Any plasterers on here? quick Q if you don't mind.

[screenman]

Slowmotion mentioned PVA, here is Crowns take on that.

"A. It is not necessary to use a separate primer, and use of PVA is not recommended as this can cause an adverse re-action when used under water based paints such as emulsions. However, the first coat of emulsion should be diluted by approximately 20% water, followed by one or two coats, as necessary."

I thought it better to use their words than mine.

I also go for tacking new boards over, being a energy efficient sort of guy I normally use a board lifter for such jobs. They can be hired very cheaply and make the job so much easier.

Personally I do not like the feather edge boards, they are a lot of fathing to get the in fill nice and smooth. A good plasterer will not charge very much, around here a smooth skim on a medium size ceiling would be £100 at the weekend.

 

[gary in derby]

Not from me, plastering is a dark art that only the select few are allowed to understand through the process of telekinesis and incantations followed by much waving of the magic trowels.

However, I have a phone number of one who is a master of such dark arts....

you forgot the human sacrifices. and running around the local square naked at midnight.
but seriously, i would tackle the job a number of ways. Depending on the state of the ceiling.
Though does sound knackered.
best bet depending on budget is to strip old ceiling completely.
Re board with 12.5mm square edge plasterboard.(9mm to flimsy for ceilings tends to sag, also get a better fire rating).
then tape joints with skrim and plaster.
Dirty job, yes. but best results.

would do it for you but to far away.

 

[Night Train]

I've always wondered about the feathered edge boards. The tapered edge is so that the scrim tape can be laid and a small area of skim applied without being proud of the board surface. That's all well and good but what happens on the other edges?
The factory cut ends of the boards and any other cut edges are square edged so how does that work then?

 

[Black Sheep]

it is tempting to plasterboard it. there is no cornice or architrave or anything like that other than a slightly curve into the chimney breast where the chimney starts to curve to join the stack (two breasts coming down through the house from one stack above)

the loft is insulated, is it just a case of working my way round the room wearing goggles and dust masks gradually taking the ceiling down, the lath off and then screwing the boards to the joists?

I don't mind boarding it and having the plasterer do a skim, he's doing the rest of the room anyway.

 

[Night Train]

the loft is insulated, is it just a case of working my way round the room wearing goggles and dust masks gradually taking the ceiling down, the lath off and then screwing the boards to the joists?

If you have access tot he loft above then you could get up there and remove most of the dust and muck with a dust pan and brush. That will reduce the amount that falls down when the ceiling comes down.


I usually get the plaster off first with a large bolster chisel, cracking it and scraping it off the laths. Make sure teh room is sealed and there is a dust sheet or tarp on the floor. The laths can then be pulled off and bagged as scrap wood separate to the plaster rubble.

Alternatively a quick way to get the ceiling down is to empty the room, seal the gaps in the flooring, skirting and windows, lay down a dust sheet across the whole floor, and then shut the door on the room sealing it from the outside, all the way round.
Then get into the loft and knock the whole ceiling down into the room working from a corner back towards the hatch. Try not to fall through the ceiling joists, they are not going to hold your weight unless well spread out on boards.

Then let the dust settle for a few hours before going back in to clear up.

Dust masks, goggles and gloves are essential.
Get a proper respirator type mask as the paper ones are worse then useless.

 

[slowmotion]

I've always wondered about the feathered edge boards. The tapered edge is so that the scrim tape can be laid and a small area of skim applied without being proud of the board surface. That's all well and good but what happens on the other edges?
The factory cut ends of the boards and any other cut edges are square edged so how does that work then?

You leave a gap of about 4-5mm between the square edges and tape over the top with self-adhesive glassfibre tape, 50mm wide. Then you press some filler through the tape into the gap and also over the top of the tape. You then feather out the filler into a thin layer, and lightly sand it once it's set. Amazingly, the joint is completely invisible after it's been painted.

 

[Black Sheep]

If I got the plasterer to make it good, either by taking down the plaster to the lath before re-applying then surely it should be sound for many years?

I'm thinking the cost of boarding it could actually be more than replacing the current method.

 

[The Brewer]

If I got the plasterer to make it good, either by taking down the plaster to the lath before re-applying then surely it should be sound for many years?

I'm thinking the cost of boarding it could actually be more than replacing the current method.

Get at least three quotes and try to use people that friends and neighbours can vouch for.

Without actually seeing the area its like asking how longs a piece of string

 

[Night Train]

You leave a gap of about 4-5mm between the square edges and tape over the top with self-adhesive glassfibre tape, 50mm wide. Then you press some filler through the tape into the gap and also over the top of the tape. You then feather out the filler into a thin layer, and lightly sand it once it's set. Amazingly, the joint is completely invisible after it's been painted.

Well, yeah, that's the thing.
If that works to get an 'invisible' taped and filled joint then why have a tapered edge on the long sides of the boards?
Surely to have enough filler/plaster over the thickness of tape there will be a measurable thicker area that is then feathered out onto the board, which wouldn't happen when done on the tapered edges.

I've never bothered with it myself as all my rooms, so far, have been fully bonded out and skimmed.

 

[Black Sheep]

I've never bothered with it myself as all my rooms, so far, have been fully bonded out and skimmed.

thats the question, is bonding where needed really going to be more expensive than boarding?

 

[slowmotion]

Here is the Gyproc guide.
http://www.british-gypsum.com/pdf/LIT_FinishingGuideForPlasterandPlasterboard_01.pdf

 

[Night Train]

thats the question, is bonding where needed really going to be more expensive than boarding?

I don't know. I only paid for two plasterers.
The first was some 15 years ago and I had to redo a lot of the work.
The second was about 12 years ago and was a work contact who was doing me a favour at mates rates. I prepped everything for him to skim.
Since then I have had the work done on a barter of labour with my friend.

I have boarded where suitable and patch plastered elsewhere. The boards were all bonded and then skimmed to get surfaces flat (or curved in some cases) due to irregularities in the boarding.