Plasterboard in Dénia, Jávea and surroundings

How we build partitions, linings and ceilings

We start by setting out on the floor and ceiling with a laser: where each partition goes, what thickness it needs for the services running through it and where the doors sit. A partition with a WC frame or soil pipes inside does not use the same framing as one that simply separates two bedrooms.

We fix the tracks to the floor and ceiling with acoustic strip between the profile and the structure, and set the studs at the spacing the board requires, usually every 40 or 60 cm. That is where the electrical boxes, pipes and reinforcement for whatever will be hung later go in. We fill with mineral wool, close one side first, run any remaining services and then close the other.

For suspended ceilings we hang the frame from the slab with rods or direct hangers, depending on how far the ceiling drops, level it with a laser and screw on the board, leaving openings for spotlights and air grilles. If the ceiling has a cove for indirect lighting, the frame for the step is built at the same time.

The work is judged on the joints. Tape and three coats of compound, screws sunk and filled, corner beads, and sanding before priming. In the full renovation with soundproofing in Dénia, after the plasterboard we skim-coated the walls with a roller and smoothed them with a trowel so the finish was uniform throughout the house; in the 200 m² commercial premises in Dénia, with plasterboard ceilings and linings, the paint was sprayed with airless directly onto the treated board.

Materials and solutions we recommend

• Standard 15 mm board on partitions and ceilings in dry areas, and double board per side where insulation or strength is needed.
• Moisture-resistant board in bathrooms and kitchens, with additional waterproofing inside the shower.
• High-impact board in narrow hallways, entrances and anywhere with children, pushchairs or bikes.
• Mineral wool in every partition, not only the "insulating" ones: it improves the acoustics of the house and costs little more.
• Resilient perimeter strips and a decoupled frame when the goal is to cut noise from a neighbour or a bar downstairs.
• Free-standing lining (without touching the existing wall) rather than dot-and-dab board when the wall is damp, badly out of true or genuinely needs thermal insulation.

On a tight budget, we keep wool and double board where it matters (party walls and bedrooms) and use single board on internal partitions with no special requirements.

Common mistakes we avoid

1. Studs without acoustic strip or clearance against the slab: the frame transmits vibration and the partition "rings".
2. Leaving out reinforcement for kitchen units, televisions or wall-hung basins. Later on, fixings that will not hold or cracked boards.
3. Standard board in bathrooms, which swells with the moisture behind the tiles.
4. A suspended ceiling with no access panel by the air-conditioning unit: every service visit ends up breaking the ceiling.
5. Rushing the joints: a single coat of compound without sanding shows up against the light as soon as it is painted, and on the coast there is a lot of raking light in the afternoon.

Indicative timescales

• Partition to divide a room: 2 days with joints finished.
• Soundproofing lining on a 4 or 5 metre wall: 2 or 3 days.
• Living-room suspended ceiling with cove and lighting: 3 days.
• Complete partitioning of a 90 m² flat: 1 to 2 weeks, interleaved with electrics and plumbing.
• Commercial premises of 150 to 250 m², ceilings and linings: 2 or 3 weeks.

Plasterboard in homes in Dénia, Jávea and Gandía

The 1970s and 80s buildings on the seafront in Dénia and Gandía have 4 cm hollow-brick partitions with no insulation at all between flats. You hear the neighbour as if they were in your home. A lining with mineral wool on the party wall, like the one we built in the renovation with soundproofing in Dénia, completely changes how the flat feels to live in, and it is a job that can be done on its own, without a full renovation.

In penthouses and top floors, a suspended ceiling with insulation under the roof cuts the heat coming in during summer and is the natural place to run air-conditioning ducts without boxing on show. In villas in Jávea and Benissa with high ceilings, it also lets us lower hallways and bathrooms to integrate lighting and hide the pipework for an air-source heat pump.

In holiday homes, a lining over a wall with rising damp does not fix the problem, it only hides it. If the wall is damp, we treat it first or build a separate ventilated frame, and we tell you plainly at the site visit.

If you are away while the work is done, we send you photos of the frame with the wool and services in place before the second side is closed: it is the only chance to see where everything runs. Tell us what you want to separate, insulate or hide and we will look at it at the property.