Because the panels are big, bulky, and awkward, hanging drywall on a ceiling entails one or the other: the help of another person or renting a drywall jack from your local home improvement center.

The cable mechanism on drywall jacks is not difficult to operate, and jacks do an excellent job of holding the drywall in a secure, flat position enabling you to more easily attach it to the ceiling.

Tools & Materials

How to build a drywall ceiling includes knowing what all tools and material you’ll need. In addition to either another person to help you or a drywall jack, you’ll also need a hammer, a drill with a screwdriver bit, and nails or screws for drywall. You’ll also, of course, need to measure your ceiling (twice!) and purchase enough drywall, including a little extra in case of mistakes, to do the job.

Mark Joists First

Find the boards – usually 2x4s or 2x6s – that function as ceiling joists by tapping along the wall studs with a hammer and following up the wall to the ceiling. As part of learning how to build a drywall ceiling, mark where these boards are located with a pencil. These are what you will be attaching the drywall to and marking them beforehand makes it much easier to find them than trying to find them as you are nailing or screwing on the drywall. You then need to measure where the light fixture goes on the drywall and cut out a hole to accommodate that area of the ceiling.

The Tough Part

Now’s the part in learning how to build a drywall ceiling where you’ll need the other person (who hopefully has plenty of stamina in addition to strength!) to hold the drywall up to the ceiling or to put the drywall panel on the jack. Position the end of the sheet of drywall – with its finished side facing down – at the center of the ceiling board (joist) to which you are going to nail it. Nail around the outside of the panel about a half an inch from the edges to prevent the drywall from splitting or cracking. The person who is holding the panel can now move or, if you’re using a jack, you can move it out of the way.

Make It Pretty

Countersink nails or screws at six- or seven-inch intervals all along the length of the joist to which the drywall has been attached. Countersinking allows you to cover up the heads of the nails/screws with compound so that when you paint, the heads won’t be at all visible. Although not really a part of knowing how to build a drywall ceiling, learning how to cover up ugly nail or screw heads serves its own purpose for overall general carpentry knowledge.

Learning how to build a drywall ceiling takes a lot more muscle than to attach the sheets to the walls, but it can be done with a little thought, at least one other person, and/or a jack. It really is pretty hard work, but, hey, after all – you can do anything, right?

Having trouble with your drywall project? Discover the top ten drywalling tips at http://www.onlinetips.org

Author: Carlo Morelli
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital economy, mobile technology

Building methods are improving every year giving us better insulated buildings which in turn lead to lower energy costs. Sometimes it’s hard to see where we are making these improvements, but just compare a house that was built 40 years ago and compare it to a modern house built to the latest building regulations. One can see pretty quickly how much easier it is to heat a modern house and how much better a modern house will retain heat, why is this? The obvious and the main reason is that houses are now built with better insulation; new modern materials help retain heat in the building and therefore reduce energy costs. In combination with better insulation, new building methods have given us a more air tight structure. This is important because controlling the air circulation is just as important if not more important than insulation one’s house.

Think about it this way. Imagine a wall built to the highest possible standard in terms of installation, sound proofing and air tightness and in that wall we insert one window and one door. If you think about it you can begin to understand very quickly that once you interfere with a completely sealed wall there is a higher chance of air escaping and heat escaping. With this in mind it is hugely important how we install windows and doors in any building, making sure that the hold structure is of a uniform standard.

This is something that the building industry is only coming to terms with. There has been some resistance to introducing new recommended building regulations as they can increase the cost of the build, however as builders become familiar with new technologies and new building methods some of the costs can be absorbed by increase in the skill set of employees and becoming more efficient. No matter what the difficulties are it is important that the construction industry incorporates these new building methods in order to construct buildings to a higher standard and reduce our energy costs, improving our air tightness standards is a very efficient way to achieve this.

From the builders point of view extra care and attention needs to happen around all joins in a building. Joints are found around Windows, doors, corners, attics and wall plate level. Expanding foam can be used around Windows and doors and it also helps if these joints are taped giving them an all-around seal. Also there has been a move away from plastering especially in large apartment blocks this has been replaced by what’s referred to as tape jointing whereby plasterboard’s that have a groove joint are taped at each joint, sanded down and painted directly on to the plasterboard surface. Even though the plasterboard is of the recommended finish the joints don’t often last the test of time. Even though reinforced mesh is used with a sealant it can crack over time mainly because the sealant may not be applied uniformly. This can lead to leakage in the building.

