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What Is Plasterboard?

The plasterboard is unarguably one of the most common building materials across the globe. Sometimes referred to as gypsum board, gyprock, drywall or wall board, the plasterboard is mostly incorporated for ceiling cladding and interior walls in several homes and offices in recent times. However, despite its global acceptability, it’s a very misunderstood building material.

The plasterboard is manufactured using a gypsum core with a heavy paper covering both sides of the sheet. The measurement of a standard plasterboard sheet is a length of 2.4 metres in and a width of 1.2 metres, with a thickness of about 13mm. The board usually have either a bevelled or a bit flat edge. The bevelled edge makes it easy for the installers to use a plaster to smooth out the surface after nailing the sheets to walls and ceilings as well as taping the edges.

The plasterboard comes in different types. Although various manufacturers provide a unique name for their products, but they’re all included in one of the following categories:

• Water Resistant Plasterboard - This type of plasterboard are best suited to be used in water areas like bathroom, laundry rooms and kitchens.

• Acoustic Plasterboard - Due to its sounding proofing qualities, this type of plasterboard is preferred to be used in home theatres or noisy areas.

• Flexible Plasterboard - This is to be incorporated on curvy surfaces.

• Fire Resistant Plasterboard - Just like the name implies, this type of plasterboard is best suited for use in high fire hazard areas.

If you’re about to kick start some small renovations around your house or office, using a plasterboard to clad your walls is a very simple and worthwhile task. However, if you want to do major renovations or need to apply plasterboard to your ceiling, the best option would be to leave it to a seasoned professional.

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.

If you’re thinking about making improvements to your home, it’s only reasonable to become familiar with the ins and outs of the requirements to make the project a success. Not just the cost involved to complete the project, but also the duration it’ll take to complete the job and lots more. When it comes to the installation of wooden flooring, there’s a need to find out whether or not an underlay is required for the task. In this article, we’re going to consider this in order to ensure that you’re on the right track. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, underlays are common with carpets as they allow for an even surface with no lumps and bumps. It also provides a deeper barrier between the carpet and the floor as carpets, themselves, aren’t particularly thick enough to provide adequate comfort when walking on them. Underlay also helps improve insulation which in turn, helps cut down your energy bill. So, are underlays also needed with wooden flooring?

In general, wooden flooring does not really need an underlay. This is due to the fact that they’re perfectly comfortable to walk on without the need to add an extra padding underneath. However, the subfloor will have to be made prior to the installation, as a result, an underlay is needed at all there. With that in mind, it’s highly recommended to make use of an underlay when installing a boarded floor to a wooden subfloor mainly due to the fact that it’s able to provide a much-improved insulation. When it comes to wooden flooring, it’s always best to go for quality rather than looking for ways to cut corners. If you’re able to go for the best project with professional installation and little extras like undelay, you’d notice and enjoy the long lasting nature of your wooden flooring immediately after installation.

Do you have existing floorboards and wish to fit new solid wood floor over it? If you’re planning to go for a DIY effort, there are a number of things you should put into consideration before you even get started. Firstly, you should have it in mind that existing softwood floorboards are usually not flat, implying that the surface of the existing might not be ideal to serve as the foundation on which to put your new solid wood flooring. Secondly, if you’re going to lay the new solid floor on the existing floorboards, it would be wise to select wood that is a minimum of 18mm thick to make your new solid wood flooring a lot more stable.

If you discover that your old floor is not too even, there are two option you can consider to protect your investment. You can lay the new floor at a 90 degree angle over the existing one. In other words, you should lay the new floor lengthways if the old one is laid widthways. Using this technique alongside a method of fitting referred to as secret nailing will go a long way to make sure your installation efforts is a successful one.

The second option you can put into consideration when laying solid wood flooring over old ones is to lay chipboard or plywood over the existing floor prior to the installation of the new floor. Here, there will be an increase in the cost of your installation, however it will be more reliable and durable as it assists in ensuring the stability of your new flooring. Some benefits that comes with this option includes the freedom to lay the new solid wood flooring in any direction you want as well as the freedom to use any fitting method you deem fit. Click here to learn more about wood flooring.

