Module 4 - BUILDING SYSTEMS & CONSTRUCTION

Level 3 wallboard

Similar to level 2, except 2 coats of joint compound are used and surface is free of tool marks and ridges. Used where surface will receive heavy- or medium-textured finishes or where heavy-grade wallcoverings are to be applied.

Level 4 wallboard

Similar to level 3, except three coats of joint compound are used. Used where light textures or wallcoverings will be applied or where economy is of concern. Gloss, semigloss, and enamel points are not recommended.

Level 5

Similar to level 4, except a skim coat of joint compound is applied over entire surface. This level is used where gloss, semigloss, enamel, or nontexturered flat paints are specified or where severe lighting conditions exist.

Cylindrical lock

Simple to install in holes drilled in the door and relatively inexpensive

Patterned glass

Specialty glass made by passing a sheet of molten glass through rollers on which the desired pattern is pressed.

Steel door materials

Stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze

Float glass

Standard type of glass used in common windows and other applications where additional strength or other properties are not required. Also called annealed glass

Typical ceiling construction for commercial design

Steel channels located 4' on center and suspended form the structural floor above

Door with rounded corners

Steel frames

Metal studs are typically placed ____ on center

16-24"

Most commonly used stud size is

2 1/2"

U bead

Edge trim in which the edge of the metal is noticeable. Sometimes called J metal by contractors. Does not require finishing with a joint compound

LC bead

Edge trim requiring finishing with joint compound. It has a back flange, so it must be fitted over the edge of the wallboard before the wallboard is fastened to the substrate.

L bead

Edge trim without a back flange; good for installation after the wallboard has been installed. It requires finishing with joint compound

Galvanic action

Electrochemical process that occurs when dissimilar metals are in contact in the presence of an electrolyte, such as water

Finish carpentry

Exposed wood construction assembled at the job site by finish carpenters. doors, molding, handrails, etc. Different than architectural woodwork

Stucco

Exterior type of plaster made with Portland cement

Plaster

Finish material made from various types of cementing compounds, fine aggregate (sand vermiculite or perlite), and water. Edges must be finished with trim.

Progressive partition system

First panel must be placed before the second panel, and so on.

Three most common types of metal doors

Flush, sash, and louvered

Slab-to-Slab

For sound control or 1-hr fire rating (used with 5/8" type X on each side) 2 layers provides 2 hour rating

Electrochromic glazing

General term for a type of glazing that changes from either a dark tint or milky white opaque to transparent with the application of an electric current. There are three types of this glazing on the market.

Masonry

General term that includes brick, concrete block, glass block, structural clay tile, terra-cotta, and gypsum block.

Uses for Glass-reinforced Gypsum (GRG)

Gypsum used for decorative elements, such as column covers, arches, coffered ceilings, ornate moldings, light troughs, and trim

Lockset

Has a special mechanism that allows the door to be locked with a key or thumbturn

Furring channel

Hat channel, used for ceiling framing and to fur out from concrete or masonry walls if walls are uneven or if additional depth is needed.

Flush doors

Have a single smooth surface on both sides

Louvered doors

Have an opening with metal slats to provide ventilation

B & Better

Highest available grade for most species and excellent for natural finishes or painted finishes. limited supply

Latchsets

Holds the door in place, with no provision for locking

Resilient channels

Improve acoustical properties of a wall by isolating the wallboard from rigid attachment to the framing.

Mortise lock

Installed in a rectangular area cut out of the door. Generally more secure and offers much wider variety of locking options.

4 hinges required

On doors 90" to 120" high

3 hinges required

On doors from 60" to 90" high

2 hinges required

On doors up to 60" high

Nonprogressive partition system

Panels are independent and can be removed or replaced individually.

Access panels

Prefabricated steel units with hinged doors that allow the wallboard to be framed into them.

Polished finish

Produced by grinding, polishing, and sometimes buffing the metal until the desired surface is obtained Most common finish.

