Light steel framed walls and floors

See Also:
6.4

6.10.10Fixing floor decking and ceilings

Floor decking and ceilings shall be adequately fixed using a material of adequate strength and moisture resistance.

Joist spacing and decking thickness should be compatible. Material standards and minimum board thicknesses for domestic loads (imposed load of 1.5kN/m2) are shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Joist spacing and decking type

MaterialStandardThickness of decking (mm): 400mm joist centres 600mm joist centres
ChipboardBS EN 312 moisture-resistant type P51822
PlywoodBS EN 6361518/19
Oriented strand board type OSB3BS EN 3001518/19

Decking materials not listed should comply with Technical Requirement R3.

Oriented strand board should be laid with the stronger axis at right angles to the supports.

In England and Wales, the thicknesses listed above may not achieve the 15 kg/m2 mass required to meet sound insulation requirements.

Fixings and supports should be as recommended by the manufacturer.

Flooring should be fixed at maximum 300mm centres using the following:

  • Self-drilling or self-tapping screws.
  • Ring shank nails, or
  • Other approved fixings.

Tongue and grove joints should be glued.

Plasterboard should be fixed in accordance with Chapter 9.2 ‘Wall and ceiling finishes’, using self-drilling, self-tapping screws.