When you need to put panels or coverings over walls or ceilings, you have several choices to make. You can install wood strips and attach your panels to the wood. You also can use metal furring channels and they come with many benefits. Here are some important reasons to choose metal over wood when you take on your next project.
What is Metal Furring?
Metal furring is building material used as support for installing panels. They are not the same thing as wall studs but can serve a similar purpose. In most cases, furring is used on walls or ceilings which have already been finished and there may be no walls studs to use for installation.
Here is an example where wood or metal furring material can be used. Suppose you are finishing a garage or basement wall. Maybe you want to create a rec room or an additional bedroom. You’ll want to cover the existing cement walls with common wall coverings. With materials like metal furring channels you can enjoy the benefits of a finished plasterboard, tile or lovely paneling.
Installing your furring materials is fast and easy. Many of these materials come in the form of hat channel. They get this name because they are shaped like a hat. It is very simple to attach these pieces to a wall or ceiling and they have a number of uses besides wall panel installation.
* Hat Channel Uses
* Framing inside of buildings
* Gates
* Retro roofing applications
* Metal building panels
* Acoustic ceiling panel installation
* Awnings
Benefits of Furring Channels
Metal channel offers several important building benefits. For example, many building codes are very specific when it comes to fire prevention and suppression. Because channel is made from aluminum it is highly resistant to fires and is a good selection for meeting or exceeding fire codes.
Heating and Cooling Insulation
Suppose you would like to install additional interior wall insulation. When you use metal channel you have an excellent material to attach board insulation to. In addition, materials like hat channel provide a “dead air space” between the insulation and the wall. This is often used to increase the thermal resistance and makes insulation more efficient.
Sound Insulation
Are you interested in better sound insulation? The same properties which make hat channel good for HVAC insulation also provide excellent sound insulating properties. When you add up all the benefits of metal furring channels, you’ll see why it is one of the most versatile building materials on the market today.
