Strengthened, light weight wallboard and method and apparatus for making the same

A wallboard composition comprising:

• a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, perlite, and combinations thereof;
• a vinyl acetate emulsion comprising a homogeneous blend of suspended polyvinyl acetate particles in polyvinyl alcohol and water;
• and
• paper cover sheets sandwiching said mineral and said vinyl acetate emulsion therebetween, said paper cover sheets formed from a virgin paper pulp comprising fibers having a length of at least one inch.

A wallboard composition comprising:

• a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, perlite, and combinations thereof;
• a vinyl acetate emulsion comprising a homogeneous blend of suspended polyvinyl acetate particles in polyvinyl alcohol and water;
• and
• paper cover sheets sandwiching said mineral and said vinyl acetate emulsion therebetween, said paper cover sheets further comprising a fire retardant agent.

A method of manufacturing a construction grade wallboard product comprising the steps of:

• forming a mixture by adding a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, perlite, and combinations thereof, to a vinyl acetate emulsion comprising a homogeneous blend of suspended polyvinyl acetate particles in polyvinyl alcohol and water;
• combining said mixture with a suitable amount of water;
• gradually preparing a slurry by mixing and stirring said mixture and said water to form said slurry;
• enveloping said slurry between two paper cover sheets to form a wet board;
• and
• drying said wet board at a temperature in the range of 75° C. to 325° C.

A wallboard composition comprising:

• a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, perlite, and combinations thereof;
• a vinyl acetate emulsion comprising a homogeneous blend of suspended polyvinyl acetate particles in polyvinyl alcohol and water;
• and
• paper cover sheets sandwiching said mineral and said vinyl acetate emulsion therebetween.

A wallboard composition comprising:

• a mineral selected from the group consisting of calcium sulfate, perlite, and combinations thereof;
• a synthetic binder comprising a vinyl acetate emulsion, starch, and a boron source;
• and
• paper cover sheets sandwiching said mineral and said vinyl acetate emulsion therebetween.