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Metal Stud Partitions

The metal stud partition is widely used in both residential and commercial projects. It is lighter, more workable and a much better finish than standard timber partition systems. It is less prone to shrinkage and expansion and it puts less stress on joists.

It consists of 2 main components commonly known as track and stud.

The track is fixed to the ceiling and floor to house the stud. The stud is then cut to height and slotted into the track. The centres of the stud are dependant on the boards specified on the project. Usually there are no more than 450mm apart. The track can be drilled and rubber grommets added to allow wires and other services to pass through.






Dot & Dab

This method is now considered the industry standard in fixing boards to solid walls.

Drywall adhesive is dotted onto the block wall at 300mm centres, a solid seal is applied to the top of the ceiling to eliminate drafts and to create a seal behind the board.

Windows have solid bead of adhesive applied around the perimeter for the same purpose. Along the perimeter of the floor, a solid row of adhesive is applied to finish the seal and to allow a fixing for skirting board to be fitted.

Sockets, gas pipes and most other penetrations on the board also have adhesive applied around it to seal the board.

The reason for the seal is to eliminate drafts and to reduce loss of heat through gaps.

Behind the board is a void of around 25mm for airflow to help eliminate damp. This void increases when pipes and other protruding services are boarded over.

Walls can be made ultra straight and ultra level for a perfect finish.




MF Ceilings

MF ceilings are required when a standard joisted ceiling is not the best option for the job, e.g. if the existing ceiling is concrete slabs, it cannot be directly boarded.

Often called a "false" ceiling, MF ceilings are used commercially and are becoming more common on residential builds. They have advantages and disadvantages over standard joisted ceilings.

The main advantage is that they can be perfectly level and flat over large areas, where as a standard timber joisted ceiling simply couldn’t. The main disadvantage is that they have a very limited load bearing capability.

Perimeter track is fitted to the perimeter of the ceiling area and is levelled by using a laser assisted level. These levels have a huge range and are accurate to 0.5mm to ensure a flat level ceiling.

To ensure the ceiling is supported and doesn’t sag, metal angle is made into hangers and fixed into the existing ceiling. The hangers are then cut to length where the laser hits them, so that they drop to within 0.5mm of the perimeter track. This is then fixed to a reinforced rail which sits on top of the perimeter track.

The next step is to insert the ceiling section, this spans from track to track, joining if the section is longer than the lengths. The ceiling section is then fixed to the reinforced rail either by screws or via specially designed clips to allow expansion and to eliminate vibrations.

The centres of the ceiling section are defined by what board is to be fixed to them.
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