Tempered glass

Produced by subjecting annealed glass to a special heat treatment. It is about 4 times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness. When it breaks it falls into thousands of very small pieces instead of dangerous shards.

Rolled finish

Produced on sheet material by passing the steel between rollers under pressure at the mill. Least expensive

Pivots

Provide an alternative way to hang doors where the appearance of hinges is objectionable or where a frameless door design may make it impossible to use hinges.

Industry standard polished finishes

Range from 7 finish, which is almost mirror-like, to number 3 finish, which is dull.

Level 0 wallboard

Requires no taping, finishing, or accessories

Strike jamb

Side where door closes

Hinge jamb

Side where hinge or pivot is installed

Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film

Type of glazing that is fabricated by placing the polymer film between two pieces of glass. Ranges from transparent to cloudy white. Offers privacy but still allows light to pass through.

Suspended particle device (SPD)

Type of glazing that uses a proprietary system in which light-absorbing microscopic particles are dispersed within a liquid suspension film which is then sandwiched between two pieces of transparent conductive material. Can be used for privacy

Electrochromic glazing

Type of glazing that uses an inorganic ceramic thin-film coating on glass and can be manufactured to range from transparent to heavily darkened (tinted)

Steel door frames

Used almost exclusively where a 20 minute fire rating is required. Most common. Typically painted finish. Can be used with steel or wood doors.

Push plates and pull bars

Used to operate a door that does not require automatic latching. Commonly used on doors to toilet rooms and commercial kitchens

Panic hardware

Used where required by building code for safe egress by a large number of people.

Astragals

Vertical members used between double doors to seal the opening, act as a doorstop, or provide extra security when the doors are closed.

Type X

Wallboard for fire-rated partitions

Opening Assembly

a protected opening that includes all components, also called a Fire Door Assembly

Common size of wallboard

4 ft wide, lengths of 8, 10, 12, and 14 ft, thickness ranges from 1/4" to 5/8" (1/2" common for residential, 5/8" common for commercial)

Offset pivots

Allow the door to swing 180 degrees if required

Center-hung pivots

Allow the door to swing in either direction and are completely concealed - NOT center of door itself, just center of edge. Typically located 2 3/4" from the edge of the frame

Bronze

Alloy of copper and 2% or more of tin

Brass

Alloy of copper and zinc; will tarnish

Stainless steel

Alloy of steel containing 12% of chromium or more. Used for corrosion resistance, strength, and appearance. types 304 and 430 are most common.

Door with sharp corners

Aluminum, as the frame is extruded

Glass doors

Are constructed primarily of glass, and have fittings to hold the pivots and other hardware. minimum configuration requires some type of door pull and a corner fitting at the top and bottom to hold the pivots

Glass-reinforced gypsum (GRG)

Broad class of products manufactured from high-strength, high-density gypsum reinforced with continuous-filament glass fibers or chopped glass fibers.

Copper

Bronze and BRass - referred to by it's alloy number to eliminate confusion

Limitation of glass doors

Cannot be fire rated. Special panic hardware is available for glass doors used as exit doors.

Demountable partitions

Consist of a system of individual components that can be quickly assembled, disassembled, and reused with nearly total salvageability. Four components: floor runners, ceiling runners, stud sections with clips, and prefinished gypsum wallboard panels.

Suspended acoustical tile

Consist of thin panels of wood fiber, mineral fiber, or glass fiber set in a support grid of metal framing that is suspended by wires from the structure above

Hinge

Consist of two leaves with an odd number of knuckles on one leaf and an even number of knuckles on the other.

Gypsum wallboard

Consists of a gypsum core sandwiched between heavy paper or other materials. most common

Laminated glass

Consists of two or more layers of glass bonded together by an interlayer of polyvinyl butyral. Can be clear or tinted float glass, tempered glass, or heat-strengthened glass. It can be bullet resistant. When it breaks, it still holds together. Good where high strength or acoustical control is required. safety glazing and can be cut in field

Sash doors

Contain one or more glass lights and have a frame around all four sides of glass

Lath and plaster ceiling

Cost more than gypsum board and more difficult to construct, but can be easily curved to form complex shapes on ceilings.

