Updated Sept. 3, 2024
When hospitals undertake renovation projects, ensuring the health and safety of patients, visitors, and staff is paramount. For Infection Preventionists, Facilities Managers, Project Managers and others, selecting dust barriers that exceed ICRA Class IV requirements, seamlessly blend into the existing environment, and minimize renovation disruptions is essential.
Dust Barriers: Investment vs. Expense
Our reusable RealWall™ dust barriers offer significant cost savings over time compared to traditional drywall barriers. The initial investment in RealWall pays for itself after just 3-5 uses. These highly durable, reusable dust barriers can be utilized on hundreds of projects year after year, virtually eliminating the need for future temporary containment costs.
Consider the experience of Jerry Baker, Executive Director of Construction at W.E. Bowman, who faced a recurring challenge with each new healthcare project.
“Every project required us to create temporary drywall dust barriers, which we would then discard—wasting both time and money,” Baker said. “These barriers provided no long-term value to our company or our clients. Additionally, they required more time and money to construct, and we had to build a temporary plastic wall and create a negative air environment before even starting the metal stud wall.”
Here’s what W.E. Bowman needed from a dust barrier product:
- Dust barriers that exceed ICRA Class IV requirements.
- Cost-effective barriers that can be reused for multiple healthcare projects while maintaining their appearance.
STARC’s RealWall dust barriers met these needs perfectly, providing W.E. Bowman with a competitive edge by reducing renovation noise by up to 50%, looking like a real wall, offering quick and easy installation, and delivering superior durability.
“Our return on investment with STARC has paid off. In healthcare, you need a product with proven endurance,” Baker added. “We know our STARC panels will last for years and can be used on hundreds of projects.”
When you consider the numerous benefits of RealWall dust barriers, it becomes clear why they outperform traditional drywall barriers.
Why Choose STARC Over Other Dust Barriers
Traditional drywall dust barriers create additional dust, debris, and noise during installation and demolition. They are wasteful, labor-intensive, and environmentally unfriendly. Plastic sheets are even worse—they are flimsy, unstable, and fail to meet ICRA Class IV requirements necessary for healthcare construction projects.
Even polycarbonate panels, though slightly better, are less durable, visually unappealing, and lack the necessary sound attenuation for patient-occupied renovation projects.
Key Benefits of STARC Dust Barriers
- Reusable Modular System: STARC’s dust barriers can be reused on multiple projects, unlike traditional methods.
- Sound Attenuation: RealWall panels reduce renovation noise by up to 50%, ensuring a quieter environment for patients.
- Real Wall Appearance: With three-layer construction, RealWall dust barriers look like a real wall, providing superior stability and durability.
- Fast Installation: Two workers can install 100 feet of STARC’s dust barriers in about an hour, minimizing disruption.
- Airtight and Safe: Properly installed, these airtight dust barriers prevent any circulation of dust and exceed both ICRA Class IV and ASTM E-84 requirements.
- Cost Savings: The significant long-term cost savings make STARC’s RealWall dust barriers an excellent investment.
The Industry Leader in Dust Barriers
When it comes to raising standards for containing construction dust, debris, and noise on jobsites, STARC stands out as the industry leader, consistently innovating temporary dust barriers and wall systems that drive meaningful improvements to jobsite experience, project profitability, building occupant safety, and sustainability.
For more information on how to ‘undisrupt’ your next renovation project, schedule a time to speak with one of our experts.