Just to explore options.
I would assume the exposed parts of a steel "I" bean would be (typically) be boxed in plaster board then skimmed.
Could the vertical faces of the beam be plasterboarded and skimmed, but the underside of the metal painted without being plastered?
Thanks,
Clive
Depends ... the beam might have to be encased to maintain structural performance in the event of a fire. If you need an unencased beam for aesthetic reasons you'd need to have specified that before specifying the beam.
Owain
BC accepted timber cladding as fire protection of a steel beam here. 20 years back so regs. may have tightened.
The lower section was secured with a Hilti gun!
You can get intumescent paints to protect ironwork.
The very large, and relatively new, Sainsbury shop near here has a huge steel frame all painted - not boarded. It might work very well, but somehow doesn't inspire confidence in its fireproofing capability. Especially where it has chipped away.
Our steel beams (holding up the back of the house) had to be double plaster boarded all round.
Can't remember how the first layer was fixed to the steel.
Cheers
Dave R
If it's an 'I' beam, common way was to hammer in wood wedges to the 'I' and nail the plasterboard into them. And make them overlap the edge of the beam so the bottom plasterboard could be nailed to the edge. I'm sure there are ways of making the whole lot smaller, though.
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