Glossary: Ceiling reinforcement
Ceiling reinforcements with DUCON Technology

Higher load-bearing capacities with extremely thin overlay concrete layers!

If construction is to take place in an existing structure, reinforcement of the existing ceiling is often necessary. The goal is to increase the load-bearing capacity of the existing structural elements to adapt them to new construction requirements or a new purpose. In addition to demolishing the ceiling and complete reconstruction, there are numerous other options for reinforcing ceilings in existing structures.

What is the purpose of ceiling reinforcements?

Especially when repurposing buildings, it may occur that the existing concrete ceilings are not designed to bear the loads of the new use. To adjust the load-bearing capacity, there are two options. Option 1: Demolition and complete reconstruction of the ceiling with a load-bearing capacity tailored to the new use. Option 2: Reinforcement of the existing concrete ceiling.

Since demolition and reconstruction are not only particularly cost-intensive but also require significantly more time than reinforcing the ceiling, the much more practical ceiling reinforcements are commonly used today.

What are the options for ceiling reinforcement?

If building ceilings have aged and need to be rebuilt due to damage or an increase in load-bearing capacity, ceiling reinforcement is a relatively fast measure to consider. Various methods are available for the subsequent reinforcement of concrete ceilings:

• Reinforcement with overlay concrete
• Reinforcement with slotted or adhered additional reinforcement on the underside of the ceiling, e.g., carbon fiber strips
• Reinforcement through supporting steel beams from below
• Reinforcement with additional reinforcement in shotcrete using metallic or non-metallic reinforcement
• Reinforcement through structural support of the ceilings, e.g., by new walls or additional reinforcement of existing supports

Why is DUCON Technology ideal for ceiling reinforcements?

DUCON Technology is generally well-suited wherever ceiling surfaces need to be renovated, repaired, or reinforced. The advantage of the DUCON process: Unlike demolishing and reconstructing the ceiling, the time-consuming removal of the existing ceiling and the resulting burdens of dust, noise, and dirt are eliminated, as well as the downtime of the lower floor. In addition, there is no need to dispose of a demolished existing ceiling.

For ceiling reinforcement, DUCON, as micro-reinforced high-performance concrete, is simply applied as an ultra-thin additional overlay concrete layer of only 30-60 mm onto the existing ceiling (depending on static requirements). If there is a bonded screed in the existing structure, it can be easily removed, and reinforcement can be carried out without a significant increase in weight and without changing the structures and door heights of the existing construction.

The unique DUCON Technology for reinforcing existing ceilings allows for a significant increase in load-bearing capacities. And this is achieved at noticeably lower costs and shorter downtime due to usage compared to demolishing and reconstructing the ceiling.