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How to Identify Types of Plaster, Lath, Drywall, Beaver Board, Upson Board - as a Guide to Building Age InspectAPedia®  -     Plaster & plaster lath types, history, age determination Beaverboard and Upsonboard interior wall & ceiling product identification Drywall identification and history of use, gypsum board exterior wall sheathing, drywall identification marks How to determine the age of a building

Here we provide a photo guide to identifying types of plaster, lath, Beaver board, Upson Board, and Drywall as an aid in determining the age of a building. The age of a building can be determined quite accurately by documentation, but when documents are not readily available, visual clues such as those available during a professional home inspection can still determine when a house was built by examining its components, building materials, even nails, fasteners, and types of saw cuts on lumber. Our page top photo shows a Mid-Victorian multi-floor structure built in Hudson, NY, USA ca 1874. The entire building exterior facade is made of cast iron, including the window parapets and sills and the faux stone exterior walls and corner quoins.

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Guide to Plaster & Drywall & Other Interior Wall Coverings as Indicators of Building Age

Here we describe and discuss the identification and history of older interior building surface materials such plaster and lath, Beaverboard, and Drywall - materials that were used to form the (ususally) non-structural surface of building interior ceilings and walls. Readers should see Sheathing Homasote & Other Board for a discussion of exterior wall sheathing fiberboard products such as Homasote® and Celotex® insulating roof, wall, and foundation board products.

History of Plaster, Plasterboard, Drywall, Wood Lath, Metal Lath

Gypsum Board Lath Sheets Used for Plaster Walls

Our photo (above left) shows perforated gypsum board panels that were used as plaster lath.

Solid gypsum board (above right, without holes) was also used as a support for a plaster finish coat. Often this material was applied in two-foot widths - a feature that the inspector may spot by noticing scalloped ceilings and walls or even cracks that appear regularly on 24" centers.

Expanded Mesh Metal Lath for Plaster Walls

Our photo shows expanded mesh metal lath used as plaster lath support for ceilings and walls; this material was also used on building exterior walls to support a stucco finish. Metal lath was on occasion used also to support pourede concrete ceilings (shown here) - unlikely to provide adequate strength for a thick pour unless additional reinforcement was used. Depending on building age we may find a mixture of multiple types of plaster support, wood lath, gypsum board lath, and metal lath. Wall or ceiling or stucco crack patterns may follow the borders of metal lath segments, especially if the lath was not securely nailed.

Identifying Stamps on Drywall Used for Interior Wall & Ceiling Surfaces

Our photos (above and below) show modern identification stamps or lables that may be found drywall products used for interior walls and ceilings. Also see additional drywall identifying number stamps found at Drywall Gypsum Board Used for Exterior Wall Sheathing.

Drywall Gypsum Board Used for Exterior Wall Sheathing

We estimate that from 1950 to 1965 gypsum board was used as exterior wall sheathing on a variety of buildings, especially low-cost structures and in panelized construction as we explain along with our photographs shown below. We also find gypsum board sheathing used on some roofs, believe it or not. In some applications a water repellent paper was used to improve the product's durability, as we show in this wall cavity side photograph of identifying marks on gypsum board sheathing.

When gypsum board was used for exterior wall sheathing, as we show in this interior photo (above left), let-in cross bracing was required at building corners. The white paint on the wall cavity side of the gypsum board shown in this photo was added during building renovations to address water damage and to improve water resistance.

Notice the pair of wall studs in the left hand photo? That stud pair marks the abutment of two panelized wall sections in this building. The corner panels were built flat in the panelized home factory and measure just 1/2" under 8' x 4'. Larger 8' x 8' wall panels were also produced and were used for this home.

These details permit the conclusion that this home was constructed using pre-fab exterior and interior wall panels, all clad with gypsum board that was glued to the wall studs for extra strength. Our photo at above right shows additional bracing that was incorporated into the gypsum-clad wall panel bottom, along with an assembly wire.

Details of this panelized construction home are at Panelized Construction.