As you can see while there is huge progress being made especially as I mentioned before when we compare a house built 40 years ago to the modern-day house, we still have a long way to go before we have synergy between the building authorities, contractors and suppliers of new building materials. One of the main drawbacks with introducing new building methods and new building materials is that it is often years before we can really determine if they work!

Bathroom Job – Started – TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling …

Hi Started my bathroom around 3 weeks ago, as you can see i had to remove all old wall and floor tiles, all plaster board from all walls some screwed.   Read more…

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Anyone had practical experience of this? The boards are 60mm insulation and 12.5 plasterboard. eg Kingspan K7 K8. thanks Robin.   Read more…

Home Inspections: Highlight On Plasterboard

One very common problem that laypeople are unaware of when it comes to the structural integrity of a house is plasterboard. Plasterboard is very commonly used, and its construction invit…   Read more…

Before learning to plaster or purchasing any kind of plastering course, it is essential to explore some of the long held myths that are banded around about plastering courses.

Plastering Myth 1. You Cannot Achieve a Good Finish with DIY Plastering

You’re most likely to hear this particular myth from people in the building trade and, of course, from many plasterers themselves. It’s true that most general builders who can turn their hand to anything won’t touch plastering. I’ve known builders who can do brickwork, joinery, roofing, plumbing and even build an entire house who won’t do their own plastering. Why? Precisely because they can turn their hand to anything they rarely need to learn how to do anything text book style – and plastering MUST be done text book style. Here are 2 important golden rules about plastering that we should understand right now…

Golden Rule 1: Plastering is 100% about following a set recipe and set of techniques and you should follow them to the letter.

Golden Rule 2:. Plastering cannot be improvised. You should not try and improve or simplify the processes of plastering demonstrated in your plastering course (at least until you are a true master of the trade).

So, if you are the kind of person who can turn your hand to anything, then you have most likely already discovered that whilst most jobs can be done successfully without knowledge or experience providing you approach them sensibly, plastering is not one of those kinds of jobs and needs to be learnt properly.

Providing you follow a quality plastering course, then plastering can be learnt and you can get truly excellent results only when you follow the time honoured methods.

Plastering Myth 2. It Takes Years to Learn to Plaster to a Professional Level

You’re most likely to hear this particular myth from time-served plasterers and in a sense they are right but it’s mainly a misunderstanding. Yes, it can take many years to make plastering effortless and 100% bang on every time, but to learn to plaster to a competent professional level can be learnt in just a few days of practice providing you have been given the correct instructions and follow a precise formula.

What does take years to develop are techniques that bring you greater speed and efficiency. A relative novice using the correct techniques can achieve a perfectly flat and smooth wall under normal conditions. But the ability to complete the same wall to the same level in half the time to “max-out” your daily rate and allow early retirement takes more practice.

Also, although most new plasterers can plaster over plasterboard very well they may encounter some problems when dealing with more irregular real world jobs such as plastering over less ideal surfaces or conditions such as plastering in a heat wave.

The fact remains, that most plasterers are taught on 3 or 5 day courses, so please don’t just take my word for it that you can indeed learn to plaster to a competent pro level in less than a lifetime.

Of course people don’t spend years learning to plaster before doing it for a living because there are no courses in plastering that last for years.

In other words, plastering takes days to learn from a plastering course but like any skill takes years to master fully.

Plastering Myth 3. Getting a Smooth Plastering Finish Requires Sanding or Heavy Manual Labour

This particular myth is both hilarious and utterly untrue. I have even seen some of the better DIY books teach this. Trust me please, if you feel your plastering requires sanding then you need to re-watch your plastering DVD and ask yourself which part of the plastering stages you have overlooked. Do not ever sand plaster, it is futile and does not give a good finish. The sheer amount of dust will swamp your home, destroy carpets and furniture, damage your health and take longer than fully plastering the room properly.

