Fermacell gypsum fibreboards - and where to get the accessories in the UK

The epic bathroom project has involved knocking down two half-brick walls to move the door position and to encroach about a foot (35cm, to be exact) into our back bedroom.

Thankfully, the structural engineer folks at Gyoury Self Partnership in St Albans told us the original walls weren't holding anything up, together or back, so we didn't need to put in a Rolled Steel Joist (RSJ).

It also meant we could go with stud wall replacements, in which we could hide pipework and cables, as well as some insulation. But we still had to decide on a board that would be:
  • good for use in a bathroom
  • as soundproof as possible (so you don't hear every detail of what's going on in the bedroom)
  • as 'breathable' as possible (see our many posts about damp, etc.)
  • easy to handle, e.g. boards not too big
  • environmentally friendly 
Basically, we ended up rejecting standard plasterboard, due to its paper layers (not ideal for inside a bathroom) and poor structural qualities.

Inevitably, Konni hit on a German solution: Fermacell.
No, not Thermacell or Vermacell or Vermicelli, but Fermacell.






Fermacell advantages


  • The company - based near the Harz mountain range in Germany - make a 'Gypsum Fibreboard' from recycled gypsum, cellulose from waste paper and water. We can't speak for how green the process is, but at least the material content ticked a box.
  • Breathable? Some say yes, but with all that gypsum in it, I'm not so sure.
  • Thicker and heavier than standard plasterboard; that mass means good soundproofing. 
  • With 1200mm x 800mm boards available (15kg each), they can be handled by one person.
  • They don't have to be skimmed (with plaster).
  • The seams shouldn't open up, as they're glued together during installation. 


Fermacell disadvantages 

  • It isn't always easy to find the boards, as the company isn't aiming at the DIY/small project market in the UK. Three of our local suppliers had them or could order them (although a lot of their staff hadn't heard of the product). In the end, our local Gibbs and Dandy had enough stock, which they did at a very reasonable price. I put the 26 boards we needed in the back of our car - at 15kg each, pushing the maximum load somewhat.
  • Harder still is getting the ancillary products, e.g. specialist screws, glue stick and the Fine Surface Treatment (FST) - a 0.3mm skim that brings the boards to a smooth finish using a rubber float. The one place we could find all of these items was a wholesale builder's merchant in Barking called Saimaxx.
  • Then the installation process differs slightly from standard plasterboard and it's hard to find an installer in the UK that's used it previously. If they glue the seams properly they won't be seen and it's a really quick process, but it ain't so good if you don't allow enough time for the self-expanding glue to do its work before scraping it off the joins. 

These are the Fermacell ancillaries we bought at Saimaxx
  1. Fine Surface Treatment
  2. Glue Stick
  3. Filler
  4. Screws
Fermacell Fine Surface Treatment. This is very easy to put on. If you don't have a rubber float, simply use a window squeegee. 



Fermacell glue stick: this is essential. It sticks the boards together, then expands, and after 12 hours or so, you can scrape off the surplus. Make sure you wait before scraping it off. Don't wait more than a day, though, as it sets so hard that it will be very difficult to remove once fully set. 



Fermacell filler. With hindsight, we could have used a standard multi-purpose filler instead. 



Fermacell screws. These seemed to be good, although our builder said that standard screws would have been sufficient. 



Prices we paid in 2015...



Hmm, no wonder it's taken a while for Fermacell to permeate the UK market - .just look at their old advertising campaign:



Anyway, despite the little problems, we're really happy with the choice. The Fermacell boards are strong and solid, the joints that were glued properly don't show any signs of opening up and - as a consequence -the wall feels much more like a 'real' wall.

A word or two must go to the superb and ever cheerful customer support we got from Mark and Michael in the Fermacell Technical department here in the UK. We rang them many, many times over a few months - in fact, it became something of a running joke between us all. They had answers to almost all of the questions we had and when they didn't, they pointed us in the direction of Steven Baker, one of their UK sales guys. Now, bear in mind that Steven is concentrating on selling to big buyers and users, he still gave us time and help in finding the boards and ancillary products over the course of two or three calls. We'll certainly look at using Fermacell again.

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