There are so many things a wall could be made of or that you could put on a wall to make it pretty. Let’s explore some of the most popular ones.

Mud, stone, adobe, straw, animal hides…these were the walls of our ancestors. Today we have so many more modern options that are cheaper, easier to work with, and in many cases, longer-lasting. Throughout the years, the wall has evolved to the point that it’s likely to walk in somewhere and what the walls are made of is virtually unrecognizable.

Your typical sheet of gypsum sandwiched between two pieces of, essentially, cardboard, this became the standard some years back. It typically comes in 8×4 sheets (great if you’re living in a house with 8ft ceilings bc the sheets just go up quick). You can score it with a construction knife and then it should make a clean break along the score line. Get yourself a T-square to make some straight lines (or, if you’re really good, you can do this free hand or with a tape measure — I can’t do either of these, so don’t ask me how.

For the longest time, I thought plaster, spackle and joint compound were all the same. Needless to say…they aren’t. Spackle is really for taping and joints. It’s less strong but more flexible. Joint compound can be used for bigger patches and is a bit stronger. Plaster dries very very hard — and FAST. (So so fast 😭). What I typically like to do is to throw a little Plaster of Paris into my joint compound for strength. Ironically, it makes joint compound more runny at first. But it’ll set up stronger.

Maybe you’ve got something cool like lathe and plaster (okay lots of people think this is actually less cool and more annoying) or shiplap (cue Joanna Gaines). Let us know in the comments what your walls are made of.