Ceiling or wall having improved fire resistance and method of installing the same

A partition structure for a building, said partition structure comprising:

• framing members;
• at least two wallboard sheets attached to and supported on the framing members, with the sheets having side edges located in close proximity to each other to form a seam;
• and runners attached to the framing members at the seam, with each runner extending from one framing member to the next behind the seam, each runner including an end bracket at each of its ends, with the end brackets being configured to fit against the framing members between which the runner extends, and a connecting piece extending between and connecting the end brackets, the connecting piece being capable of sliding with respect to at least one of the end brackets so that the length of the runner will not change appreciably as the runner experiences variations in temperature, the connecting piece having a cross wall and side walls and each end bracket having a cross wall and side walls which lie along and parallel to the cross wall and side walls, respectively, of the connecting piece, such that the cross walls of the brackets and the connecting piece lie in essentially the same plane, each end bracket further having a mounting segment that lies generally in the plane of its cross wall, so that when the mounting segments of the end brackets are attached against corresponding surfaces on the framing members, the cross walls of the end brackets and the connecting piece will lie in a plane that includes the corresponding surfaces of the framing members, the wallboard sheets being against the cross walls of the end brackets and the connecting piece.

A process for installing a wallboard ceiling on spaced apart framing members to better protect the framing members from a fire beneath the ceiling;

• said process comprising, attaching a first sheet of wallboard to the framing members such that it is against downwardly presented surfaces on such framing members;
• thereafter inserting a separate runner behind the wallboard sheet along the edge of that sheet in each space between adjacent framing members such that a portion of the runner lies behind the sheet and another projects beyond the edge of the sheet, the runner having components which are capable of sliding relative to each other generally parallel to the edge of the sheet so that the runner can be adjusted to accommodate the space between the two framing members;
• thereafter attaching each runner to the framing members between which it fits with a portion of the runner projecting beyond the edge of the first sheet;
• attaching a second sheet of wallboard to the framing members such that it is against the downwardly presented surfaces of those framing members and has an edge along and in close proximity to that edge of the first sheet along which the runners extend, whereby the runner also lies behind the second sheet and a seam exists between the sheets along their adjacent edges;
• and attaching the sheets along their adjacent edges at the seam to the overlying runners.