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What wall material to use in kitchen?

Hi - am renovating a kitchen at an investment property (ie installing new cabinetry/bench/oven etc) and interested to know what board material is typically used for walls and whether one material would usually go behind all cabinetry or a mix of materials would usually be used.

The existing kitchen cabinets were installed directly to studs so after cutting the boards with tiles away, I’ll be left with basically studs/frame only, which I will board up.

I could use all standard drywall, but it’s not moisture resistant.

So I could use drywall plus moisture resistant drywall behind the sink/splashbacks.

Then I have the stove area to deal with, I could get some fire resistant fibre cement board to put behind the stove.

So now I could have 3 different types of board/wall material for one kitchen.

Is this usual, or would one typically do it all in say the moisture resistant board only (eg aquachek), or all in the fire resistant fibre cement board? Or a combination of water resistant/fireproof?

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @sheldo. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about lining boards.

It's fairly typical to have different boards for different areas. Gyrock Aquacheck behind the sink, cement board behind the stove and standard plasterboard for the rest. Unlike a bathroom, a kitchen isn't considered a wet area and doesn't see consistently high moisture levels, so there is no need to use Aquacheck on all walls. There is a bit of a difference in price between Aquacheck and standard plasterboard, so if you are on a budget, you will use the cheaper option on areas that don't require a moisture-resistant board.

You could do the whole kitchen in cement board, but plasterboard will provide a superior level of finish.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

sheldo

Thanks @MitchellMc !

Very handy to know as it probably seems like a basic question but was struggling to find the answer online.

So standard plasterboard and aquachek both come in 10mm..but cement board is say 4.5mm, 6mm, 7.5mm, 9mm etc..am I missing the 10mm cement sheeting? Surely I’d wanna aim to have them all the same thickness?

MitchellMc

You could use 4.5mm or 6mm cement sheeting for the walls, but then you wouldn't be using plasterboard, so there is no need for the thickness to match @sheldo. If you use 10mm plasterboard for the walls, then you'd use 9mm compressed cement sheeting for the back of the oven area. It's virtually the same thickness, and you are never going to see it.

Given the significantly cheaper price of plasterboard over cement sheeting, there's really no reason not to use it. Standard plasterboard on the walls, Aquacheck behind the splashback/wet area and compressed cement board behind the oven, if it's called for.

Mitchell

Suesi

Hi, do you need to waterproof in the kitchen?

Thanks Sue

EricL

Hello @Suesi

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

Laundries and bathrooms are considered to be wet areas and require waterproofing while kitchens are not. You don't need to waterproof your kitchen. However, water-resistant materials and best-practice moisture protection are still expected.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

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