Viewpoint: Deflection is more than drywall

Tackling ceilings, drywall and partitioning integration is a potential opportunity says Malcolm Stamper from SAS International.

In the last issue of Spec Finish Steve Halcrow’s feature included the major points that FPDC members need to consider where a drywall deflection tolerance has been

specified; however, we also need to consider the wider implications for all fit out projects.

The same issues highlighted in the article also apply to the glass partitioning market. For a number of years partitioning manufacturers have supplied single or two-part deflection heads capable of providing a range of deflection tolerances.

However, FPDC members and other interior subcontractors offer more than just drywall or partitioning and provide a ‘turnkey’ service, supplying and installing multiple
packages of ceilings, drywall and partitioning. Being able to offer the complete service has enabled them to win further business and add value to the main contractor or client.

Fully glazed partitioning is increasingly being used on projects with a mixture of solid and glazed elevations working together to form meeting rooms and offices. The issue facing the subcontractor has been these product manufacturers tend not to consider each other’s products; it is often left to the subcontractor to consider how the drywall and glass partitioning will integrate.

On projects where deflection is not required a standard solution is an aluminium wall abutment fitted to the drywall. On projects where deflection is specified different designs from different plasterboard and partitioning manufacturers have resulted in no standard integration detail being available. The sub-contractor then has to
install two systems that were not necessarily designed to work as separate products.

As a manufacturer of all these products we recently went back to the drawing board to overcome this issue; listening to all the interested parties, sub-contractors,
clients and architects to develop a single system that provides drywall / glass pocket adaptors and deflection for both 100mm drywall or 120mm drywall and single or
double glazed partitioning.

Overcoming these issues will enable more drywall and partitioning packages to be won by FPDC members, enabling them to enhance their offering to main contractors and ultimately reduce the final delivered project cost to the client.