Suspended ceilings and suspended ceilings made of plasterboard

Seamless gypsum board ceiling cladding and suspended ceilings consist of a substructure made of metal or wood and cladding as a finished ceiling soffit. They have a wide range of possible applications: as a visually high-quality upper room closure, they can change the room proportions, create space for technical installations, improve room acoustics or serve to meet soundproofing, thermal insulation or fire protection requirements. In many cases, there is also an insulating layer of mineral wool above the cladding, e.g. to meet thermal insulation, sound insulation or fire protection requirements.

Image: Plasterboard ceiling cladding / suspended ceiling with metal substructure - bauwion

Image: Acoustic gypsum board suspended ceiling with metal substructure - bauwion

Image: Gypsum board suspended ceiling with metal substructure - bauwion

Image: Gypsum board ceiling cladding/suspended ceiling with wooden substructure - bauwion

More about gypsum board ceiling cladding and suspended ceilings

Substructure:

• A metal substructure of suspended gypsum board suspended ceilings or plasterboard ceiling cladding attached directly to the raw ceiling usually consists of basic profiles and supporting profiles (e.g. from CD profiles), which are rotated by 90° to each other at the distances corresponding to the approval or the technical rules. The basic profiles are attached either directly (via appropriate system components) or via hangers to the raw ceiling above. An exception is cantilevered ceilings, which usually have only one beam level as a substructure (e.g. made of CW profiles), which is attached to the opposite walls via transverse profiles.
• In the case of wooden substructures, the wood used must meet at least quality class S 10 (MS 10) according to EN 1912 and must contain no more than 20% wood moisture by mass.
• A wooden substructure of suspended gypsum board suspended ceilings usually consists of a base batten (minimum cross-section according to DIN EN 13964: at least 40 mm x 60 mm) and a support surface (minimum cross-section according to DIN EN 13964: at least 48 mm x 24 mm, alternatively both battens at least 50 mm x 30 mm), which are rotated by 90° to each other at the distances corresponding to the approval or the technical rules. The base battens are attached to the raw ceiling above via hangers.
• A wooden substructure of gypsum board ceiling cladding attached directly to the raw ceiling usually consists of a base batten and a support smooth (minimum cross-sections according to DIN EN 13964: at least 48 mm x 24 mm each), which are rotated by 90° to each other at the distances corresponding to the approval or the technical rules.  The base battens are attached directly to the raw ceiling above.
• Hangers are available in galvanized wire, spring steel, threaded rods, aluminum or sheet steel.
• Fastening  in the ground must be carried out with fasteners approved for the respective building material (e.g. dowels, setting bolts). In the event of fire stress in the space between the ceilings, the fasteners also require appropriate approval for this purpose.

Notes on planning

construction height: The construction height of the ceiling cladding/suspended ceiling results from the cladding thickness, the height of the substructure and, if applicable, the suspension. For the clear dimension in the false ceiling, e.g. as an installation space for technical cables, the cladding thickness and the height of the substructure must be subtracted. In the case of suspended suspended suspended ceilings, the suspension height can be freely selected from the specified minimum dimension and can thus be optimally adjusted, for example, to the required space requirement in the false ceiling or to external connection heights. Construction heights from approx. 70 mm are possible for all systems.

Partition wall connection: In order for a ceiling cladding/suspended ceiling with fire resistance requirements to be able to connect to a rising partition wall as a room-enclosing component in accordance with the approval, at least the same fire resistance must be proven for the partition wall as for the suspended ceiling .

Sound insulation: Ceiling cladding/suspended ceilings usually significantly improve sound insulation to the building areas above. However, it is not possible to make any general statements about the improvements, as too many boundary conditions, in particular the design of the flanking components and the raw ceiling, play a role. The exact extent of the improvement must therefore be checked and calculated in each individual case, taking into account the specific installation situation, and, if necessary, evaluated in accordance with VDI 3755.

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Storage of plasterboard: The storage of plasterboard should be horizontal and even, i.e. e.g. on dry pallets or tightly lying lumber. When storing plasterboard, the permissible static load limit of the ceiling is quickly reached. The panels must therefore be stored taking into account the weight of the panels and the permissible ceiling load-bearing capacity, with as much distance as possible between the individual pallets.

Processing of gypsum boards: Gypsum products must be protected from the effects of moisture on the construction site during transport, storage and installation. Gypsum boards in particular are quickly damaged by moisture, but also by deformation. Material delivery and processing should therefore only begin when the façade envelope including the roof offers functioning protection against moisture/precipitation. After installation, gypsum boards should not be exposed to prolonged humidity above 80%. Sufficient ventilation must be ensured, especially when interior plastering or screed work is carried out at the same time, in order to avoid damage to the drywall walls due to increased humidity.

Plasterboard filling: According to DIN 18181, plasterboard should only be filled at room temperatures ≥ 10° C.

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Standards and literature

DIN 4102-2, fire behaviour of building materials and components; Components, Terms, Requirements and Tests

DIN 6812, Medical X-ray Systems up to 300 kV - Rules for the Design of Structural Radiation Protection

DIN 18041, Audibility in Rooms; Requirements, recommendations and notes for planning

DIN 18168-1, plasterboard ceiling cladding and suspended ceilings - Part 1: Requirements for the design

DIN 18180, plasterboard - types and requirements

DIN 18181, gypsum boards in building construction - processing

DIN 18182-1, accessories for the processing of plasterboard - Part 1: Profiles made of sheet steel

DIN 18340, VOB Procurement and Contract Regulations for Construction Services - Part C: General Technical Contract Conditions for Construction Services (ATV) - Drywall work

DIN EN 520, Plasterboard - Definitions, requirements and test methods

DIN EN 13964, Suspended ceilings - Requirements and test methods

DIN EN 14195, Metal profiles for substructures of plasterboard systems - Definitions, requirements and test methods

DIN EN ISO 11654, Acoustics - Sound absorbers for use in buildings - Assessment of sound absorption (ISO 11654)

VDI 3755, Technical rule, Sound insulation and sound absorption of suspended suspended ceilings

Building rule lists, Building rule list A, Building rule list B and List C, published by ► German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt)

Construction site conditions, Leaflet No. 1,  Notes and guidelines for drywall construction work with gypsum board systems, published by the gypsum board industry group in the Federal Association of the Gypsum Industry e.V.

Filling of gypsum boards, leaflet no. 2, surface qualities, notes and guidelines for drywall construction work with gypsum board systems, published by the gypsum board industry group in the Federal Association of the Gypsum Industry e.V.

Gypsum Board Constructions, Joints and Connections, Leaflet No. 3, published by the Gypsum Board Industry Group in the Federal Association of the Gypsum Industry e.V.

Source: bauwion