In Summary

You can learn to plaster by studying a plastering DVD or attending a good plastering course providing that you follow the advice exactly and practice skimming plasterboard a few times. When we developed our own plastering course on DVD and book we understood that laying out a very prescriptive and easy to follow formula of plastering steps, timings and stages would be the real key to learner success. Whatever plastering course you choose, ensure that its clear, easy to follow and includes a very weighty take home manual and better still a DVD.

Bathroom Job – Started – TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling …

Hi Started my bathroom around 3 weeks ago, as you can see i had to remove all old wall and floor tiles, all plaster board from all walls some screwed.   Read more…

Best way to fasten shelves, curtain rails etc to insulated …

Anyone had practical experience of this? The boards are 60mm insulation and 12.5 plasterboard. eg Kingspan K7 K8. thanks Robin.   Read more…

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The wall units should line up with the same size unit below. Sometimes the design is such that some will not line through because different door widths have been used but where they do line up a plumb line needs to be drawn up the wall and used as a starting point to mark off the unit sizes.

The height of the units have been determined by the height of any tall housing units or by the height of the tiles below. A spirit level now needs to be used to transfer a line around to wherever there are wall units.

Now the position of the plates on the wall need to be worked out to allow the units to hang at the correct height. A good way to start is to take a unit and adjust the bracket to its half way position then measure from the top of the cabinet to the underside of the hook. Then transfer this measurement to the wall starting at the drawn line on the wall showing the tops of the wall units and measuring down.

A tip here. When fixing into lightweight thermalite blocks a normal plastic plug does not hold very well so it is a good idea to use either 75m/m or 100m/m frame fixings. These have a full length plug and the expansion takes place a lot deeper into the block resulting in less chance of the fixing being pulled out.

Only use the two outer holes and drill the holes down at around 30 degrees and splaying outwards. As most of the forces on the bracket are straight down the fixings, by sloping downward, will resist being pulled out.

If the wall units are to be fitted onto a stud wall the chances of the hanging plate being in the same position as the wooden stud is very remote but there are a couple of ways to get over this.

Firstly a continuous hanging plate can be used. This comes in 2 or 3 meter lengths with holes and slots along the whole length so all that is needed is to cut it to the correct length and put it at the same height as the individual ones and screw into every stud it passes over.

If at the end there is no stud to secure it then fit a high load plasterboard fixing called a hollow wall anchor. This has expanding legs that open up behind the plasterboard to help spread the load.

Secondly a section of plasterboard can be removed to allow 12m/m plywood to take the place of the plasterboard and the plates fixed to this. This method is messy and takes longer but is a solution if no continuous hanging plate is available. The plywood must be strongly secured to the studs.

Thirdly, similar to the plywood solution, remove a larger amount of plasterboard and fit noggins (horizontal pieces of studding fitted between the vertical studs) at the correct height and re plasterboard.

Tip. To make sure the hook rests firmly on the wall plate it is advisable to actually chisel away some of the side of the unit, being careful not to break out through the face to allow the wall plate to run past where it needs to be, so that when on the wall there will be a little left and right movement to line the cabinet up without the hook falling off the wall plate. I have never seen anyone else do this but I highly recommend you do.

One very important thing to look out for when fixing the wall unit plates to the wall is to look below to see if there are any sockets below or nearby. If there are I suggest you find the cables in the wall to be sure you miss them. One way to do this is to carefully chisel the wall away, about 150mm below the bracket position so that is far enough away to not affect the strength of the fixing but close enough to accurately mark the wire position as it passes underneath the bracket position.

The hanging bracket plate that fixes to the wall usually has 3 slotted holes. Usually the bracket position can be adjusted to be able to use two of the three slots. When drilling the holes angle the drill away from the wire for extra security.

Sometimes, as there is only a limited space at the back of a wall unit, you can only trim away a maximum of 10mm so if the wall is running out of plumb by more than that, the wall unit will need to come off the wall to level it.

It is sometimes possible to trim the maximum off the unit and then take away some plaster on the wall to make it right. If there is a problem getting the wall unit right the back may need to be moved further into the unit which will involve taken the unit apart if it is a flat pack unit or if it is a rigid unit then the back will need to be cut out and a new back cut to fit the inside size of the unit.

