The Case for Wall-Board 
CUTTING THE COST OF VACATION HOMES—ITS ADVANTAGES AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR LATH AND 
PLASTER—THE SIMPLE METHODS OF PUTTING IT IN PLACE—ITS DECORATIVE POSSIBILITIES 
Phil M. Riley 
Photographs by 
T HREE pronounced tendencies in building now attract the 
visitor at our leading summer colonies: The growing 
popularity of the bungalow, the ideal type of vacation home; the 
wide adoption of stucco construction to every architectural style, 
and the increased use of wall-hoard for interior linings. At 
Marblehead Neck, Mass., the summer home of Mr. Robert S. 
Stone presents a case in point. The work of Putnam & Cox, 
Boston, it is at once attractive to the eye and well calculated in 
the arrangement of rooms to give a full measure of pleasure and 
comfort. One enters from the shore side through an arbor- 
covered porch, 
passes through 
the living - room 
and out upon the 
covered verandah 
overlooking the 
broad Atlantic. 
At one side of 
this outdoor liv¬ 
ing-room a nar¬ 
row, winding 
stairway leads to 
the large attic 
chamber above ; 
it is the unique 
feature of the 
floor-plan. 
Returning in¬ 
doors, it will be 
noticed that wall- 
board has been 
used for the lin¬ 
ing of every 
room. The choice 
was made be¬ 
cause of inherent 
merit, its good 
qualities being 
less well known 
than those of the 
bungalow-type of 
summer home or of stucco construction, but readily appreciated 
when convincingly explained. 
Wall-hoard has rightly been termed artificial lumber, and also 
the substitute for lath and plaster on walls and ceilings. Hard, 
stiff, homogeneous and durable, the best makes possess every 
desirable quality of wood, except the minor characteristic of grain, 
also many besides. It consists of long, tough, wiry wood fibres 
of spruce, pine and hemlock compressed into boards of uniform 
thickness, kiln-dried, laminated with fire-and-water-resisting 
cement and surface-filled or primed by methods of scientific 
processing. For variety of efifect one side is often smooth, and 
the other pebbled, so that either may he chosen. Two thicknesses 
are available: 3/16" and Ya" , the former being more often em¬ 
ployed. Made in two widths, 32" and 48". and in lengths of 4' to 
16', all average requirements are met with scarcely any waste, 
Mary H. Northend 
no matter whether the studs are centered at 12", 16" or 24"'. 
Despite their much greater widths, these processed wall-boards 
are as strong and durable as thicker and much more expensive 
boards of wood, and can he used in places where the widest 
obtainable woodboard of similar thickness would be impossible. 
The sanding, joining and matching of lumber are eliminated int 
their use, and finishing is rendered much easier. 
Wall-hoard is applied by the carpenter, thereby eliminating 
considerable waste time, which plasterers require to make ready 
for their work. Moreover, the cost is never more, and some¬ 
times less, than 
plaster, and the 
finished surface 
more quickly and 
easily applied, 
with no more 
dirt than results 
from the laying 
of a hardwood 
floor. With wall- 
board you pay 
only for the sur¬ 
face actually cov¬ 
ered, whereas in 
estimating the 
cost of plaster 
openings, such as 
w i 11 d o w s and 
doors, are not 
deducted unless- 
larger than 
standard size. 
Wall-board re¬ 
quires no period 
of drying, with 
danger of im¬ 
paired health if 
neglected; the 
house may he oc¬ 
cupied as soon as 
the hoard has- 
been applied. Delay is inevitable when plastering is attempted. 
Masons can rarely begin work promptly, suitable weather con¬ 
ditions must often lie waited for and each coat must dry before 
the next is applied; also improper mixing or application, buckling 
of the laths, shrinking of the studding, settling of the house or 
vibration of street traffic will often cause plaster to chip, crack 
and even fall. 
Unlike porous plaster, which permits the passage of cold air 
and dampness, wall-hoard furnishes a sanitary lining for walls 
or ceilings, strong, durable, waterproofed, fire-resisting and lion- 
brittle, so that, being nailed to the frame of the house itself, 
cracking and falling are impossible. It is a better non-conductor 
of sound, heat and cold, promoting greater house comfort the 
year around, can he applied three times as fast as plaster, weighs 
onlv one-fifth as much, costs no more, and will last as long as. 
By making panels with narrow, stained battens fastened along the edges of the wall-board, the living-room ceil 
ing and walls were very effective. Putnam & Cox, architects 
432 
