# Ultralight drywall



## Honza (Jan 20, 2011)

Has anybody had any experience with this yet? 30% lighter than regular.:thumbup:


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Yes. Wish it had been around 35 years ago when I started in this business. I might have avoided a couple of back, neck, and shoulder surgeries.... According to the mfgr., it's stronger than regular 1/2" in spite of being lighter. Supposedly good for spanning 24" centers instead of 5/8" even with water base texture applied. You can check it out at USG.com


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## masterofall (May 27, 2010)

I think ultra light and magnesium oxide will dominate the market in the next few years. My only concern with light weight drywall is that mass is the best thing to absorb sound. You may be sacrificing sound deadening qualities which can be compensated for in other ways


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## ACS215 (Jan 25, 2011)

Full disclosure: I am affiliated with USG and wanted to provide some additional information to this discussion. 

Thank you for your interest in SHEETROCK UltraLight Panels. These panels have been thoroughly tested and perform equal to or better than standard ½” wallboard panels. Regarding sound, SHEETROCK UltraLight Panels perform in the same relative range as standard ½” panels. There are many factors that affect sound performance, including mass, flanking paths (anyplace air can go, sound can go), reverberation, absorption, and dead air space. Most typical residential wood framed walls and ceilings perform relatively poor on sound control. Also, since most typical residential rooms have windows and doors, the sound rating for the walls is not very effective. Unless, or course, high performance windows and doors are used as well. Sealing of the perimeter of walls and penetrations such as outlet boxes with a sound sealant like SHEETROCK brand Acoustical Sealant is also very important for sound control. The wallboard is only one part of what can become a complex system when addressing all factors that can improve sound performance. 

Feel free to check out http://www.theweighthasbeenlifted.com for more information and product availability.


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