You will find different types of drywall; some come with ½ inch, and others might have ⅝ or more mass. It varies depending on your room structure and wall condition. If you need a secure room and make it soundproofing, you should go with a thick drywall compound option.
In most cases, you will find that regular drywall compounds will come with a less thick mass that will fail to make a room soundproof. It’s true that you don’t always soundproof your living room.
1/2″ vs 5/8″ drywall
5/8 “is better than ½” drywall since it will come with more mass, more thickness, and soundproofing characteristics. To make a room soundproof, you should always choose the thicker drywall compound. However, the half-inch drywall also has some uses in other areas.
Since you have different areas of your building or houses, you cannot use the same drywall everywhere. Instead, you need to use different types of drywall in other areas to make it secure and soundproof.
If you want to make a wall more secure than our in-between wall, you should use the ⅝” drywall. In a sense, you cannot say that the first drywall is better than the 2nd drywall since they have different uses.
Although I said that ⅝” is better than the half-inch drywall, you will still find some places or walls where the half-inch drywall will give you the best experience, and you cannot use the ⅝ inch drywall on them.
You will get every detail if you go through all the differences between ½” vs ⅝” drywall. Once you decide on building your new house, you must know that you cannot use the same drywall everywhere. You should know at least three differences between these two drywall.
On ceiling:
The ⅝” drywall is better on the ceiling than ½” because the ceiling should be soundproof, and it needs thick drywall to separate from the other drywall.
Another reason you should use ⅝” drywall is the durability since ½” drywall will be less durable than the required one since the thickness plays a crucial role.
If you have a separate ceiling for your room, you must make it strong enough to use it for decades. Any drywall would be suitable there, but the ⅝ inch drywall will give you a stable performance and create a thick layer.
It will also help you to soundproof your ceiling since the thickness is better than ½ inch drywall.
For garage:
You must use the ⅝” drywall for your attached garage walls because the ½” garage wall will fail to make it soundproof. Sometimes, the drywall of your garage may go with ½”, but that would be less effective than ⅝ inch drywall.
If you don’t have any concerns about attaching drywall, you may go for the ½-inch drywall.
Since the garage is your workshop, you may consider not making the drywall soundproof. In that case, both half-inch & ⅜ inch drywall would do. If you want to make or repair your garage ceiling, stick to ⅜” drywall since it will make it durable and strong.
For bathroom:
For the bathroom, you can use ½” drywall since most of the indoor walls don’t need to be soundproof, and they require less thick drywall.
It’s a common practice to use ½-inch drywall for your bathroom walls, unless you use it for the ceiling, where you cannot use the ½” drywall to make it soundproof.
In short, the perfect drywall thickness will depend on the surface and purpose. If you want to make indoor walls, you should use ½” drywall; otherwise, ⅝” drywall is better for making ceilings in both your living room & your bathroom.
You will get a reliable & soundproof ceiling by using ⅝” drywall instead of ½” drywall.
1/2″ vs 5/8″ drywall – What are the differences
Because of their thickness, you will find four basic differences between 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch drywall. Apart from that, there will be some fundamental differences that you need to consider while applying them in real life.
Let’s get through all the primary differences between these two drywalls.
Cost:
When compared, it was determined that drywall with a thickness of ½ inches was significantly more expensive than drywall with a thickness of ⅝ inch. When you have sufficient funds available, you can select ½ inches.
Weight:
To provide a point of comparison, the normal 1/2 “One sheet of drywall used in residential construction typically weighs 51.2 pounds due to its average weight of 1.6 pounds per square foot, making the total weight of one sheet 51.2 pounds.
5/8″ drywall usually weighs 70+ pounds.
STC rating:
STC rating of 33 for a single layer of drywall (1/2 inch thick), without insulation, installed over wood studs (this is typical in many homes).
The STC rating for an interior wall composed of 3 5/8 inches thick drywall with one layer on both sides is around 38–40.
Drywall on both sides of the wall measuring half an inch thick, with fiberglass batts has a 44 sound transmission class. 52 STC for a double layer of 5/8-inch wall with green glue on one side and a single layer on the other.
Fire rating:
The fire rating of a ⅝ drywall is 5/8 inches thick. This is an improvement from the conventional fire rating of 30 minutes for drywall 1/2 inches thick.
When should you use 1/2 or 5/8 drywall?
Using of ⅝ inch & ½ inch drywall differs because of their thickness and purpose of building drywall. Mainly, you should use ⅝ inch drywall for your ceiling and main wall to soundproof it.
Apart from that, you should use ½-inch drywall in your regular indoor walls that don’t need soundproofing.
If you go back 20 years, you will find that most of the house walls & ceilings are made of ½” drywall because they don’t care about the principles or don’t have enough options to choose from.
Time changes, and so does the use of drywall; therefore, you have choices to use different drywall for different purposes since they have different thicknesses.
When you use ½-inch drywall on your joint room or inside the room walls, you should be careful about the soundproofing factor. If you have no issues making the wall soundproof, you must choose the ½-inch drywall for your bathroom and other walls.
It will save both your cost and help you design your interior walls.
If you are planning to make a new house, but you are not sure about the ceiling and other point drywall, you should go with ⅝ inch drywall, although it might be an issue to use it everywhere. Never try to use the ½-inch drywall on your ceiling.
If you maintain this factor, you are good to use any dryer in your house.
Another factor would be the quality of these drywalls since the brand name and value will vary. Always try to invest some more to purchase good quality drywall that will serve you for more than 50 years. It will be a lifelong investment to build your dream house with perfection.
Why is 5/8 drywall cheaper than 1/2?
You will mostly find three main reasons why the 5/8 drywall is cheaper than 1/2 inch drywall. If you consider these factors, you may choose them wisely and will be able to use them confidently for different purposes.
Remember, you may find 5/8 drywall is costlier than ½ inch drywall for some particular reasons.
Thickness:
drywalls with a thickness of 5/8 inch are thicker and more long-lasting. In addition to being able to withstand higher pressure and last longer, they are also suitable for use on ceilings and walls.
They are less expensive than 1/2 drywalls due to their lack of thickness.
Non-fire Rating:
Drywall with a non-fire rating and a thickness of 5/8 inch must be used in commercial building applications. When selecting drywall, you are also required to take into consideration the fire-rated specifications.
Only 5/8-inch drywall is necessary for the ceilings of your commercial building if the building is not required to have a fire rating. This is also why ⅝ drywall is cheaper than ½ drywall.
Length:
If you get drywall panels in the appropriate size, you will reduce the total number of joints, making installing them much simpler. When purchasing drywall, it is essential to ensure that the sheets are lightweight and easy to transport.
They are inexpensive due to their pliability and their low weight.
Final Thoughts
Although ⅝” drywall is better than ½” drywall, you cannot use the first one everywhere. The ⅝ inch drywall is suitable for the ceiling and makes a wall soundproof. In contrast, the half-inch drywall is suitable to bud your interior walls or build the bathroom walls safely with less thick drywall.