Fitting a Plasterboard Ceiling

I'm going to be putting up a new ceiling in the bedroom next week. I'll be using 6 x 3 boards. I did one many years ago. Am I right in thinking they should run at rightangles to the joists and be put up staggered like bricks? The last time I used square edged boards and just filled the gaps with Polyfilla but now there are cracks at all the joins so this time I thought I'd use taper edge and use tape and filler to cover the gaps. What about where I have to cut the ends of the boards to meet at a joist though. I'm sure there aren't joists exactly 6ft apart. I'll just be painting afterwards so I can't really use tape over these gaps. Should I use screws or galvanised nails or doesn't it matter? Any other general tips or if anyone could point me in the direction of some kind of online guide. TIA John

Reply to
Nodge
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Why spend hours taping, filling, rubbing down and everything else when a plasterer will probably skim it for less than £100?

Use screws - they hold it tighter than nails, which tend to loosen during the hammering of adjacent nails. You'll have to trim the boards to suit the joists, unless you are really lucky and hit a joist or two without cutting..yes they should be staggered if it's being plastered, I don't suppose it matters if you are taping.

Have you taken the old boards down or are you going through them? - if you have taken them down, go over each joist carefully and remove all nails or knock them in, especially at the edges where it meets the wall - if they are staying up, buy 2 inch screws so that you get a good 'bite' into the joist.

Reply to
Phil L

Yep. Always best practice to stagger the joints to avoid propagation of a crack right along a surface.

Google this newsgroup; it often comes up. Unless you're really strapped, I'd do what Phil says and get it skimmed though.

David

Reply to
Lobster

I'm not sure two inch screws are necessary if the joists are in good condition. I've certainly had difficulty getting long screws in as they tended to bind.

In my house my joists were all uneven so I screwed on battens to the sides of the joists and made sure they were all level. I then screwed the boards to the battens. I probably could have done with putting some noggins in and thinking about it now maybe some insulation too. It's also a good time to think about rerouting cables and pipes if necessary.

If you're going to skim, some people say you should still tape as it prevents cracking but I wouldn't know whether that was true or not.

Reply to
adder1969

It's so quick and easy to apply self-adhesive scrim tape to the joints before skimming that IMHO it's simply not worth *not* doing

David

Reply to
Lobster

I thought the idea of tape was not to prevent cracking (as it doesn't) but it stops plaster falling out of the cracks when it _does_ crack.

Reply to
PeTe33

2 inch screws would be ludicrous, the screwdrivers clutch will start slipping when 3/4 inch is still protuding. 25mm is enough for 9mm boards.
Reply to
marvelus

Just done this in a bedroom. I used 6x3 boards, 12.5mm, square edge. find the 9.5mm boards flex too much when trying to balance it with on hand & screw it up with another. I used Wickes drywall screws 32m which come in a nice little plastic box. The boards should go 9 degrees to the joists - this will even out any slight uneveness of th joists over the length of the board. I cut a piece of timber to 1800m to find out where a complete board will land, & mark out on it to th middle of the nearest joist for the leading & end of the sheet. Yo then just mark this on the board (which will probably be at a bit of a angle as joists are rarely square). Much easier & accurate than using tape measure. Use the same bit of timber across the joists to judge th uneveness over the length of your board over the joists. I used a stri of 4mm pine & packed out the areas that were too low. Result is a fla & level ceiling. I also put a bit of cardboard between each sheet t ensure a gap between boards when fitted- the plaster will get pushe into the gap & make for a stronger joint less prone to cracks, bette than pushing the boards tight together. Stagger the joints if you can

-- Pufter

Reply to
Pufter

I take it the boards were skimmed ..that's why you used SE boards .?

Stuart

Reply to
Stuart

So the board takes up 9mm.l Then the plaster above takes up at least 15mm. And the laths bove that take another 5mm...this is almost 30mm, and we've still not arrived at the joists yet. no decent driver should 'bind' regardless of what length screws are going in and the clutch should be set so that it doesn't slip, mine has 10 settings

Reply to
Phil L

Who mentioned anything about boarding over lath and plaster?

Reply to
adder1969

Me in my first post to the OP, 'if you are leaving the old ceiling up'...without further information WRT the existing ceiling, it's better to go with longer screws than shorter....certainly 25 or 30mm would be useless, even if it's PB and not L&P

Reply to
Phil L

Reply to
marvelus

32mm would be fine through 2 layers of 9mm. I doubt you'd get many 50mm's to drive in without a pilot hole.
Reply to
marvelus

It is quire easy to plasterbaord a ceiling-

Ensure you stagger the joints like in this demo-

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tape the joints like this
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use screws to secure the boards like this
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use a hig powered cordless drill.

Finally ring a plasterer and get it skimmed

-- weekendwarrior

Reply to
weekendwarrior

joints! Okay, it's round a corner, but I'd still have staggered the boards...

David

Reply to
Lobster

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