A party wall is primarily constructed from brick or breeze block, often finished with plaster or plasterboard.
Party walls, which separate two different properties or parts of the same building belonging to different owners, are typically built for structural integrity and sound insulation. Their composition can vary, but common materials have been used for decades.
Core Construction Materials
Most solid party walls are fundamentally built using robust masonry units that provide strength and durability.
- Brick: A classic and widely used building material, bricks are durable, fire-resistant, and offer good sound attenuation when properly constructed. They are often laid in multiple courses (double brick walls) for enhanced performance.
- Breeze Block: Also known as concrete blocks or lightweight blocks, these are another common material for solid party walls. Breeze blocks are larger than bricks, making construction quicker, and they can also provide good thermal and acoustic properties depending on their density.
Finishing Materials
Beyond the core structural elements, party walls are typically finished on both sides to provide a smooth surface and improve aesthetics and sometimes performance.
- Plaster Finish: A traditional finish, plaster is applied directly onto the brick or breeze block surface, creating a smooth, durable layer ready for painting or wallpapering.
- Plasterboard: Increasingly common, plasterboard (also known as drywall or gypsum board) can be used as a finish. It is often fixed in one of two ways:
- Dot and Dab: Plasterboard sheets are adhered directly to the masonry wall using dabs of adhesive.
- Timber Battens: Plasterboard can be screwed onto a framework of timber battens, which are fixed to the wall. This method creates a small cavity between the plasterboard and the main wall, which can sometimes be a factor in issues like sound transfer, as highlighted in construction considerations.
Construction Considerations
The choice of construction materials and finishing methods for party walls can impact their performance, particularly regarding sound insulation. For instance, the method of fixing plasterboard, especially with battens, might create voids that could affect acoustic performance, potentially leading to a need to "address this type of construction" if noise is an issue.
Party Wall Construction
