Guide To Installing Room Dividers & Drywall Partition In Singapore

 

What Is A Drywall Partition?

A drywall or a temporary pressurized wall is defined as a temporary wall that goes from floor to ceiling but is not permanently affixed.

It is a type of lightweight interior and is mostly constructed in hotels, hospitals, offices, and houses as room dividers or false walls. They are made up of strong, long-lasting, sturdy, and robust walls, which require no maintenance.

Specifically, it does not interfere with the ventilation, sprinkler system, or means of an exit in an apartment or office. For years, people have used temporary pressurized walls as a sort of high-class room divider.

 

Professional drywall crews use several special techniques for installing drywalls.

Practiced correctly, these techniques speed up installation and make taping, mudding, and finishing flow smoothly.

With the right equipment and a little experience, you can do it yourself too.

Overall, pressurized walls have all the benefits of real walls, but they are temporary, making them a potentially ideal solution for loft spaces and apartments.

 

Drywall Partitions and It’s Uses

Drywall partitions are the most common wall technique found in modern spaces today especially as room dividers. Here are some examples of modern room dividers.

While home and offices have become smaller, more utility spaces are also being constructed with drywall partition.

Dividing parts of your space have been made possible with a partition wall – whether you want to add an extra room and an attached bathroom or divide the living room into two, the possibilities are up to your imagination.

 

 

9 Advantages And Uses Of Drywall Partition

 

 

1 – Dry construction

Drywall partitions consume less water than other types of wall partitions. In comparison to the conventional masonry walls, drywalls are built three to four times faster.

As the name suggests, its construction doesn’t require much water and hence, not considered a laborious task.

With this, drywall partitions are considered a water-free project as it consumes 95% less water than other types of wall partitions.

 

2 – Speed Of Installation

As mentioned earlier, drywalls consume less water, which makes it easier and faster to construct. It does not require any stipulated service management.

 

3 – Lightweight

Compared to other concrete wall partitions, drywall is definitely much lighter. With this reduction in load structure, the cost of overall construction is also reduced.

 

4 – Flexibility

Drywall is extremely flexible as a partition for room dividers, which allows homeowners and offices to customize their walls based on personal preference.

With its versatile nature and flexibility, you can easily maximize any area and do construction with thorough planning.

 

 

5 – Sound Insulator

Drywall Is a great choice if you need a soundproof partition as it reduces the noise coming from other rooms.

This is especially necessary when you have a meeting or children’s room, which tends to generate a lot of noise or prevent noise from coming in. With drywall partitions, you’ll be ensured to have a more peaceful place to live or work in.

 

6 – Fire Protection

As houses are more prone to fire, it is important that the materials of the house are fire resistant.

Aside from the other advantages of drywall, it is worth noting that it is also made out of a fire-resistant material.

During fire emergencies, drywalls usually takes an hour before the material catches fire. This then gives occupants enough time to evacuate.

 

7 – Thermal Insulator

As a country with a warm climate, almost every house in Singapore requires air conditioning.

Drywalls are then more suitable as partitions for such houses as they are great thermal insulators, which improves the efficiency of air conditioning as it keeps the area cool.

This results in more savings as you don’t have to run your air conditioner for a long period. The thermal insulating properties of drywall are also five times better than concrete walls.

 

8 – Aesthetic Appeal

Despite its different materials, drywall partition still resembles the look of a concrete partition due to its seamless construction.

The edges are smooth and it stands sturdy as the rest of the structure. There will be no cracks on the wall, which makes it easier to paint on.

 

Any type of paint usually blends well on the drywall partition as the surface is smooth, making it suitable for any type of decoration.

You can also install wallpapers on the drywall as it tends to provide great finishing compared to other plasterboards that have a paper lining on the surface.

 

9- Environmentally-Friendly

Drywall partitions are made up of gypsum boards that are 100% eco-friendly.

It can be recycled completely and does not use much water for installation, which makes its construction more environmentally-friendly.