Sometimes if the layout allows, it may be a better option to move the base units slightly to enable everything to line up. At times like this it is down to what the customer wants and the various options can be explained as well as any additional costs which may have a bearing on the final outcome.

Bathroom Job – Started – TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling …

Hi Started my bathroom around 3 weeks ago, as you can see i had to remove all old wall and floor tiles, all plaster board from all walls some screwed.   Read more…

Best way to fasten shelves, curtain rails etc to insulated …

Anyone had practical experience of this? The boards are 60mm insulation and 12.5 plasterboard. eg Kingspan K7 K8. thanks Robin.   Read more…

Home Inspections: Highlight On Plasterboard

One very common problem that laypeople are unaware of when it comes to the structural integrity of a house is plasterboard. Plasterboard is very commonly used, and its construction invit…   Read more…

In figuring for plastering it is not customary to deduct for doors and windows, unless of very large size. It is considered better practice, however, to deduct them and figure accordingly, so that it is possible to use the same figures for getting quantities of material.

Plastering is usually done on spruce lath, which comes 1/4 x 11/2 inches, and made in 4 foot lengths. As studding is spaced 16 inches apart this makes three spans, and all laths should be nailed to the studs at both ends. To cover 100 square yards will take about 1500 laths, and 10 lbs. of three penny nails.

The plaster is usually applied in three coats, known as the scratch, brown and white coats. The first is applied directly to the lath, and consists of lime, sand and hair. Its surface is scratched with a stick to give good adhesion for the brown coats, which contains less hair, but is otherwise very similar.

The white or finishing coat is usually composed of lime putty and fine beach sand in equal parts, to which plaster of Paris is added to make it hard and smooth. For 100 square yards, allow 10 to 12 bushels of lime, 2 bushels of hair, 1 1/2 cubic yards of sand and 100 lbs. plaster of Paris. If a sand-finished effect is desired, the plaster of Paris is omitted and cubic yard of sand added. The surface is finished with a wooden float, so as to bring out the sand and produce a rough surface.

Other types of plaster exist, based on the use of gypsum in the place of lime. They set more rapidly than lime plaster, and care must be taken to use them as directed by the manufacturers. Metal lath and plaster board are also much used in place of wood lath for reproduction corner guards.

They increase the expense slightly, but reduce the fire risk. Whatever method is used, the plaster should be run back of dados and baseboards, as the open spaces add greatly to the fire risk. This is in fact required by the building codes of most cities.

One man will lath about 100 yards in an eight-hour day, openings not deducted. With metal lath he can do from 100 to 150 yards, though if the plan has many corners his speed is greatly reduced. It has been estimated that a plasterer with one helper can do about 150 yards of the first two coats in a day, and about 90 yards of finishing coal.

Cornices and ornamental pediment add greatly to the cost, but are now far less common than they were a few years ago. Most ornaments are cast in the shop, while moldings are generally run on the job. When work of this kind is to be done, stock models should be used as far as possible. These are furnished by a number of manufacturers and can be ordered from their catalogues.

When plaster board is used in place of wood lath, the first or scratch coat may be omitted. This greatly reduces the labor of plastering, but the plaster often tends to crack at the joints between the boards.

For work that must be done quickly, a new type of gypsum board is now on the market, requiring no plastering, but finished ready for paint or paper. It is preferable to use paper, as with point it is hard to hide the joints. This material is only about 3/8 inch thick, while lath and plaster is 7/8 inch. It can be applied with practically no waste.

There are also a number of makes of wall board, generally some sort of wood pulp composition. These shrink badly after application, and if they are papered the paper always cracks at the joints. The manufacturers recommend covering the joints with wooden corner protectors or strips, but this greatly limits the possible treatments, and makes an agreeable effect almost impossible.

The gypsum board mentioned in the preceding paragraph is far preferable, and the cost is not much greater. Both types of wall board are made 4 feet wide, and almost any even number of feet in length.

They are very easy to apply, and if 20% is added to the cost of the material it will usually cover the labor of nailing on. This, of course, is only for plain work, with few corners, and does not include wood strips or other woodwork.

