Interior building solutions group Saint-Gobain Gyproc introduced an industry-first, high-strength drywall that has five times the core strength of a normal plasterboard, on the South African market last month.

The Habito drywall solution was a 12.5 mm board with a pull-out strength or load-bearing quality of about 600 N, Saint-Gobain Gyproc senior product manager Heidi Olivier explained at the product launch held in Johannesburg.

“The load-bearing quality of the drywall allows for 15 kg . . . for each screw used, which means 150 kg can be safely mounted using only ten screws,” she added.

She added that no wall studs, battens, noggins, anchors or brackets were needed to affix heavy items onto the wall, while fixtures can be changed without causing unnecessary damage to the wall.

Technical features of the drywall, “previously unseen in the drywall category”, include fixability, flexibility, strength and robustness, Olivier pointed out.

The drywall also creates a buffer, reducing noise transmissions between rooms, and provides enhanced thermal properties for regulating room temperatures when combined with insulation.

“There is a great need for a board that is different from the standard plasterboard . . . this board brings a new technology that can answer those needs,” Olivier suggested.

Installation of Habito requires a simple score and snap method. The drywall boards can be marked with a chalk line, cut using a blade runner, jigsaw or Stanley knife, and the edges finished off with a jigsaw. The drywall is then installed using Habito Ultrasteel studs and Donn UltraSteel tracks. A low-revolution screw gun can be used to screw Habito high-performance screws through these boards.

“The Habito Drywall is also suitable for installation in other sectors, such as retail, as there is no need for pattressing, as well as in education and healthcare, where acoustics and durability are essential,” Olivier said.

The r

esults from a Habito case study, conducted at a hotel in Cape Town, in the Western Cape, indicated significant cost and time savings when the number of noggins used in the drywalling was reduced by 60%.

She added that the Habito drywall was also being trialled at a house in Benoni, Gauteng.

Olivier concluded that using Habito would accelerate the speed of drywall installation for developers and contractors, as there were fewer elements to install, with less wastage on site for contractors, compared with using traditional drywall solutions.