Less is more with Drywall Grid Ceilings

Profit margins on a ceiling project can be impacted by the amount of time your staff or contractors spend installing – not to mention the likelihood of material spoilage during the process.

Based on the experiences of our customers using the Drywall Grid System, I thought it timely to explain just some of the ways they’ve found it can make them more profitable – and therefore more competitive.

The USG Boral Drywall Grid System is a significant advance because it cleverly merges with DONN® exposed grid systems, enabling plasterboard or other materials to be screw-fixed to the Drywall Grid. This evolution offers a range of different transition options from acoustical to plasterboard ceilings in the same plane.

LESS TIME & EFFORT

The faster your crew can work, the potentially lower your wages bill. Unnecessary steps can eat up too many hours on a job – from additional supervision to dashes to the trade store.

With a 2200mm maximum wall-to-wall span, Drywall Grid Systems reduce the number of butt joins you need when using our SHEETROCK® 10mm ceiling board – which reduces installation time and effort.

Another advantage is that you can use the CL315 clip with the Drywall Grid System which can assist, especially in tight areas. Rather than using a hook and hook bracket to rotate and then suspend the main tee, the CL315 simply clicks onto the top of the bar – minimising movement when fixing plasterboard.

When used with flush plaster ceilings for corridors and small rooms, the USG Boral Wall to Wall Drywall Grid System eliminates or at least minimises the amount of suspension otherwise necessary, simplifying design and construction – thereby potentially saving labour time as well as material costs. With a 2200mm maximum wall-to wall span using our SHEETROCK® 10mm ceiling board, Drywall Grid Systems reduce the number of hangers required – which reduces installation time and effort.

When the main tee or a cross tee need to be cut for services, it can mean the installer ‘improvising’ a workaround – which can become a very costly and time-consuming exercise. With the USG Boral Drywall Grid System, a strongback clip allows you to use a 24mm main tee off-cut as a top cross rail – a fast and effective ‘on the job’ solution.

Similarly, when control joints are required, many systems call for the installation of multiple hangers. With our Drywall Grid System you can avoid this additional effort with a single 180-degree splice clip that simply folds over the control join and is screw-fixed to one side, allowing for necessary movement.

LESS SPOILAGE

Traditional ceiling grid products generally have no capping on the face of the cross tees, exposing a fold line along the length. This means there is a single layer of steel when affixing plasterboard, and the fold line can separate if a screw is fixed directly between the fold. The USG Boral Drywall Grid System has a steel capping over the fold line, resulting in two layers of steel when fixing plasterboard – giving extra strength and helping avoid the risk of separation.

Likewise, some systems use low-tensile steel clips on cross tees – which are easily damaged then require a tool to disassemble them. Our Drywall Grid System uses a Quick Release Clip (QRC) made of high-tensile steel. It’s less likely to damage and, if it does, it can be quickly removed by hand.

LESS TIME + LESS SPOILAGE = LESS COST

Another advantage of the new USG Boral Drywall Grid System is that it’s a complete, single-source solution – simplifying purchasing requirements for each job and in estimating the materials you need on site. It’s also backed by planning and specification support from our Architectural & Engineering Services team, including on-site training if required, and on-the-job advice from our TecASSIST® call centre.

To find out how using Drywall Grid Systems is making just one of our commercial plastering customers more competitive, watch this video or read the case study.

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