Drylining Industry Overview
Commercial and public buildings in the UK are constructed using techniques ranging from concrete frames, load bearing steel or timber frames through to traditional masonry construction. Whatever the building fabric and method of assembly, internal surfaces will generally require drylinings to be fixed to sub-divide internal space using lightweight internal partitions, to line ceilings and to line the internal face of external walling.
Plasterboard drylinings provide a smooth level surface suitable to receive final decoration and are extensively specified in new build, refurbishment and conversion work. They are rapidly installed using a relatively clean process and allow flexibility in terms of internal design and layout. A wide range of plasterboards are available to meet any required performance criteria eg such preventing restricting from spreading and providing fire resistance, vapour control, moisture resistance, sound insulation, thermal insulation and durability.
Specialist Drylining Contractors
It is crucial for good quality work that a specialist drylining contractor is employed who is able to provide the necessary contract management skills, supervision and qualified operatives who are experienced in installing a wide range of drylining systems in a safe and effective manner. Contractors adopt and maintain high standards of workmanship when installing drylining in accordance with BS 8000 and BS 8212, together with manufacturers’ recommendations as applicable. A categorised national list of specialist contractors who carry out high quality drylining installations is available from FIS, www.thefis.org
Since proprietary drylining partition, wall and ceiling systems vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, specific details of assembly are not included. Reference should always be made to manufacturers’ technical literature for the current method of installation.