 

 

Starting With The Right Layout

Building a partition wall is an easy way to divide a large space or redirect traffic through a large room.

It is also a good solution for any business owner who owns their office space, or where a lease agreement allows for such build-out, hence the need for room dividers.

Small business owners may well be able to complete such work themselves, as the carpentry involved is fairly basic.

 

Or, a standard framing carpenter can be hired to do the work, including finishing the walls.

If you’re doing it yourself, the very first step is to mark out your floor and ceiling with a pencil where the exact placement of the vertical studs should be.

This will simplify the attachment of the drywall panels to the framing.

 

Understanding The Components Of A Drywall

A partition wall typically has vertical studs connected to two horizontal plates—a top plate and bottom plate.

The plates are fastened to the floor and ceiling.

While the bottom plate can fasten to any part of a wood subfloor which is the plywood or particleboard layer under the finish flooring, the top plate must be anchored into the ceiling or floor joists.

 

This is easiest when the wall runs perpendicular or at an angle to the joists.

If the wall is parallel to the joists, the top plate should be aligned under a joist, or you must install blocking between two joists and fasten the top plate to the blocking.

If the wall includes an opening, with or without a door, the wall will get a horizontal header spanning across the top of the opening, plus two studs at each side of the opening to support the header and define the sides of the opening.

 

 

Cutting And Marking The Plates

Start the wall framing by cutting the top plate and bottom plate to the full length of the wall.

Hold the plates together to mark the stud layout. Most walls have studs spaced 16 inches “on center” (measuring from the center of one stud to the center of the next).

Partition walls also can be framed with studs at 24 inches on center if desired. Mark the stud locations on one side edge of both plates, including any openings.

 

Installing The Plates

Screw the bottom plate to the subfloor with wood screws. Use a straight 2 x 4 and a level to position the top plate directly above the bottom plate, or use a plumb bob to position the top plate.

Install the top plate by screwing into the ceiling or floor joists (or blocking) above. Do not fasten the bottom plate where there will be openings for doors.

 

Installing the Studs

Due to ordinary house settling, it’s unlikely that the bottom and top plates will be perfectly parallel, so you probably can’t cut all of the studs to the same length.

Instead, measure between the plates at each stud location and cut a stud to fit. Install the studs by toenailing—nailing or screwing at an angle—through each side edge of the stud and into the plate.

 

Framing Openings

Openings for doors typically are 1 inch wider and 1/2 inch taller than the actual dimensions of the door unit (the door and its frame, not the door itself).

At each side of an opening, install a full-length king stud at the outside, followed by a shorter trimmer stud (or jack stud) on the inside of the opening.

 

Install a horizontal header on top of the two trimmer studs, then install short cripple studs between the header and the top plate to continue the general stud layout of the wall.

After the last studs are installed, cut out the bottom plate inside any openings. The wall is then ready for drywall or other surface materials.

 

Finishing Walls

Once partition walls are framed, including the door openings, the next step is to hang, tape, and finish the drywall surfaces.

Where a space is being subdivided into private offices and some degree of soundproofing is needed, stud cavities can be filled with fiberglass insulation before drywall is hung.

Ordinary fiberglass insulation is remarkably effective for soundproofing walls.

 

Drywall installation involves hanging sheets of 1/2-inch-thick drywall to the studs using drywall screws, then applying joint tape and finishing all joints and screw heads with taping compound (mud).

Walls are generally painted as soon as the mudding and finishing are complete, although it can also be done after doors and trim are installed.

 

Installing Trim

The final step to building a partition wall is to install whatever trim moldings are needed.

This may include the case moldings for doors, baseboard and shoe moldings, and sometimes crown moldings or other ornamental moldings.

 

Conclusion

 

If you’re having a tough time installing drywalls for your next project, that’s understandable.

At Reinstatement Works, we’re here to offer you expert assistance on your next demolition project. But that’s not all we do.

Our team of specialists also has the knowledge and experience to help you with your needs.

Contact us today so we can get started on helping you with your next project.