Gypsum concrete is a building material used as a floor underlayment used in wood-frame and concrete construction for fire ratings, sound reduction, radiant heating, and floor leveling. It is a mixture of gypsum, Portland cement, and sand. The brand name Gyp-crete, a Maxxon Corporation trademark, has come into general use as a term for gypsum concrete by construction professionals and architects.
Gypsum concrete usage in the construction industry started in the 1980s due to the advantages over lightweight concrete. Gypsum concrete is light weight and fire resistant, and doesn’t shrink crack. A 1.5 inch slab of gypsum concrete weighs 13 pounds per square foot versus 18 pounds per square foot for regular concrete. Both the quality of installation and strength in terms of PSI have increased significantly since the 1980s.
Famous quotes containing the word concrete:
“A sociosphere of contact, control, persuasion and dissuasion, of exhibitions of inhibitions in massive or homeopathic doses...: this is obscenity. All structures turned inside out and exhibited, all operations rendered visible. In America this goes all the way from the bewildering network of aerial telephone and electric wires ... to the concrete multiplication of all the bodily functions in the home, the litany of ingredients on the tiniest can of food, the exhibition of income or IQ.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)