Drywall storage room / hobby room, tips

A wall made of aerated concrete could definitely be something, when I think about it. I could imagine that the construction is also easier to design - especially with regard to the door. The only problem might be the dust when working on the aerated concrete blocks, as I don't necessarily want to empty the entire basement.

Go outside to saw. It doesn’t create that much dust anyway, since you’re sawing by hand. You’re not a machine... But as I said, with aerated concrete I wouldn’t be sure whether you can build it on the screed or if you really have to chip it away down to the base plate. But drywall is also erected during the shell construction, before the screed is poured. Whether that’s done just to avoid drilling into the underfloor heating or for structural reasons... unfortunately, I don’t know.

Go outside to saw. It doesn’t produce that much dust because you are sawing by hand. You are not a machine...

But as I said, with aerated concrete I wouldn’t be sure whether you can build it up on the screed or if you really have to chisel it down to the slab. But drywall is also installed in the shell before the screed goes in. Whether that is only done to avoid drilling into the underfloor heating or for structural reasons... unfortunately I don’t know.

Alright - I could still ask our plasterer back then, who also does drywall.

Then I could still decide what makes sense.

I almost suspected it – sounds like a lot of effort – at the moment I find it hard to realize...

Well, you don’t have to go to extremes. Just look where you want your wall to be, mark the width of the profile+cladding+expansion joints (at least 5 mm on both sides) and see how that fits with the laminate – maybe it’s not so bad, and by chance your wall matches the floorboard pattern without leaving any small leftover pieces.

Then there’s nothing against simply sawing the laminate. Maybe you can also saw it in a way that takes the intended passage into account – I can’t quite imagine it, but on site a solution might present itself.

Well, you don't have to go to other extremes. Just see where you want your wall, mark the width of the profile+paneling+expansion joints (min. 5 mm on both sides) and see how that fits with the laminate - maybe it's not such a big deal, and by chance your wall fits with the plank pattern without leaving any small leftover pieces anywhere.

Then there is nothing against simply cutting out the laminate. Maybe it can also be cut so that you can take the intended passage into account right away - I can't quite imagine it, but maybe there's a solution on site.

I see it the same way – of course, cutting out the laminate must not result in having only a 5cm piece anywhere along the entire length – that would definitely give me an uneasy feeling.

Perhaps my laying pattern will result in a suitable "straight line" that I can nicely cut out. I will check that in the near future.

But drywall is also installed during shell construction, before the screed is laid. Whether this is done just to avoid drilling into the underfloor heating or for structural reasons... I unfortunately do not know.

There are several reasons for this: on the one hand because otherwise the screed serves as an excellent sound transmission path (which can be relevant depending on the room usage), on the other hand because (especially when there is insulation and underfloor heating beneath the screed) significant loads occur as line loads, which can either lead to cracks in the screed or alternatively to cracks in the drywall construction if the screed settles. Furthermore, it can also be advantageous to limit the screed areas this way, otherwise expansion joints would have to be installed anyway.

Normally, drywall is only installed on screed if it is absolutely necessary, i.e., either during such renovations or if it is known that the usage and room layout may change more frequently. This way, of course, you are much more flexible.

: You can certainly consider aerated concrete (although I think drywall would be easier), but please check how the load bearing capacity of the blocks fits with your screed thickness & floor structure. Depending on the room height & screed thickness, the weight can already be borderline.

Alternatively, you can also think about gypsum wallboards – they would be like masonry blocks, only somewhat lighter and do not need plastering (but must be jointed). It would be a kind of mix between drywall and solid construction.

Again, the question is what great harm is supposed to happen if a 5cm leftover piece remains in the laminate, right against the wall, in a basement room, on a hard surface. This is not a trade show booth that 20,000 visitors walk over daily. If something shifts, wood glue in the gap and press together again with a pull bar, done.

Very short pieces sometimes simply cannot be avoided even with well-planned installation.