Gypsum Plasterboard Furring Wall Installation (without Insulation)

People often confuse a furring wall with a partition. A partition stands on its own and divides a room. A furring wall follows the original wall and mainly improves how the wall looks and what it can hide. If you do not want to change the layout but you want a straight wall ready for paint, wallpaper or tiles, a furring wall is the right choice.

The version without insulation works well in these situations:

• old, uneven plaster that would otherwise need a lot of work to level,
• hiding services where you cannot or must not chase into the wall,
• a quick makeover of a lived-in flat where you want to avoid wet trades and long drying times,
• hallways, offices and rooms with no special demands on sound or heat.

When should you choose something else? If noise from the neighbours bothers you, an empty cavity helps very little, and the wall can even sound "hollow". A furring wall filled with mineral wool works better there. On external walls, be careful with internal insulation in general. Without a proper design and a correctly installed vapour control layer, moisture can condense behind the board.

Setting out and preparation

First, the installer checks the existing wall with a laser or a long straightedge to find the point where it bulges out most. The position of the new wall is set from that point. Lines for the top and bottom tracks are marked on the floor and ceiling. At the same stage, the installer plans where the cables and pipes will run and where sockets, switches and heavy wall-mounted items will go.

The metal frame

Horizontal U-shaped tracks, often labelled UW, are fixed to the floor and ceiling with sealing tape underneath. Vertical C-shaped studs, often labelled CW, slot into these tracks. They are usually spaced at around 60 cm or 62.5 cm, depending on the board width, so that every board edge lands on a stud. For tiles or heavier loads the studs go closer together, following the system manufacturer's instructions. On taller walls, the studs are also fixed back to the original wall with brackets so the frame does not flex.

Boarding and jointing

The boards are screwed to the studs, usually with screws roughly 25 cm apart. A small gap is left at the floor, so the board does not draw up moisture and has room to move. Then come jointing with reinforcing tape, filling over the screw heads and sanding. You can choose one coat of filler or several, depending on the finish you want. Under glossy paint or where light falls across the wall from the side, a higher-quality finish with a full skim over the whole surface is worth it.

• C studs and U tracks in a width that suits the job: furring walls usually use narrower profiles, wider ones only for tall walls or thicker pipes,
• standard plasterboard (type A under EN 520) for dry rooms, moisture-resistant board (type H) for bathrooms and kitchens, plus a liquid waterproofing membrane under tiles in showers,
• single or double boarding: two layers are stiffer and cope better with shelves or wall cabinets,
• fixed or free-standing frame: a fixed frame is thinner, a free-standing one suits walls too weak to fix into,
• screws, tapes and fillers from the same system, so all the parts work together.

The quickest job is a flat, solid wall in a rectangular room with a normal ceiling height and no openings. The following slow the work down:

• windows, doors and recesses, where reveals and corners need extra work,
• a lot of sockets, switches and pipe penetrations,
• high ceilings and a soft or crumbly background that is hard to fix into,
• reinforcement for heavy items such as kitchen units, a TV or a wall-hung WC,
• a higher standard of surface finish that needs more filling and sanding,
• working in an occupied home, where furniture has to be covered, moved and the area cleaned.

In practice, problems often start at the planning stage, not during installation. If someone forgets a socket or a piece of reinforcement, the finished wall has to be opened up again. Other common mistakes include:

• studs installed without checking the line, so the wall ends up wavy,
• studs or screws spaced too far apart, so the board flexes and joints crack,
• cross joints where four board corners meet, instead of staggered joints,
• joints filled without reinforcing tape, so cracks appear after painting,
• standard board in a bathroom, or boards sitting directly on the floor,
• no access to valves or inspection points left behind the wall.

A handy homeowner can build a furring wall alone with a laser or spirit level, a screwdriver with depth control and patience for the filling. Electrical work, however, must be done and checked by a qualified electrician. If you touch shared services in a block of flats, agree it with the building management or owners' association first.

1. Check the existing wall, find the point that bulges out most and set the new line.
2. Mark the track lines on the floor and ceiling.
3. Stick sealing tape to the U tracks and fix them with plugs suited to the background.
4. Fit the C studs at the specified spacing and align them.
5. On taller walls, fix the studs to the original wall with brackets.
6. Install reinforcement for heavy items and let the electrician run the cables.
7. Photograph the position of all services before you cover them.
8. Screw on the boards with a small gap at the floor and stagger the joints.
9. Fill the joints with reinforcing tape, fill over the screws and sand once dry.
10. Prime the surface before painting or tiling.

When you inspect the wall, also look at it with a torch held to the side. Light across the surface reveals unevenness you cannot see under normal lighting.

• The wall is flat and a long straightedge sits on it without large gaps
• The board does not flex or creak when you press on it
• Joints and screw heads cannot be seen or felt
• Corners and junctions with the ceiling and neighbouring walls are clean and free of cracks
• Boards do not stand directly on the floor
• The bathroom has moisture-resistant boards and waterproofing where water will be
• Socket and switch boxes are firm and in the planned positions
• You have photos or a sketch of the services and reinforcement behind the wall
• Inspection points are accessible