Impact resistant walls
No matter how much is spent on design and construction, the wall linings of a home will still be subject to damage caused by wear and tear. High activity areas such as rumpus and games rooms, kids’ play areas, home gymnasiums, garages and hallways are particularly susceptible.
Marks, scratches, dents and holes are all forms of wear and tear. Damage tends to be much more noticeable and less acceptable on wall linings, than on floors. Wall linings are also much more difficult to replace or repair than floor coverings. Typical damage may be caused by vacuum cleaners, furniture and human traffic (including shoe, pen, fingernail and baggage marks).
Protecting High Activity areas
Knauf recommends the use of Knauf ImpactShield to minimise wear and tear in high activity areas. Knauf ImpactShield is an impact resistant plasterboard, reinforced with a continuous fibreglass mesh and also offers enhanced fire properties and great acoustic performance.
Knauf ImpactShield is twice as strong and twice as hard as standard plasterboard of equivalent thickness and is easy to repair if damage occurs. Knauf ImpactShield will not safeguard against damage arising from deliberate abuse such as vandalism or attack of interior surfaces with heavy tools or instruments.
Tips
In addition to installing Knauf ImpactShield, internal wall lining damage caused by wear and tear can also be minimised by:
- Making doors as wide as practical and installing door stops on all door openings.
- Avoiding the use of very light colours which may show marks even more prominently.
- Avoiding the use of very dark colours which may show scratches more prominently.
- Fit edges of moving equipment with non-marking foam cushioning (eg. vacuum cleaners).
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