False wall

A false wall is a frame of metal profile clad with plasterboard, built in front of the main wall. It carries no load: it is a "second skin" in which you can hide whatever you do not want to see. It is common in bathrooms, TV areas and entrances, and wherever the walls are uneven.

What it is for. To hide pipes, boxes and cables without chasing structural walls; to even out a room when walls are out of plumb; to house a WC frame or concealed manifold; to recess a TV and fireplace flush; to create lit niches; to add sound insulation by filling the cavity with mineral wool; to route hidden lighting and sockets at the right height.

How it is built. A guide profile (UW) is fixed to floor and ceiling, studs (CW) are set inside it, usually at about 40–60 cm centres, and the frame is clad with 12.5 mm plasterboard, in two layers if needed. Standard board is used in dry rooms, moisture-resistant board in bathrooms. Profiles come in 50, 75 and 100 mm widths: the wider the profile, the thicker the wall and the better the sound insulation. If the cladding is hung on brackets from the main wall, the depth is smaller.

How much space it takes. Simple arithmetic: a 50 mm profile plus one layer of 12.5 mm board is about 6–6.5 cm; a 75 mm profile plus a layer is about 9 cm; each extra layer adds 1.25 cm. With a WC frame, the depth is set by the module itself, so we take its dimensions from the datasheet of the chosen model, not from habit. In small rooms this depth must be counted in advance: in a 3–4 m² bathroom an extra 10 cm can decide everything.

What must be provided. Plywood blocking or a reinforced profile behind the TV, brackets, wall cabinets and the basin; access hatches or removable panels to hidden fittings (shut-off valves, plumbing joints); moisture-resistant materials and waterproofing in wet zones; joint finishing and priming before the final finish. Never hide pipe joints behind plasterboard without access.

When not to. If the room is small and every centimetre counts; if the wall can be levelled with plaster and there is little to hide; if the wall is load-bearing and nothing needs concealing. In our projects a false wall is a working tool of TV zones: the television and cables go into the plane, and niches of slat panels with lighting build the composition. We show all such elements in advance on the wall elevations and the lighting plan so the contractor does not improvise on site.