Paul Midgley, Market Manager – Trade, at Knauf, explores how using systems can benefit contractors on paper and on site.
It’s becoming increasingly important to prove that products are compliant, and when it comes to the combination of products used on site that can be a bit of a nightmare.
Changes to the way building products are specified and installed are being driven by legislative and cultural updates. The good news is that this places pressure more on the manufacturers to ensure the products they’re providing are safe and meet performance standards. The trick for contractors is understanding the impact of changes on their day-to-day.
One of the trickiest areas is the collective performance of products when used together. Manufacturers, including Knauf, provide test certificates for systems – making it easier for contractors to select a solution that’s ready ‘right out of the box’.
Initially this can be uncomfortable as it can involve a change to familiar products and ways of working. The solution from manufacturers is to provide warranties that not only cover the individual products but also guarantee the whole system performance when installed as per the manufacturers requirements.
Putting it into practice
Building a partition wall would be a fairly ‘bread and butter’ job for many contractors and barring any specific performance requirements, would see contractors use a familiar approach. Go into a merchant, pick up the boards they’ve always used alongside the usual timber, fixings, and jointing compound.
Individually, they’re likely to meet performance requirements but when combined do they achieve the same performance rating? Especially on larger domestic and commercial projects, good enough is no longer enough. Compliance, testing, and warranties are all being required at tender stage.
This is where systems offer the perfect combination of familiarity and performance.
Peak performance and protection
Fire protection is an area where greater scrutiny is rightly placed upon the products in use. Understanding effective strategies for fire protection comes with specialist knowledge, however specific systems are available which help contractors be confident that they will achieve the performance levels required.
Taking partitions as the common example, individual products such as metal partitions or boards will have their own fire classifications. However, it’s the full system of products together that determines the partitions fire performance. Using just one manufacturer’s board is often not enough to gain certification.
Full manufacturer systems are made up of products designed to complement each other and are selected to perform together as a single entity. Such systems are tested as a whole unit so contractors using them can be sure their performance matches what’s required. This streamlines the potentially challenging task of meeting regulation standards, and it does it in a way that’s familiar for contractors.
However, proving compliance is only one part of the puzzle. The added benefit not only for contractors, but their clients as well, is the security which comes from using systems. Performance warranties are commonly tied to manufacturer systems and Knauf is no different.
Warranties such as the Knauf System Performance Warranty provide peace of mind that the products, when installed correctly, will perform consistently for the lifetime of the system. It also allows contractors to benefit from manufacturer technical support and the system is guaranteed in the unlikely event of unsatisfactory performance.
This extra level of protection is becoming more commonplace in project tenders. Building owners and customers are increasingly seeking out reassurances the products specified will perform as intended and will be covered if otherwise. We would advise, regardless of which products used, contractors ensure they’re covered by a full warranty.
The changes to the Building Safety Act also solidifies the need to prove that solutions are tested to the appropriate standards with documentation readily available. It can be an increasingly complicated space, so using proven systems supported by the manufacturer is an attractive way to meet the requirements of the Act.
Competency check
The final piece of the puzzle, which goes in hand with warranties, is training.
Via the Building Safety Act, there is a mandate to demonstrate competency with the products and systems being installed, encouraging contractors to rely on manufacturers to provide proper training and support in newer systems.
Knauf along with many manufacturers, offers training and support covering for contractors. It covers the common issues encountered in specific situations and provides the knowledge on which systems are best suited to deliver the performance needed.
From faster installation on site to peace of mind post-installation, system solutions are rapidly becoming the go-to for contractors needing to meet stricter demands from projects.
For more information on Knauf high performance partition systems, visit High Performance Partitions | Knauf – Knauf.