Fixings for plasterboard? – AVForums.com

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Interior Finish: Wall & Ceiling: Plaster Board. Painting Pattern Base Finish. Laser Cut Steel Pattern with Painting Finish. Floor: White Ash Pattern Wood Flooring with One Third Urethane Gloss …   Read more…

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Skimming is the process by which a thin layer of plaster is applied to a wall or ceiling to provide a smooth surface. Often referred to as board finish, the amount need for a particular job can be calculated based on using 10kg to every 5 sq meters. This assumes plaster is applied to a thickness of approximately 3mm. It’s worth noting that plaster should be stored in a dry place, but it does have a minimum shelf life, so bulk buying and storage might not be such a good idea unless you are using it in large and frequent amounts.

As you set about your next plastering job it’s well worth cleaning the plasterboards first. Dust and dirt will create problems so a little time spent in preparation will pay dividends later. If at all possible empty the room or at the very least cover anything of value. Not only do you want to avoid damage to furniture etc, but you also want to be able to move around the room unimpeded, particularly if you’re working on a ceiling which means you need the whole floor space to move around in.

When it comes to corners, they need to be properly prepared. External corners are best trimmed with angle beads. Angle beads are galvanized strips, which are simply nailed, with galvanised nails, to the boards. So long as you’ve taken time to square them up with a spirit level, the result is a nice sharp cover. The angle beads can be cut with a small hacksaw or tin snips but it’s a good idea to use protective gloves, as the edges can be fairly sharp.

Plaster should be mixed using equal amounts of plaster to water, taking time to mix until a smooth consistency is achieved. A hand whisk can be helpful here. Once the plaster is ready wet the spot board and empty the plaster onto it. A spot board by the way, is just a board of around a meter sq; useful for catching the plaster as you work.

A small quantity of plaster should be loaded onto the hawk. Depending on your preference (right or left handed) hold at around chest height and push a measured amount of plaster onto the surface with the float. It takes practice, but you are aiming for a repetitive action which is smooth and fluid. For walls it’s best to work up from the floor spreading a thin layer and then back down again from the ceiling to smooth out the plaster. A second coat can be applied as the first begin to dry a little. This coat should fill in any ridges. A clean float should be used to smooth the whole job. As the plaster starts to harden, again the float can be used as if to polish the surface. Water can be applied with a brush to help when polishing with the float and naturally fill out the smallest of holes.

Bonding or One Coat on Plasterboard – TilersForums.co.uk | Tile …

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Internal plasterboard splitting on 90 degree corner, how do i fix?

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Chinese Drywall Lawsuit Deadline Tomorrow

Chinese drywall claimants whose homes contain wallboard made by Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. must act now to join an omnibus class action lawsuit that will allow them to avoid onerous…   Read more…

PVA Bonding and Glue

PVA bonding is white in color and is usually supplied in large plastic containers; this is the same glue that we used as kids in school. PVA is often used when skimming over existing walls and it’s particularly useful when skimming over artex as it forms a water tight barrier and helps the plaster stick to the wall. Another benefit of PVA to plasterers is that it helps to prevent plaster from drying out too quickly. The problem with skimming over existing finishing plaster is that it soaks up water like a sponge and this makes the new plaster dry out straight away and start cracking. To overcome this problem PVA glue can be spread over the work surface first to slow the rate of water absorption and give the plaster much more time to work with the plaster once it’s on the wall.

Backing Plasters / Bonding Plasters

Backing plasters such as those called ‘browning’ or ‘bonding compound’ is usually used during building and renovation projects. Almost all newly built houses are dry lined with plasterboard rather than wet plastered using browning or bonding compound. This is because plasterboard possesses many different advantages over traditional backing plaster. Bonding plaster and particularly browning are what is know in the trade as ‘wet’ materials. If these finishes are used on walls it can take several months for them to dry out fully. Plastering a full wall with backing plaster is also a very skilled job and requires a skilled tradesman to carry it out properly. In comparison dry lining rooms with plasterboard can be done quickly and to acceptable standards by a competent DIY enthusiast. Browning plaster is a backing coat plaster; it is invariably a pink or grey colour. Browning is used on surfaces such as house bricks and breeze blocks, or building surfaces which are absorbent. Browing should be put on in quite thick layers of about 10mm. Browning usually takes around 2 hours to set. Bonding Compound is arguably better than browning. Bonding is usually best applied to non absorbent material such as hard faced bricks or treated surfaces that have been glued with PVA. Usually bonding is put on around 8mm in thickness. Bonding Compound usually takes around 2 hours to set.

