timber batten or suspended ceiling

poochie2009 · 07-09-2009 11:19am #1

Hey all,
quick question for all ye self builders out there!
Which would the majority of people do for the construction of a ceiling?Is timber battening better of suspended ceiling?which is the most expensive??
the roofers started today on my house so plastering is the next stage!thanks for help as usual.

sydthebeat · 07-09-2009 11:21am

poochie2009 wrote: »

Hey all,
quick question for all ye self builders out there!
Which would the majority of people do for the construction of a ceiling?Is timber battening better of suspended ceiling?which is the most expensive??
the roofers started today on my house so plastering is the next stage!thanks for help as usual.

if teh budget can stretch, a metal rail suspended ceiling is most definitely a better job than trying to build up using timber battens. Much much easier to work with after as well. With timber there is a hell of a lot of cutting.

poochie2009 · 07-09-2009 11:23am

syd,
have you any idea on price roughly per square?i hear it is more accurate with the suspended due to the way they laser sight they use..i have hoolocore in so would that make a difference?

sydthebeat · 07-09-2009 11:26am

poochie2009 wrote: »

syd,
have you any idea on price roughly per square?i hear it is more accurate with the suspended due to the way they laser sight they use..i have hoolocore in so would that make a difference?

Its particularly design for hollowcore use. I wouldnt use it on a timber floor because its not required.

Ill try to get you a rough price by tomorrow, on a per sq ft basis, but you need to realise the time advantages as well.

poochie2009 · 07-09-2009 11:28am

syd
am i right in saying that the suspended ceiling is way quicker?i hear they install in 2 days?

sydthebeat · 07-09-2009 11:48am

poochie2009 wrote: »

syd
am i right in saying that the suspended ceiling is way quicker?i hear they install in 2 days?

yes they can easily get a 2000 sq ft house done in two days, ready fr slabbing. You then can come along and organise your services around them. the particular system im familiar with (knauf MF) are shot bolted to the underside of the slabs, then cut off at a particular level, found by laser.

see attachment

Glulam · 07-09-2009 12:25pm

Mt suspended ceiling cost me 3000 for material and labour for a 3000sqft house. the guy also slabbed the ceiling for me as well. it took about 2 days to install the grid and another 2 days to do the slabbing.
I priced the timber required for battening and it would have been more expensive and would have taken longer.
IMHO the suspended ceiling is the best option!!!

poochie2009 · 07-09-2009 1:15pm

cheers lads,i will ring around the gaway mayo area and get some prices for the suspended ceiling!

Mallini · 07-09-2009 2:19pm

Hi All,

I'll be paying around €15 per meter for supply and fix of the grid system. No slabbing in that quote. I think if the budget can stretch then go with it. Don't forgot that you'll have a slight camber with precast units which can be a nightmare to level out with timber battens.

conor2949 · 07-09-2009 3:11pm

for my two cents worth, i got the steel suspended ceiling put in on my solid concrete floors.

i got it done last week. it worked out about €10 per square metre. I paid him in notes!

it is an excellent job and he had 130sq metres done out in less than 7 hours.

very impressive and he best tradesman i've had on site to date. just came in, did his bit, and left. no grief, no calls bothering me with his problems.

he works out of dublin but covers the country AFAIK.

Mallini · 07-09-2009 3:32pm

Hi Conor,

Can you pm on his contact details. Thanks a mill.

mfceiling · 08-09-2009 9:30pm

conor2949 wrote: »

for my two cents worth, i got the steel suspended ceiling put in on my solid concrete floors.

i got it done last week. it worked out about €10 per square metre. I paid him in notes!

it is an excellent job and he had 130sq metres done out in less than 7 hours.

very impressive and he best tradesman i've had on site to date. just came in, did his bit, and left. no grief, no calls bothering me with his problems.

he works out of dublin but covers the country AFAIK.

As you can see from my username you will be under no illusion where i stand on the timber versus metal framed ceiling.

Conor2949 is correct with the €10 a square metre price which compares favourably with timber.

Also as an earlier mention to Syd saying that they are shot fixed up..... I would personally never shot fix the angle to the concrete slab as it can break the surrounding concrete and ends up not being a particulary strong job.
Much better to drill a 6 mm hole and use a hammer in metal fixing which expands as you beat it in. Just a better job IMHO.

kilmoran · 08-09-2009 9:40pm

Hi,

I just got quoted 14 euro per sq meter in wexford for a metal suspended ceiling, any chance you can forward me on details of your contact of 10 euro per sq meter?

Has anybody got a preference on location of plumbing for upstairs? Underside of slab in the suspended ceiling of in the concrete screed above the precast slab?

sydthebeat · 09-09-2009 8:17am

kilmoran wrote: »

Has anybody got a preference on location of plumbing for upstairs? Underside of slab in the suspended ceiling of in the concrete screed above the precast slab?

personally, all plumbing to be kept below slab....

i have seen problems arise when plumbing is brought above slab, where two pipes may cross each other... not enough screed to cover... eg 50mm waste pipe and rad pipe...

rebellad · 09-09-2009 8:40am

Would agree with Syd about keeping plumbing below slab, I had pipes crossing over due to underfloor and hot/cold and had to get an extra 15mm of screed put in.

