Stud Wall/Plasterboarding in Castle Cary

How To Fit Plasterboard

If you’re planning to renovate your house, then here is a must-read guide! Fitting of plasterboard is a crucial step when it comes to renovation. If you’re bringing down an existing lath and plaster for an upgraded surface or adding a new wall, a plasterboard is required for your project to be a true success. If you’re a novice with no prior practice or experience, you can protect your investment by hiring the services of a professional plasterer to guarantee the best results, the first time. However, we’ve put together this guide to give you an insight on how the plasterboard fitting process is done.

To get started, you’ll need a power drill, hammer, plasterboard nails or screws, broad knife, utility knife, measurement tape, pencil, ladder as well as a joint tape.

Before proceeding, you need to identify the number of plasterboard sheets needed to commence the project by measuring the height and width of the wall as well as calculating the square footage. If you possess a stud timber wall, the steps below will get you the best results.

• Measure the walls and mark the plasterboard where you’ll make the cuts. Start with a full sheet and cut pieces down in such a way that would fit

• Score the front paper of the plasterboard with utility knife. Fold the sheet to get a clean cut through the board and make use of the knife to the remaining paper.

• Place the first sheet against the wall and use an offcut to prevent the plasterboard from touch the floor.

• Make the plasterboard rest snugly against the wall in position and screw it firmly on each stud. Once done, fasten it at all the sheets’ edges and in a line down the stud to make for a firm connection. Follow the same process for the remaining plasterboard sheet till the wall is fully covered.

How To Plasterboard A Brick Wall

Do you want to cover your brick wall with plasterboard? The key to success here is the preparation. You must ensure that brick wall is prepared well enough to receive the plasterboard. To get started, there’s the need to attach wood furring strips to the wall which serves as studs in a wood frame structure. This way, the plasterboard will be prevented from getting in touch with the brick. You can always hang pictures or any other forms of decoration in between the gap between the walls. Let’s have a look!

lAttach Furring Strips

• Get a 2 inch by 4 inch wood stud and apply a bead of construction adhesive.

• Using a masonry bit, drill a pilot hole through the wood stud’s base as well as the brick wall.

• Hit a 3 inch fluted nail through the hole using a sledgehammer

• Using a construction adhesive, bind a horizontal 2 inch by 3 inch stud to the upper edge of the wall.

• Using an adhesive, bind the length of a 2 inch by 3 inch stud on its wide side.

• Use a masonry drill to drill a hole on the wood stud and 1 1/2 inches into the brick wall.

• Hit a 3 inch fluted nail through the pilot hole.

lApply Plasterboard

• Hold a plasterboard sheet against the furring strips.

• Use plasterboard screw to hold the drywall sheets in place.

• Use fibreglass to cover the joints where the two plasterboard sheets meet.

• Use a thin layer of the joint compound on the tape. Once done, screw it using a 6 inch taping knife, then allow to dry overnight.

• Use a sandpaper to smooth the joint compound.

• Use a fresh coat of the joint compound to block the holes and joints. Once done, allow the compound to dry.

• Use a light sandpaper to smooth the final coat.

Plasterboarding a brick wall is a simple task but the preparation part must be done right to protect your investment. Therefore, we’d recommend you hire the services of a skilful professional, who can guarantee the best results especially if you lack enough training and experience to carry out a DIY project.

How Much Plasterboard Do I Need?

Although many people especially contractors have a tough time estimating the number of drywall or plasterboard needed to complete a project, it’s a rather simple task if all factors are taken into consideration. If you’re able to follow the same procedures taken by professionals to count dry wall sheets, you’ll be in the right direction. Let’s have a look at the procedures to follow!

lTake Square Footage Measurement

• Measure the square footage of the area where the plasterboard will be fitted.

• Multiply the height by the width of each wall or ceiling area.

• Add all quantities to obtain a total square-foot amount.

lCalculate Drywall Sheets

• To calculate the number of drywall or plasterboard sheet is very simple once you’ve gotten the total square footage.

• To get started, simply divide the total square footage of area by 32 (that’s if you are using a 4 by 8 sheets) or you can also make use of 48 to make the division (only if you’re making use of the 4 by 12 sheets).

• The answer you get after the division will give you the full number of plasterboard sheets that’s required to complete the project.

We’d recommend you include an extra 10 to 15 percent of whatever you calculate to take care of the possible odd cuts and wastages. This implies that if your total area is 1600 square feet while incorporating 4 by 8 sheets, simply divide 1600 by 32 which equals 50 sheets, now take 10% of 50 which equals 5, then add back the 5 extra to the 50 sheets earlier calculated to get 55 sheets. If you wish to estimate the cost, simply multiply the number of sheets gotten by the price per sheet. Do not forget to include delivery charges and local taxes.

How To Put Up Plasterboard

Putting up a plasterboard is a vital process when it comes to home renovations. However as daunting as it may seem, with a good guide and regular practice you can master the skill within a small period of time. If you lack proper training and experience, we’d recommend you hire a seasoned professional plasterer for help so as to get the best result and also avoid additional costs due to possible damages.

Putting up plasterboard is way quicker than wet plastering and also significantly reduces the drying time that can slow down your renovation plans. With a plasterboard, you can delve straight into the decorating stage and achieve a smooth finish. Below are the steps required to put up a plasterboard.

• The first step is cutting the plasterboard to shape which be one of the most challenging parts of the process. This is because you’ll need to fit the board around things such as plug sockets and window sills. As a result, this involves cutting complex shapes rather than just a simple straight line. To get this done, simply mark out the cut required with the use of a tape measure, combination square and spirit level for a better precision. Once done, you can then use a plasterboard pad saw to cut along the marked spots.

• After you made the required cuts, the next step is putting up the plasterboard. And depending on where the boards are going to be put, this could be a very challenging task. If you’re going to put the boards on the ceiling or somewhere very high up, you’d probably need an extra pair of hands for help. To get this done, use the appropriate screws to secure the boards in place if you’re installing them directly on studs. However, if you’d be fixing them onto bricks or blocks, a drywall adhesive is your best bet.