Paul Midgley, Marketing Manager – Trade, at Knauf UK & Ireland highlights the importance of product selection.
Contractors working on domestic projects often have to fill multiple roles, with choosing and buying the products regularly falling on their shoulders. Homeowners can be more focused on what the final room will look like, so the products behind the build don’t tend to factor into their consideration. Therefore, understanding the different types of products available, becomes increasingly important for contractors.
It’s often said that the construction industry can show some reluctance to trying new things. SME contractors and installers often prefer to fall back on experience for product selection and building methods. When a contractors’ job book is full, it’s completely understandable to optimise jobs as much as possible, either by relying on products they know, or bulk buying where possible, across jobs.
Plasterboard is a prime example of where contractors might fall back onto what they know rather than selecting the right board for the job. Some contractors might not even know of the wide range of High Performance Plasterboards that are better suited to specific rooms. Alongside their respective performance benefits, the added payoff is these boards are installed using the same methods as standard plasterboard, meaning no extra installation costs for a lot of added value.
Understanding which boards are best suited to the project starts with identifying what the customer wants from the room. Each High Performance Board provides specific advantages when installed. With a wide range of properties includes sound, moisture, and fire resistance, it starts with figuring out the purpose of the room or what problems that room must account for.
Take for example, a renovation on a family bathroom. It’s a room that could be prone to moisture-related problems further down the line, resulting in a call to come back and fix the issue, if the right products aren’t installed. We would recommend contractors use Knauf Moisture Panel, a high-performance moisture resistant board. Designed for use in high humidity rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, it’s the perfect choice to ensure longevity.
Using a standard wallboard without any moisture resistant properties would require extra components to prevent moisture damage long term. Moisture Panel contains additives to prevent moisture ingress caused by high humidity. This reduces damp related issues and the associated snagging costs, helping the contractor to achieve a better build.
If the customer’s goal is to minimise noise, there are options which contractors can rely on. Sound proofing is an important requirement in modern living, so choosing a board with the right acoustic properties is key. Knauf Sound Panel offers improved levels of sound performance making it ideal for residential applications where a minimum of 10kg/m2 is required to reduce noise transfer between neighbouring rooms.
Putting this into context, as more companies adopt hybrid working, a customer might want a quieter room for their office space or to reduce ambient noise within the house. In this instance, Sound Panel is the ideal solution to provide enhanced sound insulation between rooms. Homeowners chasing peace and quiet will be thanking their contractor when they’re able to work in a quiet room without disturbance!
While there are specific boards designed with singular property benefits, such as Knauf Fire Panel or Sound Panel, there are also performance boards which provide multiple property enhancements. Not every room has a singular focus so there will be needs for boards which provide sound insulation while being tougher or more resistant to fire.
Soundshield Plus which combines impact and fire resistance with enhanced sound performance, is a perfect example. At the top of the range is Performance Plus offering greater levels of impact, fire, and sound performance alongside additional moisture resistance. These boards are ideal for high traffic areas such as hallways or corridors which need to account for constant wear and tear. Over time, these high-performance boards reduce maintenance requirements versus standard boards.
As important as it is to choose the right board for the job, it’s also about the added value contractors can offer customers. Being able to go above and beyond by introducing more appropriate solutions demonstrates knowledge and experience. Knauf Performance Boards make for the ideal upsell to meet and exceed customer needs.
When contractors start exploring the range of boards available to them, they’ll soon find the right solutions for the rooms they’re building. Knowing which boards to use and understanding their properties might be a daunting prospect at first. Knauf make it streamlined by detailing each performance board, with key information and resources, on our website. This helps contractors build with clarity, following the motto Knauf live by – Build for the world we live in.
For more information on the full range visit knauf.co.uk/systems-and-products/high-performance-boards
