Variant 02-A
Suspended fiber cement ceiling installation (Philippines)
Fiber cement boards (e.g. HardieFlex) on a suspended steel frame, with taped or sealed joints. Quantities for framing, boards, fixings, tape and sealant.
Not yet Reviewed
- Wall angle
- Wall angle fastener
- Rod, anchored to the roof
- Carrying channel
- W-clip
- Furring channel
- Rivet at each frame end
- Nogging under the board ends
- Fiber cement board
- Screw, putty on the head
- Joint tape + compound
- Sealed gap at the wall
Seen from below, first two boards in place. Not to scale.
Joints: push the boards tight together and cover the seams with jointing compound. Seal the gap at the walls.
Parts at a glance
| Part | Amount | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 m lengths | |
| 36 | every 0.6 m and at each wall end | |
| 10 | every 1,200 mm | |
| 10 | to suit your roof framing | |
| 4 | 5 m lengths · 1,219 mm apart | |
| 28 | one where channels cross | |
| 66 | at each channel and nogging end, two per splice | |
| 14 | 5 m lengths · every 406 mm | |
| 2 | under every board end · every 2,438 mm | |
| 8 | 1,219 mm × 2,438 mm · 4.5 mm thick | |
| 544 | 20 mm long · every 200 mm | |
| 19 m | in the gap at the walls | |
| 2 | 300 ml cartridges | |
| 22 m | paper or fiberglass mesh | |
| 1 set | ask the seller how many pails | |
| 1 set | over every screw head | |
| 1 set | N95 / P2 |
9 checks passed
- Furring channels 406 mm apart: within the 406 mm maximum.
- Board edges land on a furring channel in every room (at most 0 mm off, within 2 mm).
- Carrying channels 1,219 mm apart: within the 1,219 mm maximum.
- Hanger rods every 1,200 mm along each carrying channel: within the 1,200 mm maximum.
- Screws every 200 mm on edges and 200 mm in the middle.
- 20 mm screws: at least the 20 mm needed for board and channel.
- Flush joints: boards butted tight, finished with jointing compound.
- 1 row of board end joints, each on a row of noggings every 2,438 mm (15 pieces, in the parts list).
- Longest room side 5.86 m, not over 6 m: no control joint needed.
| Room | Length | Width | Area | Perimeter | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.22 m² · 218 ft² | 18.62 m | ||||
| Total | 20.22 m² · 218 ft² | 18.62 m | |||
Variables
mm
mm
mm
%
Result
- Living room
- 7 boards
- Boards to buy, with 10% extra
- 8 boards
Variables
mm
mm
mm
m
m
Result
- Furring channel
- 48.3 m in all · 14 × 5 m lengths
- Carrying channel
- 11.72 m in all · 4 × 5 m lengths · 2 splices
- Furring spacing that fits your boards
- 406.3 mm
- 15 pieces in 1 rows · 2 × 5 m lengths
- W-clips
- 28
- Blind rivets
- 66 (32 at channel ends, 30 at noggings, 4 at splices)
- Suspension rods
- 10
- Wall angle
- 18.62 m in all · 7 × 3 m lengths
- Wall angle fasteners
- 36
Variables
mm
mm
mm
mm
ml
Result
- Screws
- 544 (68 per board)
- Joints between boards
- 19.66 m
- 21.63 m
- 18.62 m
- Length to fill with sealant
- 18.62 m
- 2 cartridges
| Part | Qty | Your unit price (₱) | Subtotal (₱) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framing | |||
| Wall angle, 3 m lengths (18.62 m of wall) | 7 | — | |
| Wall angle fasteners (concrete nails or anchors) | 36 | — | |
| Suspension rods / hangers | 10 | — | |
| Anchors for suspension rods (to roof framing) | 10 | — | |
| Carrying channel (C-channel), 5 m lengths, spliced at 2 places (305 mm laps) | 4 | — | |
| W-clips | 28 | — | |
| Blind rivets (with a rivet gun): channel ends to wall angle, nogging ends, channel splices | 66 | — | |
| Furring channel, 5 m lengths | 14 | — | |
| Furring channel for noggings under board end joints, 5 m lengths (cut into 15 pieces to fit between the furring) | 2 | — | |
| Boards & fixing | |||
| Fiber cement board (e.g. HardieFlex), 1,219 mm × 2,438 mm, 4.5 mm thick | 8 | — | |
| Board screws for steel frame (e.g. Hardie Drive), 20 mm | 544 | — | |
| Joints & finish | |||
| Backing tape (in the gap at the walls) | 19 m | — | |
| PU / polymer sealant, 300 ml cartridges | 2 | — | |
| Joint tape for flush joints (perforated paper or fiberglass mesh) | 22 m | — | |
| Jointing compound for 19.66 m of flush joints and the screw heads (e.g. HardieFlex Putty Jointing Compound, 25 kg pails; ask the seller how many pails that takes) | 1 lot | — | |
| Putty for screw heads | 1 lot | — | |
| Safety | |||
| N95 / P2 dust masks and safety glasses (for cutting board) | 1 lot | — | |
| Total (17 parts not priced) | ₱ 0 | ||
Enter your supplier's prices to get a total.