Skimming / Finishing Plaster

Skimming plaster is some times put directly over either browning or bonding compound. But in todays building industry it is more commonly applied directly to plasterboard. There are multi finish versions of skimming plaster which are very popular as it is suitable for use on most internal surfaces. You can also get hold of plasterboard finish, as its name suggest, it is used for skimming over plasterboard and it not intended for use over bonding compound or browning. Skimming plaster is normally put on much more thinly and as a final coat. It is usually applied around 2mm thick.

One Coat Plaster

There are lots of different companies manufacturing one coat plaster. Such companies claim that this plaster will serve as a backing coat and finish coat all at the same time. Although allegedly these plasters are highly versatile, in our experience such plasters are best left alone. We believe that you are better off adopting the traditional backing coat / finishing coat approach.

Remember, as a general rule for all plasters – the drying time will depend on the ambient temperature of the room, finishing plaster needs to be polished with a trowel as soon as it has started to firm up to the touch. If you delay too long before trowelling it up the plaster will harden and then your only option is to sand down the walls!

Plasterboard

One wall is skimmed plasterboard on timber studs and in taking the old tiles off, the plasterboard has been badly damaged at the bottom. I presume I will need to remove the next row up a…   Read more…

Screwing plasterboard – TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums | Tiling …

Hi all, my first post so go easy on me please. I have installed 12.5mm Aquapanel around my bath/shower. On one wall,I have had to screw and plug this.   Read more…

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Gypsum board, wallboard, plasterboard, sheetrock they all mean the same at end of the day – Drywall. Through out North America this product is very widely used in residential homes and it’s gaining more popularity throughout Europe as well. The boards are made out of compressed gypsum sandwiched between layers of durable paper on both sides. Most commonly they are manufactured in thickness of half-inch, however some installation may require five-eights as a desired thickness. There are many other types of drywalls available on the market to withstand special environments such as bathrooms and other high moisture content circumstances.

An insider trick of the trade is to install the boards horizontally to minimize the amount of taped joints required. You can purchase drywall boards up to twelve feet in length, if possible try to purchase lengths that go from one end of the room to another. If your room exceeds twelve feet in width than of course you will have to add a vertical joint.

Shaping and cutting drywall is one of the easiest part of the job. All you need to do is use a straight edge and a sharp utility knife once you have taken your accurate measurements. Please note that these measurements don’t need to be very tightly butted together. If you try to be too precised than quite often you will end up cutting the same board 2-3 times as your measurement ends up being too tight.

In my experience, a drywall taper can easily fill gaps up to three-eights of an inch. Start your cut on the face of the board by placing the straight edge along the measured line and just simply pull the knife along the straight edge 2-3 times making sure that you have completely cut through the paper. There is no need to cut in to the gypsum as it will be explained in the next step. Slightly pick up the drywall or slide a piece of wood underneath the larger board if it’s a bigger piece and with a quick motion, snap the board along the cut line. After the drywall is snapped, bend it backwards and cut the paper on the back side of the board as well.

Typically you would want to use 1.25 inch drywall screws to hang the drywalls, some builders may prefer to use 1.5 inch screws on the ceiling for added support. From time to time, you may end up installing drywall over an existing drywalled wall, if that’s the wall you nee to increase the length of the screws by the thickness of the existing drywall. No need dwell on this, but make sure that your screws are going into the studs every time.

More experienced drywall installers have special tools to assist them with their installation process. There are special electric drywall screwdrivers that have a special clutch built into them that will prevent you from over tightening the screws and penetrate into the boards deeper than it’s recommended. These gadgets also come with an option of holding dozens of preloaded screws to speed up the work. If it’s just a one time project that you are taking on, then probably there is no need for this kind of tool, a simple cordless drill may be just as effective.