Mold growth on the wall cavity side of drywall is common when there have been leaks into the wall cavity. Our photo (left) shows mold growth on the wall cavity side of gypsum board used as exterior wall sheathing on a 1960's condominium in New York. See SAMPLING DRYWALL for more information about mold growth on drywall and gypsum board products. Also see Mold-Resistant Building Practices and  Mold proof drywall? You Must Be Kidding!

The photographs above show two different gypsum board wall sheathing products that employ a textured paper surface. At right is a modern product found in a home built in the 1990's.

History of the Use of Wood and other Wall Paneling in North America

Early Colonial Wall Paneling & Wainscoting

Early colonial paneling is described by Isham.

Wooden wall paneling - tongue and groove pine and other woods

Wall paneling in 4' x 8' sheets

in process

History of Beaver Board & Upson Board Wall Coverings in North America

Beaver-board and Upson Board are a wood fiber product used as an inexpensive interior wall covering and draft blocker from about 1903 when Beaver Board was invented by J.P. Lewis in Beaver Falls, NY, to the 1950s, with its near-twin product Upson Board continuing in use into at least the 1980's.

Our photographs (below) show this product from it's back or wall cavity side. On the exposed side this wood fiberboard product was usually painted and its joints covered with wood lath or other trim. In some applications it was covered with wallpaper. In some homes it was later covered with drywall to provide a more fire-resistant surface.

Readers should see Sheathing Homasote & Other Board for a discussion of exterior wall sheathing fiberboard products such as Homasote® and Celotex® insulating roof, wall, and foundation board products. There we also include photographs of insulating wallboard products that have been attacked by mold or insects.

Beaverboard takes its name from the Beaver N.Y. and the Beaver Board Companies that produced this product until that firm was purchased by Certain Teed Prod cuts in 1928. Beaver Board and Upson Board were produced by the Beaver Wood Fibre Company Limited, in Thorold, Ontario.

Beaver board's competition was from Upson Processed board (John Upson, Upson Company, Lockport, NY) which was produced beginning in 1910. As late as the 1950's Upson Board was used in prefabricated houses and exterior building sheathing and in recreational vehicles. Upson purchased the Beaver Board plant from CertainTeed in 1955. Upson began its decline in the 1970's and closed in 1984, opening later that year as Niagara Fiberboard.

Beaverboard and other paper or fiberboard products were used for exterior wall sheathing, as we show in this photograph at left. More widespread and recognized are insulating board sheathing products discussed at Sheathing Homasote & Other Board.

How to Identify Beaver Board and Upson Board

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• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

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ACOUSTICAL SEALANTS
AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine
  Architecture & Style
  Building Records
  Chimneys & Fireplaces
  Electrical Components
  Flooring Materials
    Asphalt Tile Flooring
    Cork Flooring Tiles
    Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles
    Sheet Flooring Materials
    Linoleum Sheet Flooring
    Non-Resilient Floor Coverings
    Laminate Wood & Other Laminate Floors
    Wood Floor Types
    Wood Floor Damage
  Flooring Materials
  Foundation Materials
  Framing Materials Age
    Dimensional Lumber
    Engineered Wood Products
    Hewn beams & planks
    Log construction
    Sheathing, Gypsum board
    Sheathing Homasote & Other Board
    Sheathing, OSB
    SHEATHING, Plywood
SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS
    Straw Bale Construction
    Trusses
  Framing Methods Age
    Balloon Framing
    Log Home Construction
    Modular Construction
    Panelized Construction
    Plank Houses
    Platform Framing
    Post & Beam Construction
    Straw Bale Construction
    Welded Wire Sandwich Framing
  Framing Size & Spacing
  Heating Equipment
  Insulation Materials
  Nails and Hardware
  Plaster & Beaverboard & Drywall
  Plumbing Materials & Fixtures
  Roofing Materials
  Saw Cuts, Tool Marks
  Sears Kit Houses
  Siding Materials
  Windows & Doors

• Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
• Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment ($69.00 U.S.). Technical Reference Guide, Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates, Ltd., 120 Carlton St. Suite 407, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 4K2 Canada, ISBN 1-895585-90-2 165pp.
• America's Favorite Homes, mail-order catalogues as a guide to popular early 20th-century houses, Robert Schweitzer, Michael W.R. Davis, 1990, Wayne State University Press ISBN 0814320066 (may be available from Wayne State University Press)
• American Plywood Association, APA, "Portland Manufacturing Company, No. 1, a series of monographs on the history of plywood manufacturing",Plywood Pioneers Association, 31 March, 1967, www.apawood.org
• Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
• Building Research Council, BRC, nee Small Homes Council, SHC, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, brc.arch.uiuc.edu. "The Small Homes Council (our original name) was organized in 1944 during the war at the request of the President of the University of Illinois to consider the role of the university in meeting the demand for housing in the United States. Soldiers would be coming home after the war and would be needing good low-cost housing. ...  In 1993, the Council became part of the School of Architecture, and since then has been known as the School of Architecture-Building Research Council. ... The Council's researchers answered many critical questions that would affect the quality of the nation's housing stock.
  • How could homes be designed and built more efficiently?
  • What kinds of construction and production techniques worked well and which did not?
  • How did people use different kinds of spaces in their homes?
  • What roles did community planning, zoning, and interior design play in how neighborhoods worked?
  "
• Isham: "An Example of Colonial Paneling", Norman Morrison Isham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May, 1911), pp. 112-116, available by JSTOR.
• Manufactured & Modular Homes: Modular Building Systems Association, MBSA, modularhousing.com, is a trade association promoting and providing links to contact modular builders in North America. Also see the Manufactured Home Owners Association, MHOAA, at www.mhoaa.us. The Manufactured Home Owners Association of America is a National Organization dedicated to the protection of the rights of all people living in Manufactured Housing in the United States.
• Pergo AB, division of Perstorp AB, is a Swedish manufacturer or modern laminate flooring products. Information about the U.S. company can be found at http://www.pergo.com where we obtained historical data used in our discussion of the age of flooring materials in buildings.
• Plank House Construction: webslog from plankhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/plank-house-construction/ and where plank houses were built by native Americans, see
  Large 1:6 Scale Plank House Construction / P8094228, Photographer: Mike Meuser
  06/12/2007 documented at yurokplankhouse.com where scale model Museum quality Yurok Plank Houses are being sold to raise money for the Blue Creek - Ah Pah Traditional Yurok Village project.
• Scott C. LeMarr has provided his file of keys to decode Furnace and Water Heater Age from the data provided on the manufacturer's equipment labels. Mr. LeMarr is a professional home inspector, Certified Professional Inspector/President, MASTER Indoor Environmental Specialist (MIES). Vice President of Wisconsin NACHI. He and his company, Honest Home Inspections, LLC. can be reached at 262-424-5587 or by email to scott@honesthomeinspections.com
• Weaver: Beaver Board and Upson Board: Beaver Board and Upson Board: History and Conservation of Early Wallboard, Shelby Weaver, APT Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 2/3 (1997), pp. 71-78, Association for Preservation Technology International (APT), available online at JSTOR.

List of Online Articles Giving Detailed Information & Reference Materials for Determining the Age of Buildings

