Chinese drywall is a definite no-no. As for National Gypsum and Georgia Pacific, I heard the report this past week, as well. I'm hoping this doesn't become something widespread. If it's something in the manufacturing process, I'd be curious as to why this has never happened before, and that's the only thing I can think of that would go internationally industry wide. One thing for sure, though-- this is something that's happened only in isolated incidents from the U.S. manufacturers, so it IS a concern, but I don't know how to avoid the possibility of leaving yourself open to it, unless you either do the old fashioned lath and plaster, or just don't build until this thing shakes itself out.

I can think of no advantage of plaster over drywall except hardness of the finish and there are more important issues involved. The separation wall between the two units must have a fire-resistance rating and that is much easier to obtain with drywall. Here is the code requirement: "R302.3 Two-family dwellings. Dwelling units in two-family dwellings shall be separated from each other by wall and/or floor assemblies having not less than a 1-hour fire-resistance rating when tested in accordance with ASTM E 119 or UL 263. Fire-resistance-rated floor-ceiling and wall assemblies shall extend to and be tight against the exterior wall, and wall assemblies shall extend from the foundation to the underside of the roof sheathing." That means the wall assembly must have been tested by an agency like UL have have a published test number. These tests are expensive so there are few that are for metal lath and plaster. If the studs are wood, in bearing and don't contain plumbing, etc., the UL test number will be U 300 and U 399. The 1 hour rating can be achieved with a layer of 5/8 Type X drywall (U305). For metal lath and plaster, the the lath would need to be 3/8", 3.4 lb per sq. yd. diamond mesh expanded steel and the plaster would need to have a scratch coat of 2 c.f. of vermiculite aggregate to 100 ibs of fibered gypsum and 100 lb. of unfibered gypsum for the brown coat. (U315). The approved manufacturers of the materials used for each of the tested assemblies are listed for each test. there many more tests for drywall than for lath and plaster. It would be far cheaper and easier to construct and get approval for a drywall assembly with no loss of fire protection or sound separation. To improve the sound separation with drywall (I don't how to do it with plaster) add another layer and perhaps hang it on horizontal resilient channels. Seal the perimeter well and avoid back to back electrical outlets or other penetrations. It can help if one side is different from the other. There are many alternate ways to increase sound separation but the 4 principles are: 1. mass - the heavier and thicker the materials the better 2. resiliency - materials that move with the sound reduce it's energy 3. absorbency - materials that are porous slow and trap sound 4. no cracks - cracks and doors defeat the other principles To get the hardness of a plaster finish with the advantages of drywall you can use a veneer plaster system (blue board) if it is available in you market. It's just a thin coat of plaster on a special drywall board and far superior to taped drywall usually at no additional cost. This post was edited by Renovator8 on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 9:39

One of the original uses for gypsum board material was as a base for two coat plaster. Older plaster was on wood lath (later metal) and required 3 coats. By changing to the gypsum lath the number of coats was reduced to 2. Blue board is usually used with veneer plaster. This is a 1 coat system and teh plaster is normally only the finish layer (about 1/8 inch thick). You can repair the area using any gypsum material you want as a backer and setting type joint compound (Easysand) to fill out to flush woththte remaining wall. Leaks under widows are often from caulking failures on the sides of the window or a rotted sill.

I would use wood anywhere that maintenance of drywall could be problematic. My first husband's family had a lake house in Michigan - big old 3 story Victorian with porches on almost the entire house. The entire inside of the house was done in tongue/grove beadboard, including the ceilings. It was built around 1901-1903 and they felt this was the most maintenance-free material to use. It has proven to be so! Yes, a few darkened spots where water from a roof leak came in, but plaster (only choice in those days) would have been damaged far worse. It was stained darker only in the LR/DR and up the stairs. And yes, all those porches DID make it dark inside! The rest of the beadboard was left unfinished and natural. If there is paneling on a wall, use wood trim the same color. This is why I would not use "wood accents" in the bedrooms - hard to know where to start/stop.