What are my options with this ceiling substructure?

[jamiegw]

We removed the light wooden slats ceiling in our hallway to reveal the substructure.
There is a beam A running the length of the hallway.
Battens B are secured adjacent to beam A.
Battens XY are then secured to the ends of battens B and a batten Z is secured to the middle of a batten B and run the length of the hallway.
Battens XY are then connected to the floorboards above the ceiling. To me this seems daft because if you try pulling up floorboards, you end up pulling on the battens and thus the ceiling.
Ideally we can remove the supports that are currently connected to the floorboards. Ideally we would plasterboard, however if a suitable substructure is not possible, we would be fine with something light such as panels.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

What's wrong with using MF? (metal framing) All you'd need would be some C- section perimeter runnig around the walls with top hat sections inserted into the C- section to carry the plasterboard. Sold commercially as Gypliner and by many other people. Available from drylining suppliers and even Selco carry it

 

[jamiegw]

What's wrong with using MF? (metal framing) All you'd need would be some C- section perimeter runnig around the walls with top hat sections inserted into the C- section to carry the plasterboard. Sold commercially as Gypliner and by many other people. Available from drylining suppliers and even Selco carry it

I had no idea there was metal framing for plasterboard. Are the C- section connected to the wall via screws in dowels? My concern is I only have a sticker beam to hang stuff from.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Screws and plugs into masonry, screws only into timber. These are commonly used in dry lining on new/conversion apartment builds, in office blocks, hotels, shop fitting, etc. Quick and easy to install - the main tool you may need to buy is a pair of tin snips to cut the metal (thin galvanised steel), although an angle grinder with a thin steel cutting disc will also do. A laser helps as well, but isn't 100% essential on smaller jobs like yhis

 

[jamiegw]

Screws and plugs into masonry, screws only into timber. These are commonly used in dry lining on new/conversion apartment builds, in office blocks, hotels, shop fitting, etc. Quick and easy to install - the main tool you may need to buy is a pair of tin snips to cut the metal (thin galvanised steel), although an angle grinder with a thin steel cutting disc will also do. A laser helps as well, but isn't 100% essential on smaller jobs like yhis

Right, plugs not dowels.

I recently installed a ceiling and wall using timber as the framing/stud(?) and that was very straightforward. Just fix the timber to the wall using screws and dowels for the wall, or fix it to beams for the ceiling. I'll do some research regarding the metal framing so I understand how it works.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The big plus point on a narrow room such as a hallway, is that the ceiling tracks can be fitted to the walls and the top hat sections are self supporting up to about 4ft/1200mm, so you don't need to connect to any of the woodwork above

 

[mrrusty]

pair of tin snips to cut the metal

Get a nibbler, not snips - far better for metal profiles.

 

[jamiegw]

The big plus point on a narrow room such as a hallway, is that the ceiling tracks can be fitted to the walls and the top hat sections are self supporting up to about 4ft/1200mm, so you don't need to connect to any of the woodwork above

Our hallway is 135cm. Would the top hat tracks need to be supported by another metal stud running perpendicular above them? And would that metal stud need to be connected to the wooden beam?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Our hallway is 135cm. Would the top hat tracks need to be supported by another metal stud running perpendicular above them? And would that metal stud need to be connected to the wooden beam?

Providing you aren't putting in massively heavy lights in that should be OK. If you are that concerned just go to a 9.5mm board instead of a 12.5mm one and/or go for 400mm spacing of the top hats instead of 600mm

The intermediate support above the top hats, should one be needed, is a narrow tall C-section profile referred to as a "main". It sits atop the perimeter profile at each end and is tied into the timberwork above on either L- profile hanger strip or using steel cables. There are wire clips available to clip the top hats to the mains, but TBH a couple of wafer head or drywall screws will do just as well. But as I say, I think you'll be OK without one