- Prepare. Fix roof leaks, finish all electrical wiring and light box positions, and decide the final ceiling height.
- Mark a level line. Mark the ceiling height around every wall with a laser level or a water-hose level.
- Install the wall angle. Fix the wall angle along the line on every wall: 18.62 m in total, 7 lengths, with a fastener every 0.6 m and one at each end of every wall (36 in all).
- Install suspension rods. Hang 10 rods from the roof framing, about every 1,200 mm along each carrying channel line.
- Hang the carrying channels. Space them 1,219 mm apart and level them. Where a line is longer than one channel, overlap two lengths by 305 mm and fix each end of the overlap (2 splices). Cut each line whole from one length or a long enough offcut; don't piece lines together from short scraps.
- Mark the board edges. On the wall angle at both ends of each furring run, mark every board edge: every 1,219 mm from the starting wall. Then split each board width into 3 equal spaces of 406.3 mm. Marking from the board edges keeps small differences from adding up along the room.
- Attach the furring channels. Run them across the carrying channels on the marks, every 406 mm, with a W-clip at every crossing (28 clips). Fix each end of every furring and carrying channel to the wall angle with a blind rivet (32 in all). Work from a central reference line to keep the frame square.
- Fit the noggings. Board ends cross the furring, so they need steel under them too. Across the room, every 2,438 mm from the starting wall, fit a row of noggings: furring channel cut to fit between the furring channels, level with their underside, fixed at each end with a blind rivet (15 noggings, 30 fixings). Board end joints line up on these rows.
- Install the boards. The long edges of every board must land on a furring channel, and every board end on a row of noggings. Butt boards tightly together. Leave a 4.5 mm gap at the walls.
- Screw the boards. Every 200 mm on edges (along the noggings too) and 200 mm on the supports in between, 12 mm from edges and 50 mm from corners, with 20 mm screws. Drive them flush. Over-driving cracks the board.
- Fill the joints. Bed joint tape in a first coat of jointing compound at least 150 mm wide, working no more than 1 m at a time. When dry, add a second coat about 250 mm wide, then sand smooth.
- Seal the gap at the walls. Push backing tape into the gap at the walls (18.62 m in all), then fill it with PU sealant, flush with the board.
- Cover screw heads. Cover every screw head with putty.
- Silica dust: cutting fiber cement releases silica dust that damages the lungs. Cut outdoors with a scoring knife or a dust-controlled saw, wear an N95 or P2 mask, and never dry-grind indoors.
- Wiring first: install all electrical wiring and light boxes before closing the ceiling.
- Working at height: use a stable scaffold or platform, not a ladder alone.
- Eye protection: wear safety glasses when drilling overhead.
Board rules come from James Hardie Philippines’ HardieFlex ceiling manual; the hanging frame from the Philippine public works (DPWH) specification, else from ASTM C754 practice. Values marked to check, and this plan’s own assumptions, say so. Follow the current installation guide for the product you buy.
Frame
- Suspended frame
- Boards hang on their own steel frame, not on the roof rafters or trusses, which move and aren’t level.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010)
- Furring spacing406 mm (max 406 mm)
- Fiber cement board needs support at least every 16 in (406 mm) or it can sag and crack. A 1,219 mm board divides into 3 equal spaces of 406.3 mm, so its long edges land on a channel. Mark a channel line at every board edge first, then split each board width into 3: adding up a rounded spacing drifts off the edges over a long room.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), Table 4 (joists 406 mm (1.3 ft)) and section 3 (“ensure all sheet edges are fully supported with framing members”).
