All walls and partitions in Portugal can be of two types: 1. Made of plasterboard. 2. Made of hollow brick.

Let's look at option number 1 in more detail:

Installation of plasterboard walls in Portugal involves the installation of a metal frame with lathing. It is important that the frame matches the size of the plasterboard sheets. This will allow not only to install the plasterboard sheets without unnecessary trimming, but also to use the factory recesses in the plasterboard for the highest quality subsequent finishing.

In our work during the renovation of apartments and houses in Porto, Portugal, we always try to negotiate with customers about using drywall with fiber inside, as such drywall is much stronger than usual. It is not only more convenient to work with, but also provides a much better result. This is especially true for situations when you need to attach a screw as close as possible to the edge of the drywall sheet. Ordinary drywall usually crumbles in such a situation.

Storing drywall before installation in the apartment is also important. If you have noticed, in stores it usually lies on flat pallets, folded neatly. When movers bring drywall into an apartment or house, they often do not lay it on the floor, but put it against the wall. In this case, it is very important that the sheets stand with a minimum slope in relation to the wall and as close to each other as possible. The fact is that the sheets drywall can be deformed: bend. And if this happens, no screws will straighten it. The drywall will remain crooked.

As a rule, the walls are covered with two layers of plasterboard on each side, and mineral wool is placed inside them. If you need to attach some bulky thing to the wall (for example, a cabinet with a built-in sink or upper cabinets for the kitchen), then instead of the bottom sheet of plasterboard, you can use plywood of the same thickness. This will allow you to make the fastening as quickly and reliably as possible.

Let's look at option number 2 in more detail:

The construction of partitions from hollow bricks in Portugal has a number of features. It is important to understand that in Portugal there are no (or almost no) gas silicate blocks, the geometry of which allows for the installation of walls with a minimum layer of glue. There are hollow bricks and hollow expanded clay concrete blocks. Both of these options have a relatively uneven geometry. Therefore, for high-quality execution of partitions from this material in Portugal, a cement-based solution is used, which, due to its thickness (about 1.5 cm), levels out these irregularities and allows for laying bricks with a minimum error in level.

During installation, it is important to follow the following rules:

• lay bricks with an offset in relation to the previous row, providing "bandage"
• completely fill the joints between bricks with mortar
• monitor the evenness of the laying
• the mortar for laying must be wet enough to ensure adhesion between the materials
• the bricks themselves must be dry.

Unlike plasterboard partitions, brick partitions must be plastered and puttied before they can be painted. This significantly increases the cost of both the work itself and significantly increases the time it takes to complete. This is especially important in adverse weather conditions. For example, in an unheated room during the rainy season, plaster can dry for more than a month. But then it must be puttied and primed, and all of this must also have time to dry before the walls can be painted.

Therefore, when renovating apartments in Porto, Portugal, plasterboard partitions are the most common. It is cheaper and faster. But if we are talking about capital construction, then, as a rule, the walls are made of brick.