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Also commonly referred to as drywall, plasterboard is an incredibly versatile product which features a sandwich of gypsum plaster between thick paper layers. It’s mainly used on both walls and ceilings due to the wide range of benefits it provides. Not only can plasterboard be made to be humidity resistant, fire resistant as well as noise resistant, but they’re also known to have a low environment impact, easy to repair and can be used to conceal stuff from plain sight. As a result of these benefits couple with the fact that they also happen to be quite affordable, plasterboard has grown to become a ubiquitous phenomenon in modern residential buildings.

When it comes to the installation of plasterboard on ceilings, one of the major sources of concern for several homeowners is the determination of the thickness required to ensure a durable and long-lasting project. If you’re planning to fit plasterboard on your ceiling and wondering the thickness that’ll be appropriate, then you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight on what plasterboard to use for ceilings. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, the standard plasterboard sheet size is 120 cm in width and within the range of 180 cm to 360 cm in height. These sizes are designed to provide the much-needed support to the standard stud spacing which is 160 cm. Depending on the manufacturer, plasterboard can be in four different widths. Now talking about the thickness, there are two standard thicknesses of plasterboard - 9.5 mm and 12.5 mm. The sizes of plasterboard for ceilings are 9.5 mm or 10 mm. Most individuals tend to assume that the thicker the plasterboard the better, but this is absolutely false. A thicker plasterboard will only stick harder to the ceiling which will make it hard to seal joints if required.

Can You Plaster Over WallPaper?

If you have wallpaper installed on your wall surface and you’re considering plastering the wall, when you put into consideration the stress involved in removing a wallpaper you may want to consider plastering directly over the wallpaper. This is quite understandable as removing a wallpaper can be quite time consuming and tedious, but plastering directly over wallpaper is a mistake that should never be made. Plastering over wallpaper is in no way a viable option due to the fact that it can only turn out disastrous after a couple of weeks or even days in some cases as the plaster will crack and crumble. As a result, you’ll have to firstly scrape off the wallpaper in order to assist the plaster get to be firmly secured to the wall behind.

When you plaster over a wallpaper, this will make the wallpaper wet and it’ll absorb the moisture. And once the plaster does not have moisture, the only result is for it to crack and start to crumble. Hence, plaster and wallpaper is never a good combination.

Asides from cracking and crumbling, anther issue is that the wallpaper will bubble. You can actually key the wallpaper with the help of a knife and it might look secured for some time, however it’ll eventually crumble and you’d have to scrape off the plaster complete to start all over again. The wallpaper will bubble as the plaster can’t be keyed into a wallpaper and the wallpaper will only work as a barrier between the plaster and the wall.

Overall, plaster always needs to slowly dry off as well as a good and proper surface to grip to. No matter the amount of PVA mix you spread on the wallpaper, it will always remain a barrier. So you’d have to remove the wallpaper completely to get a great result.

Artex simply refers to a surface coating that’s commonly incorporated for interior decorating. Although it’s usually found on ceilings but it can also be used on the walls as well. The surface coating enables the professional plasterer or decorator add both texture as well as patterns to it. Originally, the name “Artex is the trademark of a UK based company known as Artex Ltd. Over time, the Artex name has been used to refer to all textured coatings, although there are other businesses that manufacture and sell identical products.

You can find Artex on ceilings as well as walls of mainly residential properties. In the 70’s and 80’s, it was pretty much a trend to have either your wall or ceiling ( can be both ) covered with Artex. The surface coating can be incorporated to create raised, textured swirls as well as patterns on ceiling and walls. There are a number of different patterns that can be made using Artex and some of these includes the following: Broken leather, swirl, stipple, fan or shell as well as knifed plaster. It can also provide just a bobbly raised uneven patter appearance from top to bottom.

Artex is main put to use by mainly decorators ( mostly plasterers). This is a skilled job as it’s tedious to create uninformed patterns especially if you don’t know how or where to start. Although the skill of Artex is very much a trade that’s dying rapidly now, but it was pretty much in high demand especially in the 70’s and 80’s. Nowadays, homeowners now prefer smooth plastered finishes over Artex, as they can be easily painted or wallpapered.