Bhoypaul · 09-09-2009 9:31am

ensure that you pressure test any pipework to ensure ther are no leaks.
After that you will have to insulate and vapour seal to prevent the pipew from sweating (condensation on a cold pipe). Otherwise the condensation will drip from the pipes, usually the low points and stain the ceiling.

mfceiling · 09-09-2009 4:32pm

Kilmoran - PM sent. Cheers.

Mazotasan · 10-09-2009 10:02pm

@ Conor2949 would really appreciate a pm on the details of your ceiling guy...been searching for someone for this ages...thanks in advance.
Dan

feelinfoul · 10-09-2009 11:45pm

Conor2949 would it be possible to pm details to me also,thanks

conor2949 · 11-09-2009 3:55pm

PM's sent.

best of luck.

rok · 14-09-2009 9:26pm

Hey Conor, could you please PM me the details also ..

I've seen this in a friends house and it looks like a good job, they ran their HRV and cooker extractor fan ducts through it also.

We want to keep our floor-to-ceiling height as big as possible so I'd go for the metal suspended ceiling grid if it was less "height robbing" than counter battening.... cost savings would be nice too.

How much space does this metal suspended ceiling take up i.e. what is the drop from the bottom of the concrete slab to the bottom of the plasterboard?
Think my friends said the drop was about about 3 3/4 inches.

Another related question - how much room do you need to leave above the plasterboard for spot-light fittings (e.g. the GU10 spots) ?

edit: Also heard that using the timber battens can lead to cracks appearing in plasterboard if the timber has not been left to acclimatise in room long enough before being put up.

kilmoran · 16-09-2009 9:18am

You can have your suspended ceiling depth at whatever suits your survices. ie; sink wastes or toilet wastes will require min 6" ceiling whereas spotlights will require less. You can have a different depth in each room to suit services.

conor2949 · 17-09-2009 8:34am

@ rok: PM sent now. apologies for the delay

as kilmoran said, the ceiling can be any height you want it to be.

i've mine down 6 inches to allow for HRV ducting and some plumbing pipes.

AFAIK you can get low profile downlighter spots to fit into "shallow" ceilings. I've avoided GU10 fittings for energy and their bad lighting reasons. Its a personal choice.

clint_eastman · 25-11-2009 4:11pm

I've just been quoted €14 +VAT /sqmeter here in Limerick for the MF ceiling, slabbing is €8+VAT /sqm.... I'd appreciate a PM if anyone has a cheaper option around the Limerick area.

YourAverageJoe · 25-11-2009 9:52pm

could someone who got a pm from Conor2494 send me the name of the contractor conor2494 used?

thanks

mfceiling · 26-11-2009 7:46am

^^Hi Lads,

PM's sent, cheers.

HobNob · 26-11-2009 11:49am

I get those details too please...

kapilv · 28-12-2010 1:26pm

Hello Guys! I am new to this forum but i have some knowledge of timber construction though and on that basis i like to appreciate post that were being posted by Syd. I agree to his views a lot. when it comes to your time then money budget can be stretch out more and clearly i will prefer to use suspended ceiling instead of timber batten.

ronaldo84 · 28-12-2010 4:54pm

mf ceiling is far better job and faster aswell. bet u will get good prices on it now a days

L driver · 28-12-2010 5:53pm

see attachment[/QUOTE]

Syd,
The spacing of the top hat in this link seems to be at 600mm centres!! Not right.
Could you clarify. Maybe it is going to be double slabbed.

brendankelly · 28-12-2010 10:43pm

The spacings should be 400 centres and the hangers fixed with hammer fixings not shot nailed,

mfceiling · 29-12-2010 8:02am

L driver wrote: »

see attachment

Syd,
The spacing of the top hat in this link seems to be at 600mm centres!! Not right.
Could you clarify. Maybe it is going to be double slabbed.[/QUOTE]

400 centres o 16 inches dependant on what length your plasterboard slabs are - 2400mm or 8ft

kboc · 29-12-2010 8:25pm

mfceiling wrote: »

Also as an earlier mention to Syd saying that they are shot fixed up..... I would personally never shot fix the angle to the concrete slab as it can break the surrounding concrete and ends up not being a particulary strong job.
Much better to drill a 6 mm hole and use a hammer in metal fixing which expands as you beat it in. Just a better job IMHO.

Sister in-law's biyfriend done mine. i helped him. Could not find any nails for his hilti gun. So he used the 10 or so he had left over from previous job and then we used 6mm fixings there after.

Fixings far better job, only when i used these did i realise the shot nails were weaker. Production is a bit slower this way but worth the wait.

Far superior, far better value for money, in fact possibly cheaper than timber battening.

Good luck.

tred · 29-12-2010 11:46pm

kboc wrote: »

Sister in-law's biyfriend done mine. i helped him. Could not find any nails for his hilti gun. So he used the 10 or so he had left over from previous job and then we used 6mm fixings there after.

Fixings far better job, only when i used these did i realise the shot nails were weaker. Production is a bit slower this way but worth the wait.

Far superior, far better value for money, in fact possibly cheaper than timber battening.

Good luck.

Well Mfceiling above, did mine, and bloody ace job. And when you add the cost of the battons, labour, time, and then how fast the slabs went up, cant see much of the saving compare to the job he did for me.......

mfceiling · 30-12-2010 7:57am

tred wrote: »

Well Mfceiling above, did mine, and bloody ace job. And when you add the cost of the battons, labour, time, and then how fast the slabs went up, cant see much of the saving compare to the job he did for me.......

There's a pint at the bar for you!!:D

timber batten or suspended ceiling

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