Drywall ceiling

A plasterboard ceiling is made of gypsum boards fixed to a metal frame hung from the floor slab. The joints and screws are then filled, the surface sanded and painted. Unlike a stretch ceiling, it reads as a true monolithic ceiling: no canvas seams, a rigid surface, and the possibility of any levels, curtain-track niches and light lines.

How it is built. The frame is assembled from ceiling profile 60×27 and perimeter profile 28×27, hung from the slab with hangers, most often straight ones. The frame is clad in boards. Multi-level ceilings use two-level connectors. The spacing of profiles and hangers is set by the system manufacturer (for example Knauf) and must be followed, not guessed. The hanger fixing to the slab must be reliable, because lights, curtain tracks and sometimes an air conditioner hang from the ceiling.

Why choose it. Hidden curtain pockets, perimeter lighting (floating ceiling), recessed fittings and light lines, boxes for ducted air conditioners and ventilation, and complex shapes. Niches can hold concealed lighting and magnetic tracks. A plasterboard ceiling hides slab irregularities and services. A shadow gap and a hidden skirting allow a neat junction with the walls.

The downsides, honestly. Plasterboard costs more than a stretch ceiling and takes more time: wet processes (filling), drying, sanding. It reduces height: the frame and board take a few centimetres, and an air-conditioning box takes noticeably more. In a new building, hairline cracks at joints are possible in the first years because of settlement; reinforcing the joints with tape or fibreglass mesh and proper technique reduce them. Prices vary widely with complexity and finish level, so we calculate from the design, not "per metre".

Typical mistakes: not planning lighting and services before the ceiling is closed; saving on hangers and frame spacing; leaving no access hatches to ducts and boxes; forgetting blocking for curtain tracks and fittings; filling and painting before joints have dried; making niches and levels without a drawing. Any mistake later means opening a finished ceiling.

How we do it. The ceiling and curtain plan is a separate sheet of the working project, and the lighting plan and control scheme are coordinated with it: we show levels, niches, the positions of curtain tracks, tracks and access hatches in advance. We choose plasterboard where complex light geometry, hidden curtain pockets or boxes with services are needed; otherwise a sensible compromise is a quality matt stretch ceiling with a shadow gap.