Interior finish systems have undergone a transformation over the past roughly 70 years. Formerly, the installation of finishes for a commercial office began with the construction of partitions of heavy clay tiles or gypsum blocks set in mortar. These were covered with two or three coats of plaster and joined to a three-coat plaster ceiling. The floor was commonly made of hardwood strips with a wood baseboard, or perhaps of poured terrazzo with an integral terrazzo base. Today, the same office might be framed in light metal studs and walled with gypsum board. The ceiling might be a separate assembly of lightweight, acoustically absorbent tiles, and the floor might be a thin layer of vinyl composition tile glued to a smooth concrete slab.
Several trends can be discerned in these changes. One trend is away from an integral, single-piece system of finishes toward a system made up of discrete components. In the old office, the walls, ceiling, and floor were all joined, and none could be changed without disrupting the others. In the new office, ceiling and floor finishes often extend uninterrupted from one side of the building to the other, so that partitions can be changed at will without affecting either the ceiling or the floor. The trend toward discrete components is epitomized by partitions made of modular, demountable, relocatable panels.
Another discernible trend is away from heavy finish materials to lighter ones. A partition of metal studs and gypsum board has a fraction of the weight of one of clay tiles and plaster, and a vinyl composition tile installation is many times lighter than a traditional terrazzo one of equal area. Lighter finishes dramatically reduce the dead load the structure of the building must carry. This enables the structure itself to be lighter and less expensive. Lighter finish materials reduce shipping, handling, and installation costs, and are easier to move or remove when changes are required.
“Wet” systems of interior finish, made of materials mixed with water on the building site, are steadily being replaced by “dry” ones, which are installed in rigid form. Plaster has been mostly replaced by gypsum board and ceiling tiles in most areas of new buildings, and tile and terrazzo floors by vinyl composition tiles and carpet. The installation of dry systems is fast and not heavily dependent on weather conditions. Dry systems require less skill on the part of the installer than wet systems by transferring the skilled work from the job site to the factory, where it is done by machines. All these differences tend to result in a lower installed cost.
More recently, growing interest in sustainable building has brought increased attention to the selection of finish materials whose use not only minimizes long-term impacts on the planet’s resources but also contributes to more healthful living and working environments.
The traditional finishes, nevertheless, are far from obsolete. Gypsum board cannot rival three-coat plaster over metal lath for surface quality, durability, or design flexibility. Tile and terrazzo floorings are unsurpassed for wearing quality and appearance. In many situations, the life-cycle costs of traditional finishes compare favorably with those of lighter-weight finishes whose first cost is considerably less. And the aesthetic qualities of, for example, marble floors, wood wainscoting, and sculpted plaster ceilings, where such qualities are called for, cannot be imitated by any other material.
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