Gypsum is made of calcium sulfate dihydrate and is commonly used in plaster and drywall. Gypsum education and training teaches employees the information needed to work for gypsum suppliers, landscapers and construction companies. This education is designed to give employees an overview of how to work with gypsum. With this training, employees of gypsum suppliers can provide useful information about the products and how to use them. The training also teaches how to install or properly use gypsum products. Employees with a working knowledge of the products will increase productivity and deliver a better end result.

Gypsum education and training is broken down into three categories: plaster, drywall and landscaping. Plaster is used on walls to create an old world feel or is used in molds to create sculpture. Gypsum is most commonly used as drywall for homes and businesses. This drywall is light, yet it insulates. Gypsum can also be used in landscaping. Often overlooked, gypsum offers many benefits to soil.

1. Learn how gypsum plaster is mixed and used.

2. Work with gypsum in the construction industry.

3. Understand the benefits of using gypsum in landscaping.

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Learn how to work with gypsum plaster

Gypsum manufacturers use a unique blend of gypsum for use as plaster. Gypsum plaster is hard, durable and washable. Plaster is also used in mold making and in creating sculptures. Learn how to properly mix and apply gypsum plaster to add to the wall options you can provide for customers.

I recommend: Plaster Master Industries provides tutorials about how to use gypsum plaster for construction or for molds. The Building Conservation Directory supplies articles about plaster and drywall made of gypsum.

Work with gypsum wallboard in construction

There are many online guides to using gypsum drywall and wall board. The gypsum construction guides listed below contain information about using all types of gypsum construction products. This educational information is vital to people using these products for building. The training keeps employees safe and helps create the best end product possible.

I recommend: Read The Gypsum Construction Guide at National Gypsum Properties for information about gypsum management and supply. Find information about cutting and installing gypsum board and using Gypsum equipment at HomeTips.

Learn how to use gypsum in landscaping

Gypsum is used in a variety of products and for a variety of reasons in landscaping. Gypsum loosens the soil and provides iron and other nutrients for flowers, grasses and vegetables. When used effectively, gypsum can be a great asset to any landscaping company.

I recommend: Visit Winstone Wallboards to find information about applying gypsum materials and gypsum products to the soil for landscaping purposes. John Harrison provides a wealth of information in a variety of articles about gardening with Gypsum.

Gypsum is a soft mineral used in a variety of construction materials and processes, as well as in fertilizers and soil conditioners. Find gypsum suppliers online for raw gypsum or manufactured products to help your construction, agricultural or gypsum processing business.

Gypsum has many uses, so contact a gypsum management and supply company for advice on its applications or products available. Know your options when buying gypsum and finding a gypsum company selling any gypsum products, including:

1. Construction equipment such as drywall, gypsum wallboard and gypsum dryers.
2. Industrial chemical suppliers of gypsum for agricultural use.
3. Gypsum used for medical, surgical and dental purposes.
   

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Use gypsum materials in your construction project

Gypsum is a key ingredient in drywall, wallboard, plaster and some kinds of cement. Look for gypsum manufacturers specializing in production of construction materials to buy these key elements for any new building.

I recommend: Gypsum Products is a supplier of drywall materials and accessories based in Colorado. See their selection of drywall products, and browse their website for other construction items like steel framing, insulation and fasteners. Gypsum Management & Supply is one of the largest nationwide distributors of drywall, acoustical ceilings and other specialty gypsum building materials.

Buy gypsum fertilizer from a gypsum management and supply company

Find an agricultural gypsum supplier for gypsum powder that you can use as fertilizer. Buy in bulk for large agricultural uses, or in smaller sacks for use on home lawns or golf courses.

I recommend: Diamond K specializes in high quality gypsum products. They sell fine gypsum powder in bulk for combination fertilizer/irrigation agricultural operations to help increase crop yield, and also in smaller amounts for turf application. For help applying gypsum to your fields, check out Diamond K's applicator, a tool that blends water and gypsum powder into a solution to spread over your crops.

Find specialty gypsum manufacturers

Because gypsum is such a versatile material, gypsum manufacturers have found new ways to use the mineral or improve upon standard uses of gypsum. Look for companies that have engineered new uses for gypsum.

I recommend: AW Gypsum Products sells powdered gypsum under the Cal-CM Plus brand that is comprised of undiluted calcium sulfate, creating a finer gypsum powder than is standardly available. Quiet Solution sells QuietRock, a soundproof drywall product that hangs and finishes like normal drywall. Use this drywall to construct buildings where quiet is essential. BK Giuliani Corporation sells a variety of gypsum plasters for use in many fields of application, including surgical, dental and filler.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When buying gypsum materials, look for warranties on construction products to ensure you'll have solid buildings for years to come.

Gypsum is a mineral that is more formally known as calcium sulphate dihydrate. It is also called "plaster of Paris" due to the large deposits of gypsum near Paris. Gypsum is a very soft and common mineral that occurs in a variety of forms and is most often found with sedimentary rocks. It readily forms crystals, and single gypsum crystals of up to 36 feet long have been discovered. Gypsum is an ingredient in many common products such as cement, drywall and fertilizer.

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Monoclinic

Gypsum crystals are monoclinic, meaning that the three axes of the crystal are unequal to each other. Two of the axes form right angles with each other and the other axis forms a non-right angle with the other two axes.

I recommend: The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom provides a more formal definition of monoclinic and provides an animated figure of a monoclinic crystal.

Selenite

Selenite is a variety of gypsum that is transparent and very lightly colored. Any translucency or opacity of selenite is due to small crystals of other minerals on the surface of the selenite crystal.

I recommend: Bestcrystals.com provides information on where selenite is found and how it occurs. It also discusses the care and handling of selenite crystals.

Satin spar

Satin spar gypsum is a fibrous variety of gypsum that refers to its satin-like luster. This term was originally used to describe a fibrous variety of calcite, but is now used to describe a variety of fibrous minerals.

I recommend: Mindat.org provides a more complete description of the physical properties of satin spar gypsum. It also offers additional links for more information on satin spar gypsum.

Alabaster

Alabaster is a massive, fine-grained variety of gypsum or calcite that has been carved into figurines, sculptures and vases for at least 2,500 years. Ancient uses of the term 'alabaster' usually refer to calcite, and modern uses of this term almost always refer to gypsum.

I recommend: Central Michigan University has photographs of alabaster carvings and also provides additional information on alabaster.

Desert rose

Desert rose is variety of gypsum-shaped like roses-with inclusions of brown sand. There are many other minerals, such as barite, that commonly form rosette shapes.

I recommend: The Timberlake Rose Rock Museum has a variety of desert rose specimens from different locations on display.

Anhydrite

Anhydrite has the same chemical composition as gypsum, except that it does not contain water.

I recommend: The Mineralogy Database provides a formal definition of anhydrite and includes images and a detailed description of anhydrite's physical properties.