Q. On a recent project, we installed steel studs to the underside of the grid system for a suspended acoustical ceiling. I used screws to attach the runner track to the ceiling grid. I then installed my “kickers,” or permanent bracing to the structure above. I was then told to go back and remove all the temporary screws to allow the ceiling to float. Why?
In rare cases things do go as planned and all works out as planned. However, all too often, just like in a murder mystery, the best-laid plans tend to go south. When this happens there is a lot of blame that gets passed around, and in worst-case scenarios, it can end in litigation.
I am always guilty of taking a principle and trying to apply it to other areas of my life. For me the three P’s in life fit nicely: purpose, plan and patience.
Q: I recently was completing a steel stud and drywall tenant improvement on a single-story business park. The inspector insisted we need draftstopping in the ceiling on a single space. He said it was because it was over 1,000 square feet. I have never had to do that before. Is this new code or was he wrong?
Today’s wall and ceiling industry hardly resembles what it was in the past. If you have been around the business for more than a few decades, you will relate to what I am saying. If you are new to the business, you may want to pay attention and heed some advice.
Ornamentation is certainly still possible with real plaster. Look at all the old castles and churches in Europe. They have tons of ornamentation. The wall and ceiling industry today has new products and systems coming out all the time that continue to push the envelope on design and creativity. Architects have a seemingly unlimited source of products to add all types of ornamentation to buildings at a reasonable cost. Ornamentation is still here – it has just changed.
Every contractor who has anything to do with stucco knows the frustration of hairline cracks that are inherent with a cement stucco system. We try every new product and technique but yet still seem to find ourselves on site with the designer, owner and general contractor pointing fingers at one another for cracks in stucco. When tempers fly and no resolution seems likely, a private consultant can be hired to take core samples and ship them off to the lab for a petrographic analysis.
Someone once told me “things always change.” Truer words were never spoken. As the Democratic Party prepares to take control of the House and Senate, some people are celebrating while others are filled with fret and concern.
It is amazing how such a small mechanical device can have a huge impact on the wall and ceiling industry, and in particular, the contractor installing systems.