• Architecture & Style
• Chimneys & Fireplaces
• Chimneys, flues, wood stoves & fireplaces: chimney inspection, defects, safety concerns
• Chimneys & Flues, safety concerns, chimney inspection methods, chimney repair methods, chimney relining methods, chimney replacement, new installation alternatives; and direct-vent alternatives to chimneys for heating furnaces & boilers
• Unlined Chimney Flues: Safety Requirements old chimneys may be unsafe - photos, dangerous carbon monoxide and blocked flue case report, chimney flue standards, chimney inspection suggestions
• Chimney Safety Alert for Wood Burning Appliances - US CPSC Alert Document 5017, wood stoves, fireplace inserts
• Chimney Safety Alert for Metal Chimneys - US CPSC Alert Document 5047, metal chimneys, wood and coal stove safety
• Electrical Components
• Aluminum Wiring inspection, hazards, repairs
• Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab Lok Electric Panels, circuit breakers, Siemens, Challenger
• Lightning Strike risk assessment, protection systems - on historic properties
• Rust and Corrosion in Electrical Panels, A Study and Report on Frequency and Cause for Electrical and Home Inspectors at Residential Electric Panels
• Square D Circuit Breaker Recalls, announced by the US CPSC, recalls include a Square D GFCI circuit breaker distributed by Square D, and a Counterfeit Square-D circuit breaker sold through Scott Electric
• Zinsco circuit breakers, electrical panels, etc.
• Flooring Materials: history of types and age of different flooring materials: Asphalt or vinyl-asbestos floor tiles, sheet flooring, linoleum, ceramic tile, carpeting, wood floor types and materials
• Foundation Materials
• Foundation Crack Bible, in-depth diagnosis, and evaluation of all types of structural and non-structural cracks in residential foundations [Brick, Concrete, Masonry Block, Stone]
• Framing Materials Age
• Heating Equipment
• Heating Systems: Boilers/Furnace Inspection Methods
• Blueray Heating Boilers/Furnaces Safety Recall by the US CPSC, with additional history, photos, and technical details; Blue Flame Blue Ray
• Goodman Furnace High Temperature Plastic Vent HTPV safety recall US CPSC notice
• Inspection Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Systems Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems]
• Lennox Pulse Furnace Safety Inspection/Warranty Program: Carbon Monoxide Warning
• Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
• Plastic Heating Vent Pipe & Other Heating Safety Recall Notices
• Weil McLain Model GV Gas Boiler/gas valve CPSC recall/repair
• Insulation Materials
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide
• Brick Lined Wall Cavities and exposed saw blade marks on clapboards help determine The age of a building
• Fiberglass Insulation
• Sheathing Homasote & Other Board
• Nails and Hardware
• Plaster & Beaverboard & Drywall
• Mold Resistant Drywall is it worth it?
• Plumbing Materials & Fixtures
• Cesspool Age Estimates help evaluate cesspool condition and need for repair or replacement
• plumbing pipe product failures & litigation use of plastic pipe in buildings
• Septic System Main Page Home Page for Complete Information about Septic Systems and Onsite Wastewater Disposal
• Roofing Materials
• Asphalt Shingles Home Page
• Asphalt Roof Life / Wear Factors determining asphalt shingle life expectancy
• Fire Retardant Treated FRT Plywood Failures inspection, detection, testing of defective FRT plywood roof sheathing
• Slate Roofs: How to Inspect and Repair Slate Roofs - Detailed Procedures for Inspection and Repair of Slate Roofs - ASHI Technical Journal, 1991, Updated 2006
• Slate Roofs: Inspecting and Evaluating Slate Roofs Hudson Valley ASHI seminar content
• Slate Roofs: a photographic library of slates, slate roofs, roofing styles
• Saw Cuts, Tool Marks
• Sears Kit Houses and other special home construction methods
• Mobile Home Inspections
• Mobile Home vs Trailer vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
• Sears Houses: How to identify Sears catalog kit houses photos and tips for identifying these interesting homes.
• Siding Materials
• Abatibi Siding hardboard siding failures
• Boise Siding Cascade, Georgia Pacific, Louisiana Pacific, Masonite
• Exteriors Landscaping, & Siding: product Failures: EIFS, synthetic stucco
• vapor barriers
• vinyl siding
• siding litigation
• paint failures diagnosis and remedy; decks, steps, railings - trip & fall hazards
• Windows & Doors


• References
• Age of a Home: Carson Dunlop's How to determine The age of a building [Carson Dunlop]
• Historic Buildings Links to other articles: Sears Houses, How old is a House, Old House Materials & Repairs
• Old House Inspection Methods
• Developing Your Building Inspection X-Ray Vision - home inspection methodology for experts
• slate roof inspection and evaluation
• Restoration Products
• Abatron EpoxyWood Repair/Restoration
• Tremont Nail Company offers steel cut nails for authentic restoration projects and work on historic buildings

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