Who invented Sheetrock is kind of a trick question, because Sheetrock® is really a product brand invented by United States Gypsum Company, and patented in 1917. However, Augustine Sackett is recognized as the the actual inventor of gypsum board (drywall) in 1894.
History Timeline
Here’s a brief timeline of the development of drywall as we know it today:
- 1894 Austine Sackett is credited with inventing gypsum board (drywall).
- 1902 The United States Gypsum Company (USGC) is formed.
- 1909 USGC purchases the Sackett Plaster Board company
- 1917 USGC patents Sheetrock® brand
- 1925 Cloth mesh tape for concealing joints
- 1953 Sheetrock® Ready-Mixed joint compound
As you can imagine the there’s been quite a transformation from the drywall invented in 1894, which was sheets 36″ x 36″ in size and 1/4″ thick, to the plethora of lengths and thicknesses available today.
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Wow. I would have guessed it was 1940’s… I have never encountered gypsum board in any homes older than the 1940’s – unless of course it had been remodeled.
So the lesson is, it is not the “invention” but rather the “marketing” that makes it main stream. Or maybe it is the housing industry cycle of accepting new materials?
Hi Craig, I helped my dad remodel is lady friend’s bathroom last fall and we ran across some old sheetrock. It was very similar to the original 3′ x 3′ squares. I agree with you about the marketing, with every post I do about housing trivia I’m finding that companies are able to create the perception that they created the product, which in a sense they have because of the new innovations.