I live in Japan (non-native Japanese), so this may be only something done here.
Some of the walls of my house are reinforced to aid in mounting cabinets and shelving. It was built this way from the beginning.
In these areas the wall is 12.5 mm drywall, then 12 mm plywood, and then the standard wooden 2×4 framing behind that. It is not like this in all walls, only a few areas.
For example, it has the same reinforcement for the kitchen cabinet wall, walk in closets, stairway railing, and a few other areas. Basically anywhere something needs to be hanged.
Before buying the house I was told by the construction person that it makes mounting shelves and cabinets easier (no need for anchors). It seems like that is the main purpose.
I have searched in Japanese and English and still struggle to find much information on the Internet. Everything I find is usually about drywall only.
Is there a name for this type of wall or construction method?
Best Answer
I don't know that there's a name for the wall as a whole. The sheathing is something I'd simply refer to as "backing", as in "this wall has integrated support backing". It's also commonly done with lumber fit between studs as needed.
There are walls with integrated plywood that are part of the structural design. They're known as "shear walls" and they provide diagonal rigidity, often in earthquake or hurricane zones or in larger buildings. That's not what we're talking about here, though.