Why Choose Drywall Gypsum Board Partition For Rooms Construction?

Advanced dry partition wall has emerged as the new focus to modern technology in homes & offices. In many commercial projects under taken by Singapore Interior Pte Ltd and Singapore Interior Group, we recommend customers using dry partition walls between rooms in their office / commercial partition rooms. The constant improvement in performance for plasterboard to suit the use in commercial projects has ensured that such wall system now meets high level specifications in the areas of acoustic insulation, thermal insulation and resistance to fire and damp conditions. Besides meeting statutory functional requirements such as fire ratings, the heavy duty drywalls are able to resist high impact and support loads such as televisions and cabinets. Performance-wise, the system is suitable for severe duty usage, having passed the strength and robustness tests such as: Stiffness, Door Slam, Impact, Heavyweight Anchorages tests, in accordance to Singapore Standard SS492:2001. High performance drywalls are tested to severe duty standards in strength and able to withhold minimum loading of 25 kg at each point. The fire rating for the board is about 1 hour which satisfies the fire safety requirement for residential buildings. Despite the “heavy duty” label, the drywalls are lightweight (about 10-15% the weight of conventional brickwalls); allowing us to adopt lighter structures, which results in savings in foundations cost. The drywall system is slimmer than conventional brickwalls, thus creating more usable space for the offices / cabins.

The ease of installation of mechanical and electrical (M&E) services within the boards will reduce the noise pollution that may be created with the hacking of brick walls to embed the services, providing a cleaner and environmentally friendly site. The drywall system can be easily installed and quickly relocated according to one’s needs. Tenants / owners can renovate and redesign the interior layouts within a short time, There is no messy hacking of concrete or bricks and no debris to the environment. The use of this system also facilitates dry construction that does not require for messy plastering as its smooth and even surfaces are ready to receive paint finishes directly. Without the use of plastering, it would eliminate the possible defects arising from low standard of workmanship. Such advantages have led Developers to use drywalls for various developments, including residential projects.

How is the Acoustic Performance?
There are different types of drywall systems available that offer a wide range of fire resistance and acoustic ratings to meet design requirements. The acoustic performance of the drywalls can be enhanced with the installation of rockwool between the boards. Sound Transmission Class (or STC) is used to rate interior partitions, ceiling/floors, doors, window and exterior wall configurations. STC is the decibel reduction in noise a partition can provide.

The higher the STC value, the better is the acoustic performance. 
STC 25 Normal speech can be heard easily 
STC 30 Loud speech can be heard 
STC 35 Loud speech can be heard, but not understood 
STC 42 Loud speech can be heard only as a murmur 
STC 45 Must strain to hear loud speech 
STC 48 Only some loud speech can be heard 
STC 53 Loud speech cannot be heard 

For comparision: Interior walls with bricks or concrete walls have STC of about 40, which is considered as “onset of privacy”, suitable within the residential units.
The lightweight and dry partition walls have an STC of about 33 without any insulation. Adding insulation like rockwool in the wall cavity would increase the STC to between 45 - 50. Hence, unlike brick or concrete walls where the STC is limited to the choice of material, the dry partition walls have the ability to improve on the sound transmission loss by increasing the space and insulation between the boards to yield an STC of as high as 63.
We supply rockwool insulation of different density to suit different usage / needs.Speak to our consultants / designers in Singapore Interior Pte Ltd for more information.

Can Drywall support fixtures such as cabinets and TV?
For light and medium duty anchor for fixtures such as mirrors, light fitting or picture frames on drywalls, simply use screwdriver to insert and tighten the screw until secure. There is no need for hammer drills to make holes in concrete or brick and no unsightly chunks of concrete or brick breaking out through imprecise workmanship. The drywall system is also able to support heavy fixture such as large wall cupboards and heavy wall cabinets, but homeowners are advised to get contractors to carry out the installation work with proper heavy duty anchors.

Footnotes: Selecting rockwool insulation density:

A guide to acoustic insulation that will help you to decide the right rockwool insulation to meet your requirements. If you haven’t had to use insulation material before, knowing which acoustic insulation slabs you should be using can be tricky. In this guide, we will show you how to choose the correct thickness and density of acoustic insulation slab.

Thermal insulation versus acoustic insulation

Acoustic slabs are manufactured to a higher density than other forms of insulation, unlike thermal insulation which is lower in density and supplied in rolls. sound insulation slabs start at a minimum density of 45kg/m³. Acoustic slabs are supplied at a standard size of 1200mm x 600mm. These slabs have a U-value which means that they have the additional benefit of thermal insulation as well as sound insulation.

Is your insulation fire rated?

The sound insulation slabs are non combustible and they will offer no contribution to fire.

What thickness of acoustic insulation should I use?

Using acoustic insulation to soundproof walls is a great way of blocking airborne sound transfer through a wall. If you are sound insulating a stud wall, the depth of insulation you choose will be determined by the depth of the stud frame. Always use a thickness that is no deeper than the depth of the frame. Acoustic slabs have very little compression and will not squeeze between sheets of plasterboard. Acoustic insulation slabs are available in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 50mm, 75mm and 100mm.

You do not have to completely fill the stud frame, leaving a gap between the insulation and the boarding is better than compressing the insulation.

If you are building an acoustic wall and want to use acoustic insulation inside the frame, choose the slabs according to the depth of stud work and how much room you can afford to lose. We would recommend a minimum thickness of 50mm for stud wall applications. If you can go thicker, the additional thickness of the insulation will offer better levels of sound insulation. It is important to remember that doubling up on thicknesses will not offer double the level of soundproofing, but increasing the density does.

Choosing the correct density kg/m³ of acoustic insulation

Knowing which density to choose is probably the most challenging part of selecting acoustic insulation. Acoustic insulation is available in a variety of densities which range from 45kg up to 140kg per slab. It’s the density that marks out this type of soundproof insulation from other slabs of insulation.

kg/m³ explained

kg/m³ is the weight of the slabs if they were manufactured in a block of one metre cube (1m x 1m x 1m). In order for them to be identified, they are given a density rating which refers to the weight of a metre cube, displayed as kg/m³.

Sound insulation slabs are available in the following densities:

• 45 kg/m³
• 60 kg/m³
• 80 kg/m³
• 100 kg/m³
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• Leave the selection to our expertise. Email / Call us today. 

Singapore Interior Pte Ltd
Singapore Interior Group Pte Ltd
72 Bendemeer Road,
#03-26/27 Luzerne.
Singapore 339941
Tel: 63239213
Email: sales@singaporeinterior.com
URL: www.singaporeinterior.com