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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.

Although they’re pretty much outdated now, artex happens to be a very popular surface coating option just a few decades ago. Several homeowners with artex in recent times would either want to have them removed or cover them up with stuffs such as a wallpaper. So if you’re wondering whether or not it’s possible to wallpaper over artex, then there you have it. It’s possible to wallpaper over artex, however it’s not advisable as wallpaper may eventually crack over time. On the other hand, the artex can also create ridges beneath the wallpaper which allows unpleasant protrusions in the wallpaper. Instead of applying wallpaper over artex, a more permanent solution would be to cover it with drywall or wet plaster or perhaps just have it removed completely.

There are two types of wallpaper, there’s the thin wallpaper application which comes with adhesive on one side as well as a pattern or colour on the other side. With this, all you need do is simply to peel and stick. Then the other type is the sturdier wallpaper that’s more thick and requires a special wallpaper paste. However, it’s important to note that if you choose to wallpaper over your artex, you won’t be able to make use of the thin type of wallpaper, rather you’ll have to incorporate the sturdier  option which makes use of wallpaper paste.

The wallpaper paste is the product you mix with water to produce a paste which you’ll have to apply to your walls before applying the applying the regular wallpaper - one without adhesive on one side. Appling wallpaper to an artex decoration may just give you the updated appearance you so much desire.

Cutting a plasterboard is a relatively simple process requiring only some basic tools. Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge serves as big deterrent for many people who wishes to put it to good use. Plasterboard can actually be sawn using an ordinary timber saw that’s fine-toothed to get a cleaner edge. However, the basic tools you may also need includes a sharp knife (Stanley Knife), pencil, a fine sandpaper, a straight edge and measurement tape as well as a wall board saw. Let’s have a look at the cutting process!

✓ Firstly, you need to put the plasterboard sheet flat on a firm surface.

✓ Use the tape measurement to measure the cut you wish to make.

✓ With the help of a pencil, simply mark out the part you wish to cut on the plasterboard’s front side.

✓ Once marked, place a spirited level over the marked spot on the plasterboard sheet you want to cut.

✓ Cut a shallow mark into the plasterboard sheet using the Stanley Knife to cut along the edge.

✓ The cut should be slow and gradual to ensure you do not wander off the edge of the marked area.

✓ Once the shallow cut has been made, turn the plasterboard sheet on its edge and deliver a quick and sharp push towards the plasterboard’s back and on one side of the cut.

✓ Place the plasterboard sheet backing against a flat surface ensuring the line of the cut is over an edge. Once done, give a quick and sharp push towards the back of the plasterboard sheet and on the part of the board is reaches beyond the edge.

✓ Using a fine sandpaper, remove all forms of paper burrs.

The process of cutting plasterboard requires a lot of practice. If you lack the training and experience, the cutting process is best left to a proficient professional who can guarantee the best results the first time and save you some additional costs due to potential damages.

What Is Plaster Made Of?

Plaster is one of the most commonly used materials when it comes to building construction. It’s a crucial component that’s incorporated in coating walls, ceilings as well as partitions and it hardens on drying. Plastering is one of the most ancient building materials which has taken over mud to plaster reed or sapling huts so as to serve as a protection against the elements. Here, we’re going to take a look at the multiple compositions of plaster. These components are very important due to the fact that they form a protective coating on whatever they are used on. They work to protect surfaces such as ceiling and underlying walls from scratches or any form of damage.

Plaster comprises a few materials which includes gypsum, lime or cement and all operates in a similar way. Gypsum is made of calcium sulfate dihydrate and it’s the main component of main forms of plaster, sidewalk chalk, blackboard, drywall and more. Meanwhile, lime plaster is made up of sand, water and lime ( mostly non hydraulic hydrated lime). And lastly, cement which is a mix of suitable plaster, portland cement, sand as well as water.

The plaster is usually produced as a dry powder which is mixed thoroughly with water to create a stiff but also a paste that’s workable immediately before it’s applied to the wall or ceiling.

It’s quite easy to confuse a drywall with a plaster but there are some differences. Not only is plaster a much older style of wall construction than dry wall, but it’s also a lot more expensive than installing a drywall. Plaster walls are also able to provide you with a more durable finish when compared to a drywall and it makes for a better quality finish.

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.

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.

Plasterboard or drywall is simply gypsum plaster covered from both sides by thick paper layers. It’s known to be a highly versatile product used on both interior walls and ceiling as a result of its numerous advantages. This popular material in residential buildings can be designed to be fire resistant, humidity resistant and noise resistant. They have a low impact on the environment, while also being quite easy to repair and perfect to hide stuffs from plain sight. Most home and property owners in the UK have this material installed in their space as despite the multiple benefits, they’re also quite affordable. However, if you’re thinking about installing a plasterboard on your ceiling, one challenge you’re likely to face is determining the appropriate plasterboard thickness to incorporate as this make or mar your entire project. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the right plasterboard thickness for ceiling so as to help you make an informed decision moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, let’s consider the size of the plasterboard sheet. 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.

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.