another plasterboard question

Hi,

On the few occasions I have put up plasterboard, I have always covered the joins with that mesh tape and filled with joint cement. I've also covered with screw heads with the joint cement at the same time too.

I was reading on the 'net, I forget exactly where, and it implied that you only need to do this if you are painting or papering direct onto the plasterboard. It implied if you were plastering on top, you didn't need to do this and the plaster would cover the screws and joins.

Have I been doing it wrong or did I read it wrong? Should I cover the screws and joins with joint cement eve n if skimming over the top?

Thanks.

Reply to
Fred
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Fred wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

You are doing the job correctly.

If you do not 'scrim' the joints prior to skimming then cracks are likely to form along the joins pretty soon.

Continue to fill in over the nails/screws also.

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Reply to
Heliotrope Smith

For skimmed finish I do the mesh tape ...but not the cement bit - no probs IME

Cheers Jim K

Reply to
Jim K

The skim will do it. You still want the scrim tape though.

Different plasterers have different preferences for floating board edges (i.e. where there's nothing to screw the edges to).

I make sure there's a 1/4" gap between floating edges. I then fill this with bonding coat, forced right through and out the back of the gap. That very effectively bonds the board edges together. Then you still scrim tape it as you apply the first coat on the boards.

Some plasterers don't bother with the gap, as doing the bonding coat is extra effort, and a crack won't appear along the join until a long time after they've been paid and gone.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Scrim tape joint is essential even for plastering. Or it will crack.

Filler is not. The plaster does that, but use galv screws or nails!

Jolly pukka solution, but not strictly necessary.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Sorry for the ambiguity, I should have made it clear that I would use the tape regardless, it was the use of the joint cement I was querying.

Thanks for all the answers.

Reply to
Fred

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