- Board edge on a channelwithin 2 mm
- The joint between two boards must sit on the middle of a channel, so both boards get their screws into steel. The plan checks every board edge along the longest run of each room.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010): frame members at least 35 mm wide at joints, screws 12 mm from edges. ASSUMPTION: 2 mm off-centre still leaves each screw on steel.
- Noggings under board endsevery 2,438 mm
- Board ends run across the furring and would only touch it every channel, so a row of noggings (furring channel cut to fit between the channels) goes under every row of end joints. Then every board edge is on steel. End joints line up on the nogging rows.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), Table 4 (noggings at 2,438 mm (8 ft), the board length) and Table 5 (screws 200 mm apart at noggings). ASSUMPTION: 2 rivets or screws per nogging, one at each end; check your channel maker’s guide.
- Carrying channel spacing1,219 mm (max 1,219 mm)
- Keeps the furring span short enough to stay straight and level under the boards.
- Source US Department of Veterans Affairs specification 09 22 16, Non-Structural Metal Framing, which follows ASTM C754: carrying channels 1,219 mm (48 in) apart. VERIFY: no Philippine maker’s or DPWH value found; check the furring channel maker’s span table.
- Hanger rod spacing1,200 mm (max 1,200 mm)
- Rods hold up the carrying channels. Further apart, the channels sag between them.
- Source DPWH Standard Specifications for Non-Structural Metal Framing, Item 1035 (Department Order No. 09, series of 2009), 1035.3.16.1.1–2: steel angles for the rods at most 1.20 m apart. US Department of Veterans Affairs specification 09 22 16, Non-Structural Metal Framing, which follows ASTM C754 allows 1,219 mm (48 in); the stricter Philippine value is used. VERIFY: DPWH words this as the spacing of the steel angles the rods are tied to.
- Channel spliceslaps of 305 mm (carrying), 203 mm (furring)
- A line longer than one channel length is made of two lengths overlapped and fixed with 2 rivets or screws, one at each end of the overlap. Shorter lines are cut whole from one length or a long enough offcut, never pieced from scraps.
- Source VERIFY: lap lengths recalled from ASTM C754 (main runners 12 in, furring channels 8 in); the standard itself wasn’t checked. ASSUMPTION: 2 fixings per splice. Use your channel maker’s splice detail if it has one.
- W-clips at every crossing
- Lock each furring channel to each carrying channel so the grid can’t shift while boards go up.
- Source Standard suspended-ceiling practice.
- Frame ends fixed to the wall angle2 per channel line
- Fixing each channel end to the wall angle stops the frame sliding or lifting. Use blind rivets or self-drilling metal screws.
- Source Common installer practice. ASSUMPTION: one fixing at each end of every line; check your channel maker’s guide.
- Wall angle
- Supports the ends of the furring and the board edges along every wall, and sets the level line.
- Source This plan’s design.
- Wall angle fastenersevery 0.6 m, plus one at each wall end
- Holds the wall angle tight to the wall along its length and at both ends, where the frame bears on it.
- Source ASSUMPTION: this plan’s spacing; no board or channel maker’s figure was found. Use your anchor maker’s spacing if closer.
Boards and fixing
- Screw spacing200 mm / 200 mm (max 200 mm)
- On steel frames, screws go every 200 mm on every support: along the channels, at edges and in the middle, and along the noggings under board ends. 12" in the middle is too far apart.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), Table 5 (HardieFlex Ceilings, steel frame: 200 mm at joists and at noggings).
- Screw position12 mm from edges, 50 mm from corners
- Closer screws can break out the board edge or corner.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010)
- Screw length20 mm (min 20 mm)
- Long enough to pass through the board and grip the steel channel. ½" (13 mm) screws are too short.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010) Hardie Drive Screw, 20 mm, for steel frames.
- Waste allowance10%
- Covers cuts at edges and openings and the odd broken board. Each room is first rounded up to whole boards or pieces; offcuts go to the next room.
- Source Planning allowance.
- Board size to installwhole boards
- Cutting across the length keeps the board’s width, so its long edges still land on the furring. Smaller pieces are easier to hold overhead but add end joints. Cut edges are square, so flush joints there need wider coats.
- Source SHERA Ceiling Board Installation guide (wider coats on square-cut edges)
- Flush joints (default)tape + 150 mm then 250 mm coats
- Boards butted together, joint tape bedded in jointing compound, a second wider coat, then sanded. The tape stops the joint cracking. Method from the HardieFlex manual.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010) Section 5. SHERA allows paper or self-adhesive fiberglass mesh tape.