Architectural woodwork

Custom, shop-fabricated millwork built of lumber, finished wood, and other materials.

Number of hinges required

Depends on the height of the door

Closers

Devices that automatically return a door to its closed position. Required on fire-rated doors

Fire-rated door

Door assembly that has been tested by an independent lab to determine that it is capable of withstanding a measured temperature without failure, for a set length of time.

LK bead

Edge trim for use with various thicknesses of wallboard in a kerfed jamb (one with a small slot cut in). It required finishing with joint compound.

Fire-rated glazing

1. Clear ceramic, 2. tempered fire-protective glass, 3. 2 or 3 layers of tempered glass with a clear polymer gel between them, and 4. glass block

Three components of a door system

1. Door itself, 2. the frame 3. hardware

3 Main Types of Partitions

1. Gypsum wallboard 2.lath and plaster 3. masonry

5 basic metals for hardware

1. Steel, 2. stainless steel, 3. bronze, 4. brass, and 5. aluminum. Fire-rated doors must have steel or stainless steel hinges

Advantages of gypsum wallboard

Low installation cost, quick and easy installation, fire resistance, sound control capability, easy availability, versatility, ease of finishing and decorating, and ease of installation of doors and other openings

Glass block

Made as a hollow unit with a clear, textured, or patterned face. Cannot be loadbearing so individual panels are limited to 250 ft sq in any dimension

Concrete block

Made with cement, water, and various types of aggregate. It is hollow and its size is based on a nominal 4 in module with actual dimensions being 3/8 in less to allow for mortar joints. Common size: 8x8x16

25%

Maximum non-fire rated glazed area cannot exceed this percentage of the common wall

Preassembled lock

Mechanism is a rectangular box that fits within a notch cut in the edge of the door.

Wire glass

Mesh of wire embedded in the middle of the sheet. Used primarily in fire-rated assemblies if it is not in a hazardous location. It cannot be tempered and does not qualify as safety glazing for hazardous locations

Doorstops and bumpers

Method of keeping a door from damaging adjacent construction.

Gypsum board lath

Method of plaster construction that uses Gypsum lath with one or two coats of thin veneer plaster. special gyp product specifically designed for plastering. applied horizontally to studs. reduces labor because one one coat is needed

Metal lath

Method of plaster construction where a scratch coat is first applied to the lath, followed by the brown coat, and finish coat.

Partitions

Most common construction element for both residential and commercial interior design.

Aluminum doors

Most commonly used when a lightweight, easily assembled frame is required. Used as stile and rail for glass doors and door frames for aluminum glass doors and wood doors. formed by extrusion.

Integrated ceilings

Suspended ceiling systems specifically designed to accommodate acoustical ceiling tile, light fixtures, supply- and return-air grilles, fire sprinklers, and partition attachment in a consistent, unified way. LCCA should be done to determine if the cost savings of frequent changes offsets the higher initial cost.

Level 2 wallboard

Tape embedded in joint compound and one separate coat of compound is applied over all joints, angles, fastener heads, and accessories. Used where water-resistant backing board is employed as a substrate for tile and in other areas where appearance is not critical.

Level 1 wallboard

Tape embedded in joint compound with surface free of excess joint compound. Used for plenums above ceilings and areas not open to view.

Safety glazing

Tempered or laminated glass is considered this type of glazing

1-3/8

Thickness of hollow-core doors

1-3/4

Thickness of solid-core doors. Fire resistant properties - 20, 45, 90 minutes

Major interior construction elements

partitions, doors, hardware, glazing, ceilings, ornamental metals, rough and finish carpentry

Etched Finish

produced by dry or wet methods. Dry etching blasts the material with abrasive grit to wear away a defined area. Stencils are used for masking. Wet etching uses acid to wear off some of the finish.