Partition wall at ceiling

Junction function

Top fixing of a partition wall = the location of the most frequent linear cracks in plasterboard skim coat. The ceiling under load (an apartment above) deflects 1–3 mm/m in a daily cycle — without compensation the partition wall cracks at the joint with the ceiling.

Solution per the catalogue:

1. Slip tape (item 08) between UW and ceiling — allows independent movement of wall and ceiling.
2. Acoustic sealing tape (item 06) — between UW and ceiling plaster; eliminates sound transmission through the structure.
3. Expansion anchors (item 07) fixing the UW profile to the ceiling — at 60 cm intervals.

Critical installation aspects

• Slip tape (item 08) — crucial; PVC / PE strip 30–50 mm wide, installed between the UW profile and the ceiling before anchoring; allows +/- 2–3 mm of ceiling movement.
• Without slip tape — a partition wall under the 1st floor will literally develop a linear crack in the plasterboard skim coat after 6 months (heating cycle of the apartment above / wet laundry / walking loads).
• Acoustic sealing tape (item 06) — same as at the floor; prevents sound transmission from the apartment above to the apartment below.
• Expansion anchors to ceiling (item 07) — long (typically 80–100 mm embedded in concrete); in lightweight ceilings (Filigran) with timber → self-drilling wood screws.
• Connection with plasterboard — in direct contact with the ceiling plaster, 2–5 mm gap filled with acrylic silicone (NOT typical plasterboard filler, which will crack).
• Timber ceiling (item 09) — in single-family houses with usable attic the ceiling is often timber; UW profiles fixed with self-drilling wood screws into the joists (NOT into the plasterboard ceiling lining).

Documentation

Technical Catalogue termPIR® — Residential Buildings (Gór-Stal 2022), page 58 — Partition walls, wall-to-ceiling installation detail. Scale 1:10.

Components in this junction