as any other way.