Plasterboarding a ceiling.

[dannyp]

i know people who think they are A1 tradesman and are about as usefull as billy bodger just more expensive, general rule of thumb is the new build developer boxes are drylined tho the hiher end stuff is plasterd, renovation is all pritty much plasterd, if the rooms haveing fitted units of any sort or wall lights those walls need to be right or it ends up looking nasty

 

[armalites]

If you have a few boards to do on your own then you can buy a proper lifter for less than £100 delivered. I can't see how it's even possible to sell them at the price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11FT-Lift...868422&hash=item33ca7544aa:g:qgkAAOSwol5YyPt3

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I haven't seen skimming done here on any houses built since the late 60s after that its all been drylined. Parents place is 1950s so boarded and skimmed...whoever did the studding, boarding and skmming made a pigs ear of it...walls are nowhere near straight and some of the walls have north of 1/2" - 5/8" of plaster on them and they are still like a dog peeing amongst snow....

As with everything you get good tradesmen and you get guys who despite being time served don't have a blooming clue and just wing it......

I have been involved in a lot of refurbs and new builds of NHS buildings and they are nearly always dry lined and skimmed, never dry lined, taped and filled. I guess because it's more hard wearing.

 

[MrFluffy]

If you have a few boards to do on your own then you can buy a proper lifter for less than £100 delivered. I can't see how it's even possible to sell them at the price.

These are epic. I bought a cheap budget one right at the start of my house build and it makes boarding a celing trivial to do on your own with no grunt work. A hours work and a room is done. I've shown it in action to a few people doing similar and theyve gone and got their own as I'm not loaning mine out as I've got more work for it yet!

 

[Gritineye]

Considering how long a lot of laths have been successfully holding plaster up I don't see the point in ripping them all off if they're in good nick.

A newly installed wall/ceiling then board is a lot quicker, but imo that's the only advantage it has.

Surely if they're up and structurally sound, it's a quicker option than taking everything out to put boards up and then skimming, especially considering the cleanup...

There is nothing wrong with re-using the laths as is, overlapping split lathes can be a challenge though, done it a few times in old properties because customer wanted it but it's certainly not labour or time efficient.

It'll need a quite a few bags of hardwall mixed fairly stiff in small batches, spread it so some of it pushes through, don't over work it, let it set.

Dub it out with another levelling hardwall coat put on wetter and scraped flat with a straight edge.

When that's gone off a bit to an even appearance and colour (meaning suction the same all over) put on a skim coat of multifinish, it may need two depending on your skill level.

If your arms are a bit knackered you can leave it overnight before finish skimming but be sure to de-nib it all over.

Using a worn in plastic float tipped a bit to lay the finish on with can help less skilled person to keep ripple free, use a steel float when it starts to go off.

Then wait a few days for the nail heads to rust and stain the surface.....

Good luck!

 

[bigegg]

Change of plan...
The laths are staying.

 

[GW8IZR]

I have a ceiling very similar to that - done mainly because plastering would have been a PITA and I like that as a finish.

 

[Gritineye]

And relax..

 

[bigegg]

In conclusion:
The next time someone suggests pulling down a ceiling, I'm going to use a big hammer.

On them.

 

[brightspark]

pines old hat. I have 3 ceilings I clad 30 years ago with pine in mint condition I just underdraw them and clad with plastic in bathroom and shower room

 

[Burdekin]

Good thinking 99. We want to tongue and groove the rest of our cottage.

 

[bigegg]

in case it's not obvious from the pictures, and for posterity:
framework is 3x2 CLS long beams laid perpendicular to joists, and fastened to joists with Wilkinson's finest "fill a bag for 2.99" deck screws.

noggins are Pocket screwed (love my kreg!) to the long beams, not fastened to joists at all. Positioned in most convenient places to go around light fittings/hatch/smoke alarm.

Cladding is 19x125 matchboarding from Arnold Laver 94p/m plus VAT. room is 2.58m long, so I got 5.4m lengths cut to size.

Cladding is secret nailed on using 40mm brad nails/panel pins.
If I was ever to do another job like this, I'd use lost head screws or (at a push) an air nailer.
The hammer blows disturbed a LOT more dust so I spent the day working in a dust mask again - and got just as filthy as when the ceiling came down originally.

 

[Cobbler]

Keep an eye open for the Lidl/Aldi air nailer & stapler. I bought one on a whim, but have used it for loads of odd jobs, it would be perfect for that. My son bought a posh one for £90ish to do panel out a summerhouse & that only does brads, he was not amused when I turned up wth a £25 one that did more.

 

[fixerupper]

Yeah, when I started to turn this ruin into a house 12 years ago , I wanted flat white ceilings . But I toured around builders merchants and found pallet loads of plaster board left out in the rain with the corner trashed with a fork lift , that plan went out the un made window ... the result was the whole house has T&G ceilings ... They looked great for 5 years ... then they start to darken .. so now they are all painted white .....

 

[angellonewolf]

Assuming the wood joists is top to bottem I would screw left to right and lay the plaster board left to right spacing 400 wide up the wall put the 2nd batten in the middle of the join and so and so up done the bathroom this way nice and easy as you got the first to drop the 2nd plaster board on

 

[bigegg]

Keep an eye open for the Lidl/Aldi air nailer & stapler. I bought one on a whim, but have used it for loads of odd jobs, it would be perfect for that. My son bought a posh one for £90ish to do panel out a summerhouse & that only does brads, he was not amused when I turned up wth a £25 one that did more.

I have two nailers - ones from screwfix which does 15-40mm, the other is an industrial one from the carbootie which fires 35-70mm. Either of which would have worked.
I also have two compressors.

I also have an overloaded 20ft of garage between the "airtools" cupboard, and the door.


I tried using 18mm brads fired from my arrow hand stapler, but not quite long enough to grip.

 

[bigegg]

Yeah, when I started to turn this ruin into a house 12 years ago , I wanted flat white ceilings . But I toured around builders merchants and found pallet loads of plaster board left out in the rain with the corner trashed with a fork lift , that plan went out the un made window ... the result was the whole house has T&G ceilings ... They looked great for 5 years ... then they start to darken .. so now they are all painted white .....

My last house had a b&q cheapo matchboard ceiling on the landing - the boards were only about 5-6mm thick.
It was left as bare wood and was just starting to go silver grey.
I liked it.

 

[rosinante]

I had a pro plasterer , he was really good at fancy plastering , trouble is I wanted it flat, we fell out, if you live in Cornwal I will give you his name,

 

[bigegg]

I had a pro plasterer , he was really good at fancy plastering , trouble is I wanted it flat, we fell out, if you live in Cornwal I will give you his name,

Thanks for the offer.
Im about halfway between cornwall and john o groats.