1. Plan your shed base You must have a sturdy base for your shed, otherwise the frame won’t stand properly and could stop the door from opening. Decide whether you’re going to have:
   • A concrete base laid on hardcore
   • Concrete slabs on sharp sand
   • Treated wood beams on hardcore or shingle
   • An interlocking plastic system
   All bases should be laid on firm, level ground as far as possible.
2. Treat wood with preservative To help your shed last as long as possible, you should coat all the wooden parts with timber preservative before you put it together.
3. Put the shed floor together Some will need more assembly than others, but you need to make sure that the floor panel is attached to the joists; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct spacing.
4. Put up the shed walls
   • Mark the centre point of each wall on its bottom edge, then do the same for the shed floor so you can line them up together.
   • Stand the gable end on the base and line it up. Check that it’s vertical with a spirit level – you might need someone to support the panel while you do this. Use a temporary holding batten to keep it in place.
   • Fix a side panel to the gable end panel with countersunk screws, then add the second side panel in the same way.
   Don’t attach the panels to the floor until you’ve fitted your shed roof.
5. Fit the roof
   • If the shed comes with a support bar, put this in position before you put the roof panels in.
   • Nail the roof panels in place, ensuring there’s a parallel and equal overlap at each end.
   • Roll out some roofing felt from front to back, leaving a 50mm overlap at each side. Secure it with clout-headed felt tacks at 100mm intervals.
   • Apply mastic sealant to the outside corners, then fix each corner trim with 30mm nails.
   • Add the fascias and finials, predrilling 2mm holes to avoid splitting the wood. Nail them through the felt into the shed using 40mm nails.
6. Add the shed windows
   • Slide each windowsill into the tongue and groove cut out, then put the window cover strip in position, fixing it to the vertical framing.
   • From inside the shed, put the glazing sheets into the window rebates, making sure the bottom edge of the glazing sheets sit on the outside of the sill.
   • Fix the window beading on the top and sides with 25mm nails.
7. Fix the walls to the floor Before you do anything, make sure you check that the centre marks on the walls line up with the marks on the shed floor. Then fix the wall panels to the floor with 50mm screws, aligning them with the joists.
And that’s it! But if you’re not confident in building a shed yourself, there are plenty of professionals available who will be happy to help.

1. If you’ve not got an overhang or it’s a fixed deck, fit starter clips along the outside edge of the frame and secure with screws provided with the composite decking. If you are working with an overhang, put the first board into position not exceeding 25mm. If you’re adding a fascia, put an off-cut of board under the overhang so you know it’ll be flush with the fascia.
2. Pre-drill all fixing points, measuring in 30mm from the edge of the board. Secure the board to the joist below with composite decking screws.
3. Slide a hidden fastener clip in so it sits within the groove of the deck board. It needs to be in the centre of the joist to keep the boards secure and ensure an expansion gap of 6mm. Tighten the clips until just tight, and repeat so there’s a clip at every joist.
4. Add the next board, ensuring that the fastener clips sit within the groove – make sure you don’t force it. Repeat step 3.
5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until you’re at the final board, which you should secure in the same way as you did the first.

How Much Is Plasterboard?

Do you wish to install plasterboard in the nearest future? If yes, then you’d probably want to know the amount it’s going to cost. Here, we’ll give you a detailed plasterboarding prices breakdown to help you calculate an estimate for your project.

A plasterboarding project including the cost of both materials and labour with the use of a high quality panels is about £4 to £5 per panel. Therefore, if you wish to calculate on the basis of a standard room about 12x12ft would cost about £500 to £600. However, this price can fluctuate significantly depending on the professional as well as the quality of the materials you wish to incorporate in completing the project. We’d recommend that you hire the services of a professional with accreditation as he would provide you with a detailed quote with no hidden charges or costs. To give you a clearer idea, we’ve taken the time out to put together some estimated costs of employing the services of a seasoned professional plasterer to supply and plasterboard your home or office. Let’s take a look!

• A 6 x 12ft room with panels and plasterboard should have an average cost within the range of £250 to £400 and duration of one to two days.

• The individual cost of plasterboarding or drywalling a standard 12 x 12ft room should have an average cost within the range of £500 to £600 and duration of one to three days. These includes 60% for materials used (£330), 30% for tradespersons (£165) and the remaining 10% for waste removal (£55) to give a total cost of £550.

• A 12 x 24ft room with panels and plasterboard should have an average cost within the range of £1000 to £1200 and duration of three to six days.

1. Remove fascias and trims Unscrew or prise off the screws and nails fixing the trims and fascias to your shed.
2. Take off doors and remove windows Unscrew hinges from doors and take them off. Remove all metalwork once the door is off. If you’ve got frames on your windows, unscrew these, and remove the panes. Be extra careful if your windows are made of glass.
3. Take off the roof Prise off the tacks from the roofing felt and take the felt off – you can’t reuse it, so you’ll need to throw it away. Unscrew the screws on the roof boards and slide them off the shed’s frame – you might need a friend to help you do this.
4. Take out the roof brace (optional) If your roof has a brace, unscrew the brackets that hold it to the side of the shed. Remember not to lean on anything once you’ve taken the brace off as the walls might be wobbly.
5. Unscrew the frame from the floor Remove all the screws that are holding the shed to the base, remembering not to lean on the walls.
6. Unscrew the frame corners Starting at the corner of the front gable, remove the screws where the panels meet. Once a panel is free, lift it carefully out of the way so you can carry on with the others.