The Comprehensive Techniques of Furring Channel Ceiling: A Professional's Guide

Uncover the intricate techniques and best practices for installing and maintaining furring channel ceilings, the versatile and cost-effective solution for modern interior design. Learn about the different types of furring channels available, their properties, and how to select the right one for your project. Explore the design and planning process, understanding how to measure and lay out the furring channel grid accurately. Discover the installation techniques, from attaching the furring channels to the substrate to installing the final ceiling panels. Gain insights into advanced techniques for ensuring a seamless and level finish, as well as tips for addressing common challenges and troubleshooting issues. Learn about maintenance and repair procedures to keep your furring channel ceiling looking its best for years to come. With this comprehensive guide, become a pro in the art of furring channel ceiling installation.Currently, some small and medium-sized projects and residential projects are still using traditional ceiling construction methods, such as using wooden keels, flame-retardant boards, density boards, carpentry boards, and other bases. However, with the emergence of new technologies and materials, people's requirements for design effects, processes, construction, and fire protection are increasingly high. Therefore, the core technology that construction and design companies need to master must also be continuously updated.

This article provides a detailed explanation of the knowledge related to light steel keel ceilings, mainly addressing the following issues:

1. The specific construction techniques of light steel keel ceilings.

2. The details of light steel keel ceiling air conditioning vents, inspection hatches, and expansion joints.

**Light Steel Keel Ceiling Construction Techniques**

The construction process includes: setting the benchmark height, keel layout and snapping lines → installing hangers, main keel, secondary (sub) keel, and transverse support keel → concealed project acceptance → sealing the board → anti-rust treatment of screws, filling board seams, and applying anti-crack tape → painting with latex paint → cleaning → sub-item acceptance.

1. Setting the benchmark height and keel layout: Before installing the keel, the net height of the room, the benchmark height of the holes, and the benchmark height of the internal pipelines, equipment, and their brackets should be inspected according to the design requirements. Based on the design benchmark height of the ceiling, lines are snapped on the surrounding walls, and the keel layout is snapped, with accurate and clear positioning.

2. Hanger and keel installation: Metal pre-embedded parts, steel rebar hangers, and steel keel hangers should be anti-rust treated before installation. Of course, if wooden hangers, wooden keels, and wooden finishes are used, they must be treated for moisture prevention, anti-corrosion, anti-worm, and fire prevention.

For load-bearing keels, use Ø8 steel rebar (M8 full-thread hanger) + C60 main keel (C60X27X1.2) + C50 secondary keel (C50x20X0.6); for non-load-bearing keels, use Ø6 or Ø8 steel rebar (M6, M8 full-thread hanger) + C38 main keel (C38X12X1.0) / C50 main keel (C50X20X0.6) + C50 secondary keel (C50X20X0.6). (Please refer to the "Building Light Steel Keel" GB/11981-2008 and "Building Light Steel Keel Accessories" JC/T558-2007 for specific standards)

When installing the main keel, the spacing should be less than 1.2m, and the distance between the main keel and the wall should not exceed 300mm. Additional hangers should be added at the connection points of the main keel.

The spacing between the main keel hanging points should be less than 1.2m, and the hanger should be straight, with the distance from the main keel end not exceeding 300mm. When the hanger encounters equipment, the hanging point structure should be adjusted or additional hangers should be added.

The spacing of the secondary (sub) keel is generally not more than 400mm. In humid areas and places, the spacing should be 300-400mm, and adjacent secondary keels should be connected alternately.

3. Ceiling anti-support setting: When the length of the hanger exceeds 1.5m and is less than 3m, due to the insufficient stability of the hanger, there will be safety hazards. To ensure stability, anti-support is needed. The method is to drill holes at intervals of two main keel spacings on the bottom edge of the CS60 main keel transverse support; the M8 full-thread hanger is passed through, and after the position is determined, it is fixed with nuts above and below.

When the internal space of the ceiling is greater than 3m, a steel structure conversion layer is required for the anti-support of the ceiling.

4. Sealing board treatment: Sealing board treatment is the installation of the base board and the decorative board. It should be noted that before installation, the concealed project acceptance must be carried out, and the debugging and acceptance of the pipelines and equipment inside the ceiling must be completed before construction can begin.

The board should be installed in a free state, and it should be fixed from the middle to the edges of the board. The distance between the screws and the edge of the paper-faced plasterboard: the paper edge should be 10-15mm, and the cut edge should be 15-20mm. The distance between the screws and the edge of the cement pressure board should be 8-15mm.

The nail distance at the board periphery should be 150-170mm, and the nail distance in the board center should not exceed 200mm. The screws should be anti-rust treated.

When installing double-layer panels, the joints of the upper and lower layers should be staggered and should not be joined on the same keel. Adjacent panels should be installed with staggered seams.

The seams of the decorative panels need to be treated to prevent cracking, and the seams should be straight, consistent in width, and the gap between the two boards should be 4-7mm. Anti-cracking measures are required at the junctions of different materials or between the panels.

5. Latex paint project: The decorative layer of latex paint requires two coats of putty to be brushed, and each layer of putty needs to be sanded smooth, followed by one coat of primer and two coats of topcoat.

**Ceiling Detail Engineering**

1. Ceiling inspection hatch: The ceiling inspection hatch should be installed after the first layer of plasterboard is installed. An additional circle of main keel should be added around the upper part of the inspection hatch, and the hanger, etc., should be fixed directly from the floor slab. The lower mouth should add a sub (secondary) keel according to the size of the inspection opening to increase its stability. The installation height of the inspection hatch should consider the thickness of the plaster layer and should be 2-3mm lower than the surface of the plasterboard.

2. Air conditioning air outlet: The air conditioning return air outlet, outlet, and exhaust fan, etc., require a wooden frame to be set up to facilitate the installation of the air outlet and equipment. The size of the outlet and return air louvers must be calculated according to the air volume of the mechanical and electrical installation unit, and the spacing must meet the performance requirements of the air conditioning.

3. Ceiling expansion joint: When the single side distance of the ceiling exceeds 12 meters, an expansion joint should be set for the ceiling. The double-layer plasterboard ceiling needs to leave a 10-20mm expansion joint, the joint length is 30-50mm, and the distance from the edge of the expansion joint to the hanger is not greater than 300mm.

The single-layer plasterboard ceiling is lined with fine woodworking board (fireproof treated) and connected to the edge keel, with a 10-20mm gap left at the lower mouth.

The article mainly explains the construction process of the light steel keel ceiling: setting the benchmark height, keel layout and snapping lines → installing hangers, main keel, secondary keel, transverse support keel → concealed project acceptance → sealing the board → anti-rust treatment of screws, filling board seams, and applying anti-crack tape → painting with latex paint; construction precautions, and the setting of ceiling detail engineering (inspection hatch, air conditioning air outlet, expansion joint).