The short and simple answer to this question is, it depends. Artex surface coating was manufactured with white abestos ( until the mid 1980’s ) in order to strengthen as well as harden it. In other words, this implies that all the ceilings and walls coverings made by Artex Ltd and other manufactures at the time are highly likely to contain asbestos. Although Artex Ltd stopped using asbestos as early as the mid 1980’s, there were still other manufacturers who continued using it until 1999 when the laws and regulations covering the use of asbestos changed in the year 2000.

Asbestos, however, is only harmful when disturbed and releases its deadly fibres. For instance, when it’s being sanded and removed as it usually poses no risks when left undisturbed. Since it’s not possible to identify Artex containing asbestos fibres with the naked eye, it’s strongly recommended that you hire the services of a qualified person or company to help determine if you have asbestos in your ceilings or walls especially if your house was constructed before the year 2000. The professionals will be able to advise you on the best course of action as well as if it’s dangerous.

To be sure if your Artex contains asbestos, you’ll need to have the artex sampled by an asbestos surveyor. If you’re planning to have a construction or maintenance work done on your property, and the artex is likely to be in the way or disturbed, there’s a need for you to have a refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey done. This will ensure that all the areas that’ll be disturbed by the work is properly tested to determine the presence or otherwise of asbestos. If found, the artex will have to be addressed and either removed or protected before any work can take place.

If you’re looking to plaster your ceiling, one of the most essential parts of the process is cutting the plasterboard. Once you’re able to master this skill, the rest of the plastering is quite easy. This is a task that can be done by any competent DIYer but with a little bit of patience and confidence. If you lack any of these attributes, we’d strongly recommend you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the plasterboard ceiling cutting process. Let’s take a look!

To cut plasterboard ceiling, you don’t need any expensive tool which is usually not the case when it comes to carpentry. If you won’t be cutting a lot of plasterboard, all you really need would be just an old handsaw or plasterboard one, a Stanley knife as well as a straight edge. However, if you’ll be cutting lots of plasterboards, you’ll require the following to make your task a lot easier:

✓ An old handsaw

✓ A Stanley knife and many spare blades

✓ A straight edge like a long spirit level

✓ A surform

✓ A battery drill and oh2 screwdriver bits, with specific plasterboard screws.

To cut plasterboard to length, you’ll have to first score a line on the face side of the board with a straight edge and Stanley knife. Once done, simply lift the sheet off the ground and snap it along the score line. Then, you can run your knife down the other side of the board , cutting the back of the plasterboard backing sheet. Upon completion, your plasterboard is now ready to be fitted on your ceiling.

There are several different kinds of plastering. ‘Dot and dab’ refers to a base layer of plasterboard which is attached to a wall using ‘dabs’ of adhesive. ‘Floating’ is a technique where a backing or undercoat plaster is applied to walls. ‘Skimming’ or ‘reskimming’ refers to the very thin final decorative layer of plaster.

Plastering is suitable to cover most Artex. If it’s shallow Artex, it may be covered by skimming plaster on top. If the pattern of the Artex is too deep, you may need to use plasterboard to cover it or if you want to remove it entirely, you will need to use a wallpaper steamer.

Installing a plasterboard to a ceiling is not the easiest of tasks, and even though it can be done by one person, it’s usually a lot easier when done by two people. If you’re an experienced DIYer, this task becomes a lot easier to undertake, with both confidence and patience needed to ensure a successful outcome. If you lack these essential attributes, we’d strongly recommend you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the processes involved to plasterboard your ceiling. Let’s take a look!

✓ Take a measurement of your ceiling. Knowing the length and width of your room is crucial here. You have nothing to worry about if it’s not a perfect square as that’ll only mean more cutting.

✓ Make the necessary plasterboard cuts. Cut the plasterboard sheet with a utility knife in accordance to ceiling space measured.

✓ Remove existing plaster. Once done, examine the trusses and beams to ensure they’re still in a great condition before you proceed. Also, make sure there’s no loose plaster that can compromise your new installation.

✓ Apply construction adhesive. For a better fit, you’d have to apply adhesive along the beams while also avoiding the edges as this could affect your screw placement.

✓ Start in a level corner. You have to start the installation from the most level corner.

✓ Work along the outside edges. Secure it using a screw along the outside edge. This will make your plasterboard held to your ceiling perfectly. It won’t bend or break as your proceed with the installation.

✓ Complete the installation. Install the plasterboard on your entire ceiling and complete the installation by taping the seams and plastering for a smooth surface.