Not to fill-in channel when putting in false wall: Shoddy?

Hi. Council is constructing a false wall on a no-fines wall that has longish two channels dug into it that previously held electrical cables. Workman come today and fitted the battens which will hold some plywood sheet which then will have plasterboard attached. New electrics will fit into this false wall framework.

Question : Although these channels in the no-fines wall will not be seen, covered by the false wall, would not filling them in amount to shoddy workmanship? I asked for these channels to be filled in and the foreman said he's get a plasterer to do it. But, never-the-less, I am curious about whether not filling the channels in would be a case of shoddy workmanship? Thanks for your thoughts on this. Richard

Can't see it making the slightest difference if they are filled or not personally?.

DIYalot,
Channel in wall would not worry me.

But I would like to see insulation between those battens.
And I cannot see any reason for Plyboard to be used under plasterboard (apart from selected areas to later hang TV, or cabinates, or Loo roll holders.
I would (and have) simply put plasterboard straight onto the battens (like all stud walls).

SFK

Thing is, I would call myself something of a "perfectionist" and I balk if things are not as I would do them. I mean, I'd have first plastered all holes & channels, then put the battens on. I realize that technically not filling in the channels does not degrade the work from an engineering or safety point of view. I still balk though. If the Council had not agreed to fill in the channels I would just have had to accept it. As "that's life". I'd be miffed, but life has to go on.

DIYalot,
Fully agree and understand that even hidden items should be done right. .

Are they going to put insulation in that gap?
SFK

As you can see, people are more concerned about if insulation is going to be used than any channels (I agree with others comments too).

Change your tack to insist on that instead of unnecessarily filling holes.

This no-fines wall had insulation attached on the outside a few years ago. Does that mean insulation between the battens is not required? By "that gap" do you mean the areas between battens?

Or: The right-most vertical batten is fixed at the corner. It's just that there is no plaster on the edge, so the batten sits atop the no-fines wall, not plaster. Unlike the other vertical battens. Perhaps it looks like there is a gap there. Mostly not, but I've asked for a re-plastering on that right-most vertical batten. I attach a picture of the batten, looking from the side. There are some gaps to be seen.

@DIYalot if you're a perfectionist I'd be more focused on those battens fixed directly to the existing wall. You are more concerned about what you will never see as opposed to what you will see .

You will never see timber battens fixed directly to walls by a professional commercial drylining company. The standards are very, very much higher than this. That's not to say this wasn't done by a so called 'professional drylining company'. They can call themselves whatever they want but this is sub par. 'Noddy' workmanship

Why? Because battens follow the existing. If the existing is not flat/out of plumb/straight your new 'cosmetic' will be the same. This is a cheap and nasty solution.

Dot and dab is also a cheap solution but would achieve a better finish.

In this instance, I would use gyp-liner. More expensive but I can achieve an almost perfectly flat, plumb wall. Exactly what you wont have with those battens mate.

And back to the insulation - just because you have it outside does not eman you do not need to add it inside if you can - adding it will help insulate more - keep your heating bills down more.

Hi. I was expecting the first job to be done before fitting the kitchen units, was to plaster the walls and more-or-less make them flat. Certainly to fill in any channels and any parts of the wall where the browning or skim plaster was missing. This did not happen, although some channels were filled in after battens fitted. The first thing done was that the joiner fitted the battens on the no-fines walls irrespective of the condition of the walls. On the back wall the right end vertical batten goes directly onto the no fines wall, not the plastered wall like all the rest. On the dividing wall (one that separates my house from the door), all the vertical battens above 91cm are laying on plastered wall, but below that laying on non skimmed wall, maybe a depression of 5 or 6mm. Below 91cm is of course behind the fitted units and maybe that is why the wall was not made level with the rest of the wall above.

The reason the false walls were fitted is to make fitting of the electrical boxes easier, no need to make holes on no fines walls.

I did not think you could screw into a no fines wall, but apparently you can. The guy just drove a screw through the batten and into the wall.

Of course plaster boards were fitted onto the wood battens. Then plastered. Anyway the kitchen units are fitted, and I guess the walls must be straight. I see that this plastering has been disturbed, probably in a horizontal line and related to the fitting of the units. Why messing with the plastering was necessary after it has been layed down, I have no idea. I'm not a professional, but from the very start I've been wondering why the initial walls were not prepared by plastering/skimming. But, job has been done. Units fitted.

EDIT: I suspect that to fit the units onto the no fines wall, a piece of wood was fitted to it in a line with unit fixing points. That required a channel to be made in the newly plastered false wall.

fenny666 said:

@DIYalot if you're a perfectionist I'd be more focused on those battens fixed directly to the existing wall. You are more concerned about what you will never see as opposed to what you will see .
.........

In this instance, I would use gyp-liner. More expensive but I can achieve an almost perfectly flat, plumb wall. Exactly what you wont have with those battens mate.

Click to expand...

OK understood. With the GypLyner system the frame (for the cosmetic wall) is independent of the existing wall and made plumb and straight etc. The way the council has done it by screwing battens to the existing walls, both of the resulting cosmetic walls will and do follow any existing deficiencies in the walls in terms of plumb and straight. What the worker must have done then in order to fix the kitchen units without gaps showing between the units and the cosmetic walls is to compensate for any wall deficiencies when the plasterboard, which is fixed to the battens, was plastered over.