Paramount wallboard vs stud partion in a fire situation.

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I rent a two-floor maisonette in a two-level block belonging to a social landlord.

Party walls are cinder block but all internal partitions are Paramount wallboard except for the one that forms the internal stairwell.

When a property becomes void, the landlord sends in contractors to replace the wallboard with stud. I don't know if they do this because of regulations or that it might be advantageous in tarting it up for selling as an 'affordable home'.

Is one any better than the other in a fire situation?

Thanks for any info.

 

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To add to this, I have my own ground level entrance (no shared stairwell) - should my kitchen have a fire door as it currently only has a hollow plywood type but the kitchen does have a heat detector and there are smoke detectors throughout.

 

[^woody^]

Typically, paramount is not not plastered, so after years of tenant's decorating and stripping paper the plasterboard is dented and gouged to buggery, so it's replaced. Or tenants just like to kick and punch it . So it's not a requirement other then getting the wall back to a lettable standard.

Kitchens in low rise flats built decades ago may have had a fire door, but no closers or fire strips. The way to tell is look at the frame and see if it looks like it was designed for a thicker door or has had the stops altered.

 

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Thanks for the reply.

Typically, paramount is not not plastered, so after years of tenant's decorating and stripping paper the plasterboard is dented and gouged to buggery, so it's replaced. Or tenants just like to kick and punch it . So it's not a requirement other then getting the wall back to a lettable standard.

Hmm, not particularly cost-effective when it comes to tarting up voids on an old '50s estate, especially as they are more focused on their new builds.

Kitchens in low rise flats built decades ago may have had a fire door, but no closers or fire strips. The way to tell is look at the frame and see if it looks like it was designed for a thicker door or has had the stops altered.

Not sure what you mean. The original kitchen door was heavy and solid and it had a recessed spring and chain type closer, but when I moved in I asked if they could replace it as it had been heavily scoured by the previous tenant's dog plus the kitchen cupboard doors were chewed at the corners. They give me all new units and replaced the door with a hollow one but didn't refit the closer. 2 inch Paramount and 4 inch frames with no architrave.

 

[^woody^]

Thanks for the reply.

Hmm, not particularly cost-effective when it comes to tarting up voids on an old '50s estate, especially as they are more focused on their new builds.


Not sure what you mean. The original kitchen door was heavy and solid and it had a recessed spring and chain type closer, but when I moved in I asked if they could replace it as it had been heavily scoured by the previous tenant's dog plus the kitchen cupboard doors were chewed at the corners. They give me all new units and replaced the door with a hollow one but didn't refit the closer. 2 inch Paramount and 4 inch frames with no architrave.

It's effective when the first thing a new tenant phones up about is "My walls are a mess and I can't hang the paper on them or paint them".

Doors should be replaced like for like. They seem to have fitted the wrong door which is a breach of building regulations, and potentially increased the fire risk - despite the heat detector, which does not compensate but just give early warning of a fire.