- Joint tape allowance10% extra
- Covers overlaps where joints cross and the bits trimmed at the walls.
- Source ASSUMPTION: planning allowance; no maker’s figure found.
- Jointing compound amount
- The plan gives the length of flush joints to fill but not the number of pails: no board maker publishes how many metres of joint a pail covers. Ask the seller with the joint length from the parts list.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), Table 2 (HardieFlex Putty Jointing Compound comes in 25 kg pails; no coverage given).
- Express joints (option)0 mm gap
- A gap between boards over bond breaker tape, filled with PU sealant, so the joint can flex without cracking. This plan uses a gap equal to the board thickness.
- Source SHERA Ceiling Board Installation guide (PU joints at least 3 mm); SCG SmartBOARD Installation Manual (space lining with PU sealant); James Hardie NZ (2–5 mm). VERIFY the gap = thickness rule against your board maker’s guide. ASSUMPTION: the check allows 0.5 mm either way.
- Sealant allowance20% extra
- Sealant fills each gap to the board’s depth; the extra covers tooling and what’s left in the nozzle.
- Source ASSUMPTION: planning allowance; no maker’s figure found.
- Gap at the walls4.5 mm
- Lets the ceiling move separately from the walls. Backing tape goes in the gap, then PU sealant flush with the board.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), section 5 (a 1:1 gap, width = depth, backing tape and PU sealant at concrete walls).
- Fillers to avoid
- No board maker’s guide lists ordinary wall putty (masilya) or cement for board joints. Both are rigid and crack when the ceiling moves. Use the jointing compound or sealant your board maker names.
- Source Not listed in the HardieFlex, SHERA or SmartBOARD guides.
- Control jointsfrom 6 m
- Long ceilings expand and shrink. HardieFlex calls for a control joint at most every 9 m on light steel (0.55–0.75 mm thick) and every 6 m on heavier steel (0.80–1.6 mm); this plan doesn’t know your steel’s thickness, so it uses 6 m. SHERA boards need one every 4.2 m indoors.
- Source James Hardie Philippines, HardieFlex Ceilings Installation Manual (September 2010), Table 6. SHERA Ceiling Board Installation guide (4.2 m).
- Blind rivet
- A metal pin set from one side with a rivet gun. Joins thin steel, like a channel end to the wall angle, and can’t work loose.
- Bond breaker / backing tape
- Tape behind a sealant joint or in the gap at the walls, so the sealant sticks only to the board edges and can stretch.
- Carrying channel
- The main C-shaped steel channels hanging from the rods. Everything else sits on them.
- Control joint
- A planned break in a long ceiling so it can expand and shrink without cracking.
- Express joint
- A small gap left between boards and filled with flexible sealant, so the joint can move without cracking.
- Fiber cement board
- A flat sheet of cement and fibres. Won’t rot or burn; termites can’t eat it. HardieFlex is a common brand.
- Flush joint
- Boards pushed tight together and the seam smoothed over with jointing compound.
- Furring channel
- Lighter steel channels clipped across the carrying channels. The boards are screwed to these.
- Joint tape
- Perforated paper or fiberglass mesh tape bedded in the first coat of jointing compound over a flush joint. Stops the joint cracking.
- Jointing compound
- A paste made for board joints (e.g. HardieFlex Putty Jointing Compound). Spread over taped flush joints in wide coats, then sand smooth. No board maker’s guide lists ordinary wall putty (masilya) for joints.
- N95 / P2 mask
- A fitted dust mask that filters fine particles. Ordinary cloth or surgical masks don’t stop silica dust.
- Nogging
- A short piece of furring channel fitted between two furring channels, under the ends of the boards, so every board edge has steel behind it.
- PU sealant
- Polyurethane sealant: a flexible filler from a tube, for joint gaps and the gap at the walls.
- Silica dust
- Fine dust from cutting cement board. Harms the lungs over time. Cut outdoors and wear a mask.
- Suspended ceiling
- A ceiling hung on its own steel frame below the roof, not nailed to the roof beams.
- Suspension rod
- A steel rod or hanger from the roof framing that holds up the ceiling frame.
- W-clip
- A small clip that locks a furring channel to a carrying channel where they cross.
- Wall angle
- An L-shaped strip fixed around the walls at ceiling height. It holds the edges of the frame and sets the level.
These numbers are estimates. Check them against your own measurements and product labels before you build. Follow the board maker's current installation guide, and have the roof framing checked before hanging a ceiling from it.