Self-supporting radiant plaster ceiling on a metal framework

When the existing substrate carries nothing

An old timber floor, a roof structure you would rather not load, a lath and plaster ceiling whose condition is unknown: in all three cases it is simpler to build your own framework than to try to fix to what is there. That is the principle of a self-supporting framework.

What self-supporting means

The framework bears on the perimeter walls, through rails, and not on the existing ceiling. The studs span the distance with no intermediate support. The old ceiling therefore takes no load at all, and it can even be left exactly as it is.

The advantage for a heated ceiling

That arrangement leaves a continuous, regular void above the boards, which is exactly what the system needs: a constant air gap between the reflective insulation and the heating panels. On a framework fixed to the existing ceiling, that regularity depends on how flat the old one is.

Points to watch

The maximum span of the studs depends on their section and on the spacing chosen, and it is checked before ordering. Cable routing is prepared at that moment, not afterwards. And the edges must receive the insulation return, otherwise the plenum leaks at its perimeter.

The finish

The boards are screwed in contact with the heating panels, so that conduction takes place. The result is an ordinary plasterboard ceiling, painted like any other, and beneath which nothing indicates that the system is there.

The full method is described on the page about the installation technique, and the system on the Ceilingo radiant plaster ceiling page.