GVLV: technical characteristics, application, price

When carrying out repairs, plasterboard sheets have been used for quite some time. But technological progress does not stand still, and currently similar, but more convenient and high-quality material - gypsum-fiber sheets (GVL) is gaining more and more popularity. They are used to align walls, ceilings and floors, gradually displacing the usual drywall. Moisture-resistant GVL not only has a wider range of applications, but also is much more convenient to use.

What is the difference between gypsum sheets and conventional drywall?

GVL sheets primarily differ in structure. Instead of a “sandwich” construction, when the gypsum base is sandwiched between two layers of cardboard, the gypsum fiber sheet is uniform. During its production, dissolved gypsum is added uniformly to the gypsum mixture. It serves as a kind of reinforcement, so gypsum fiber receives significant strength.

In appearance and format, gypsum boards do not differ much from drywall. However, unlike the latter, they do not have a multi-colored color, depending on their properties. Moisture-resistant gypsum-fiber sheet can be recognized only by marking, while moisture-proof gypsum fiber is painted in green.

The advantages of gypsum fiber material

What are the advantages of this relatively new type of finishing material?

• Higher strength than drywall due to uniform distribution of cellulose fibers.
• High fire safety. GVL do not burn. In addition, sheets of drywall simply crumble down if the outer layers are destroyed by fire. This will not happen with plaster fiber.
• Plates are simply mounted, as well as drywall. The size of the elements is also the same. So fastening GVL will not cause special difficulties.
• Due to special additives, waterproof GVL has excellent resistance to moisture, which significantly expands the scope of its application.

• Good soundproofing options.
• Unlike drywall, which crumbles during processing, GVL can be processed without any problems with a conventional tool. You can also screw into it and even hammer in nails!

You can avoid a large amount of dust when cutting sheets if you wet the hacksaw blade or the jigsaw with water.

• Gypsum fiber is more resistant to freezing temperatures. They are able to withstand up to 16 cycles of freezing and subsequent thawing. For drywall, this parameter does not exceed 4 cycles, after which the material is destroyed.

There are also disadvantages when compared with drywall:

• Thicker gypsum sheets are significantly heavier.
• The cost of such material is also higher than conventional GCR.
• Gypsum fiber sheets are not so flexible, so they are not used in the construction of various curved structures.

GVL parameters

On sale you can find sheets having the following sizes:

• Lengths are 1500, 2000, 2500, 2700 and 3000 mm.
• Width - 500, 1000 or 1200 mm.
• The most common thickness is 10 mm. Also this size can have values ​​of 15, 18 and 20 mm.

Very popular among professionals are small-format GVLV, having a size of 1500 × 1000 mm. The use of such material is most convenient, since working with large sheets is difficult due to their considerable weight. Depending on the size, such an element can weigh 35–45 kg, so it will be quite problematic to cope with its laying alone.

Depending on the place of attachment of the GVL sheets, they are divided into two types:

• For leveling the floor - sheets with a straight edge.
• For walls or ceiling - GVL with a fold edge.

Marking

All parameters of gypsum fiber sheets are indicated on the marking. Therefore, it is important to understand and understand what it means. For example, the marking on the sheet is as follows: GVLV-A-FK-2000-1000-10. What does it mean?

1. GVLV - type of gypsum fiber. In this case, it is a moisture resistant sheet, which is indicated by symbol B.
2. A - precision manufacturing. For our example, it is the highest. Sheets marked B are made with large deviations.
3. FC - type of edge. In this case, it is a fold edge, the abbreviation PC will indicate a straight line.
4. 2000-1000-10 - the size of the sheet, respectively, its length, width and thickness.

After such marking, the standard by which the material is made is usually indicated. But few people pay attention to this parameter, so it makes no sense to dwell on it in detail.

Where are gypsum sheets used?

Technical characteristics of GVLV determined its use in a wide variety of conditions. They can be used for the following purposes:

• For decoration of unheated and non-residential premises: balconies, loggias, attics, attics, terraces and basements. Due to its resistance to freezing, gypsum fiber does not lose its properties under such conditions. The only prerequisite is the presence of good ventilation.
• For leveling floors. Waterproof GVL will significantly reduce this process in time in comparison with the use of cement screed. In the case of applying the latter, you will have to wait at least a month before the cement hardens.

• For decoration of walls and ceilings of rooms, including those with high humidity. The special value of GVLV is that it is easy to attach decoration or decor elements to them. You can even screw door hinges to them, without fear that the screws will pop out under load.

In a word, the material is almost universal and can not only replace drywall, but also achieve significant gains when used as a material for repairs.

Knauf Products

In Russia, the products of this particular German company gained the most popularity. GVLV Knauf are of high quality and are presented in any reputable building materials store. Excellent characteristics did not significantly affect the price of the material, which remained at a fairly acceptable level. So, “Knauf Superlist” will cost about 450 rubles moisture-resistant, the size of the GVLV is 2500 составляет1200˟10. It is not surprising that professionals prefer the products of this particular company.