MF and suspended ceilings
MF ceilings and suspended ceiling contractors for new-build housing
JMC Drywall Ltd installs metal frame (MF) ceilings and suspended ceilings on new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London, from its base in Tiptree. On housing, these ceilings go into apartment blocks, communal areas and anywhere a ceiling has to drop below the structure. Suspended ceilings are listed on four of our earlier housing schemes.
What the package covers
- Hangers, primary channels and MF ceiling sections
- Plasterboard to MF grids, single or multi layer
- Fire rated ceilings to the tested system
- Lay-in grid ceilings with tiles to service areas
- Access panels for services in the void
- Bulkheads and drops around services
- Perimeter trims and edge details
Where MF and suspended ceilings are used on housing
On a housing scheme, an MF ceiling goes where the board cannot be fixed straight to the joists or the slab. The usual places are under concrete floors in apartment blocks, where the void carries services, and in communal corridors, stairs and entrance halls. Lay-in grid ceilings suit plant rooms and stores, where access matters more than looks.
In a house, the plasterboard ceiling is normally fixed direct to the joists or trusses as part of the dry lining.
What goes wrong with ceilings on apartment schemes
Ceiling faults are expensive because the ceiling is the last thing to close over the services. A pipe added late, a missing access panel or a grid out of level all mean taking down finished work in a corridor that other trades need to use.
- Services added after the board is up
- Access panels missing or in the wrong place
- Grid out of level, which shows along walls and light rows
- Hangers fixed at wider centres than the system allows
- Penetrations left unsealed in a fire rated ceiling
MF ceiling or suspended grid ceiling
An MF ceiling is a hidden steel grid hung from the structure, with plasterboard screwed to it and finished like any other ceiling. A suspended grid ceiling has an exposed grid with tiles laid in, so any tile can be lifted for access. The specification chooses between them, room by room.
| Point | MF ceiling | Suspended grid ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Finish | Plasterboard, taped and jointed or skimmed | Exposed grid with lay-in tiles |
| Access to services | Through access panels set in the board | Lift any tile |
| Fire rating | With fire rated board to a tested system | Only with a tested tile and grid system |
| Where it goes on housing | Apartment ceilings, corridors, stairs and entrance halls | Plant rooms, stores and service areas |
| Following trades | Tapers or plasterers, then the decorator | Lights and grilles set into the grid |
How ceilings are sequenced with the services
A ceiling closes the void, so everything above it has to be in and tested first. Drainage, ductwork, cable runs and any sprinkler pipework go in before the board goes up. Any valve or damper that needs later maintenance needs an access panel planned below it.
The hangers are fixed to the structure at the centres the system sets, and the grid is levelled from a datum. Your site manager gets a flat ceiling line only if the services leave the space the drawings allowed for.
What we need to price your ceilings
Send the reflected ceiling plans and sections with the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. The price comes back by the deadline in your tender.
The reflected ceiling plans and sections move a ceiling price most. They show the drop from the structure, the bulkheads, and where access panels and light fittings sit.
Questions
What buyers ask us
- What is an MF ceiling?
- An MF ceiling is a metal frame ceiling, made from a grid of galvanised steel channels hung from the structure above, with plasterboard screwed to the underside. It gives a flat, level ceiling below a concrete slab or an uneven soffit, leaves a void for services, and takes a taped or skimmed finish. JMC Drywall Ltd installs MF ceilings on new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.
- Who installs suspended ceilings on housing schemes in Norfolk and Suffolk?
- JMC Drywall Ltd, based in Tiptree, Essex, installs suspended and MF ceilings on new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. Suspended ceilings are listed on four of its earlier housing schemes. They are Becket's Grove in Wymondham and Boyton Place in Haverhill for Persimmon Homes, Handley Gardens in Maldon for Taylor Wimpey, and Jasmine Park in Ipswich for Inland Homes and Anderson Construction.
- Do houses need MF ceilings, or only apartments?
- Most houses do not. In a house the ceiling is normally plasterboard fixed direct to the joists or trusses, and we price it with the dry lining. An MF grid comes in where the ceiling has to drop, such as under a concrete floor, to hide services or to reach a set ceiling height. Suspended grid ceilings are rare in houses.
- How do you keep access to services above an MF ceiling?
- With access panels set into the board, sized and placed for the valves, dampers and junctions that need maintenance. Their positions should be on the reflected ceiling plan before the grid goes up. A fire rated ceiling needs fire rated panels, or the panel breaks the rating. Adding panels after decoration means cutting and making good a finished surface.
- Can an MF ceiling be fire rated?
- Yes. With fire rated plasterboard in the number of layers the system calls for, and hangers and grid built to the manufacturer's tested detail, an MF ceiling can form part of the fire resistance of the floor above or of a corridor. The rating holds only if every penetration for lights, pipes and cables is sealed to the same standard.
Trades
Priced and managed as one sub-contract
- Metal stud partitionsMetal stud partitions for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On four current schemes, including 450 homes at Westcombe Park.
- Dry liningDry lining for new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. Walls and ceilings boarded plot by plot, on 21 live sites.
- Tape and jointingTape and jointing contractors for new-build homes in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On six current schemes, from 66 homes to 450.
- PlasteringSkim and traditional plastering for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On five current schemes, four for Orbit Homes.
Tender enquiries
Pricing your next scheme?
Send us the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. You will get a fully compliant price by your tender deadline, and a straight answer on whether we have the labour to meet your programme.
- Ring
- 01621 810293
- Email the estimating team
- estimating@jmcdrywallltd.co.uk