Whether you're remodeling a kitchen or simply hanging a mirror, a clear understanding of how interior walls are built is essential to success.

Most houses have wood frame construction--a wooden framework is clad on the outside by siding and finished inside with an interior wall surface material.

The two most common interior wall surfaces are gypsum wallboard, usually referred to as drywall or gyp board, and plaster. Wood is also employed, both as paneling and as wainscotting (shown here).

Drywall panels cover most of the walls built during the last 40 years. These panels have a layer of gypsum sandwiched between heavy paper facings. A waterproof type--sometimes called green board--is used in bathrooms and other areas subject to heavy moisture.

Because these materials have evolved over time, the age of a house has a lot to do with the materials and techniques used for cladding interior walls.

Houses built before the 1930s tend to have wood lath and plaster walls. After 1930, builders began to use a metal mesh or perforated wallboard as a backing for plaster, in the place of wood lath.

In the 1950s, drywall began to see widespread use and today covers most new construction. Sheet wood paneling was applied to many walls in the 1960s and 1970s and a variety of wood panelings are still used for many walls.

Classic wainscoting, which not only gives walls elegance and warmth but also protects the lower portion from wear and tear, is made up of several different pieces of milled hardwoods that are fastened together.

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