The Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) has published guidance on supporting and the BS EN 13964 – Suspended Ceilings, Requirements and Test Methods standard.
The guidance note aims to break down the standard into bite-sized sections. This will make it easier to understand to those who aren’t already familiar, allowing anyone to isolate only the sections that are relevant or of interest and gain either a passing understanding or to establish the necessity of purchasing the full standard. Where appropriate, each section covered will also give relevant commentary on reasonable expectations of products in today’s marketplace.
Commenting on the guidance, James Parlour – FIS Technical and Vetting Manager said: “Whilst the guidance is not designed to replace the standard and should not be relied upon to relay comprehensive detail and listings, it will prove useful to anyone who is not sure if the standard applies to certain products, are using the standard for specification purposes or simply wish to understand more about the reasonable expectations of performance requirements of a suspended ceiling.”
FIS has previously published a comprehensive Specifiers Guide to Ceilings and Acoustic Absorbers that references BS EN 13964, but gives specification advice based on all common ceiling types and associated market expectations of performance and tolerances so the advice is not constrained to only those types of ceilings covered by the standard.
The guide sits alongside other FIS best practice guides that relate to suspended ceilings:
Specifiers guide: Ceilings and acoustic absorbers
FIS Best practice guide: Selection and installation of top fixings for suspended ceilings
FIS Best practice guide: Installation of suspended ceilings
FIS Best practice guide: Maintenance and access into suspended ceilings
FIS Site guide: Suspended ceilings
FIS Technical note: Transition trims
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These guides work well when they are included in proposals and project plans to demonstrate how to best approach a project. They are also good differentiators when someone is in competition with non-members, and are an excellent introduction to new members of the team and any trainees and apprentices.
