A better board from the inside out

HydroBlok’s core product features a closed-cell XPS foam interior, sandwiched between cementitious layers reinforced with fiberglass mesh. An optional white finish layer creates a smooth, paint-ready surface for drywall applications. The result: a 100% waterproof, mold-proof, Class A fire/smoke rated board that is four times more thermally efficient than gypsum- and wood-based alternatives.

“I’ve never seen a response like this in my career,” said House, who previously turned around Intellibed, a high-quality mattress company that was acquired by Purple in 2022. House attributes Intellibed’s earlier stagnation to poor messaging and weak distribution, not product flaws. Once he repositioned the brand and overhauled sales channels, revenue doubled year-over-year.

HydroBlok, he believes, has similar potential—but in much larger markets: drywall, sheathing/OSB, stucco, and more.

Beyond the performance stats, HydroBlok’s biggest competitive edge might be its weight—or lack thereof. The board is about two-thirds lighter than traditional gypsum drywall, which not only slashes shipping costs but also reduces on-site labor.

“A single 5/8-inch drywall sheet weighs about 105 pounds—and when you’re installing 300 of them on ceilings in multifamily projects, it’s brutal,” said Mikki Paradis, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based owner of a drywall company who recently adopted HydroBlok on a mid-sized residential project and plans to use it in more projects in the future.

“Hydroblok changes that. At a third the weight, it opens up the trade to a broader workforce, including women, who’ve historically been shut out of hanging heavy drywall simply because of the physical toll. If I were still hanging traditional 5/8th board like I was 20 years ago, I’d be seeing a chiropractor every week.”