It’s recommended to install the drywall screws every twelve inches on outside edges and perhaps every sixteen inches on the middle. Be sure to keep the boards about half an inch off the floor to prevent any moisture from getting to the board, this is especially important when installed over concrete floors. When it comes to installing drywall on the ceiling, you might want to line up a few of your friends to give you a hand with those pieces as it could weight close to 70-80 pounds per sheet. I would recommend you nail together two pieces of two by fours to form a T shape. Once you have lifted the board into position, just wedge the T-bar underneath one end, and start fastening the drywall.

The taping and filling is the most critical part of the drywall process. Many people have attempted doing it themselves in the past. I am sure that with proper practice and persistence you can master this technique, but I would always pass this process onto a professional who will guarantee you a smooth finish. Prior to painting any walls, be sure to apply a coat of primer on the surface for best finishing results. If you were to skip the primer process, you are running the risk of joints showing after painting.

Plasterboard over existing laden plaster

Forum: Adding Value Posted By: buzzlightyear Post Time: 30-11-2009 at 05:01 PM.   Read more…

What’s New? Biglorryblog’s pictorial line-up of the latest lorry …

Together, the two firms will distribute plasterboard from Knauf’s plasterboard manufacturing facility in Sittingbourne. Supplied by Haynes Trucks, the new AT440S45TX/P 6×2 twin steer…   Read more…

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A villager works at her plasterboard workshop in 2005 in Qinghai Province, China. The U.S. has banned all imports of drywall from China after a study concluded that there is a link between the …   Read more…

Drywall is the most common wall lining of the the modern home. The drywall is glued and nailed/screwed to the timber frame of the house and then the joins are then plastered and sander. During the life of any home damage to the drywall will take place often when the moving furniture or playing indoors. There are two ways to repair this damage – ring a professional and pay them to repair it or learn how to repair it yourself. Most repairs are quick and easy to do with a few tools to do the job

Plaster Types

The first thing you need to know is the types of plaster that are used to do the Job. There are three main types:

- Base Coat – A powder that is mixed with clean water to make a paste and used in joints and filling holes – sets hard and is hard to sand.

- Cornice Cement – A powder that is mixed with water to make a paste to glue on cornice – smooth tacky paste that set very hard and is hard to sand.

- Finishing Compound – This is premixed in buckets and is ready to use directly from the bucket – dries (does not set) and is very easy to sand.

- Glass fiber tape – This tape is self adhesive and gives strength to the filling plaster or base coat – only needed on larger holes

To repair a hole of damage to a wall you Will only need base coat and finishing compound.

Tools:

There a few tools that you will need to buy to do the job however these are simple and inexpensive -

- One broad knife 250mm (10inch) wide (looks like a wide paint scarper) , one 100mm ( 4inch) broad knife , one 100mm (4inch) x 250mm (10inch) towel.

You will also need to mix the base coat for larger holes so an electric drill and paint mixing attachment is best. However the base coat can be mixed by hand but this is slow.

For Example: A hole about the size of a tennis ball was made while moving furniture.

Step one: Make sure the hole in the drywall is clean (no protruding drywall or paint) mix your base coat power with clean tap water to a paste similar to toothpaste. Note: if the base coat is too wet the base coat will fall out of the hole. If you find the base coat continually falls into the wall cavity fill the behind the hole with newspaper to support the base coat while it sets. Fill the hole using the smaller broad knife making sure the hole is filled and the base coat is flush with the drywall.

Step two: When the first coat of base coat is set, Cut a small amount of glass fiber tape to just cover the hole and carefully put into place. Mix up a small amount of base coat and spread over the tape making sure that you spread the base coat beyond the tape. The smoother and flatter the second coat is the better the result will be. Let it set from 45 – 60 Min’s.

Step three: Spread a thin coat of finishing compound with the large broad knife and let this dry. The finishing compound must be spread a minimum of 100mm (4inches) beyond the base coat.

Step four: Sand your work with 180 grit sand paper making sure you feather or blend the edges with the existing painted wall so that the repair will not be seen when painted. The aim is to sand the repair as flat as you can and blend in the edges . Then your repair is finished and ready to paint.

Tip:

Remember to wash you tools off with clean water between steps so the plaster does not set on your tools.

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