Drywall ceiling advice request

[Arthur]

Hello. I tore down a lath and plaster ceiling a while back and I'm ready to replace it with drywall.

The room is 4m by 3.4m (into the alcove). I was thinking of ordering 4 sheets of 12' x 4' and then fill in the remaining area with 8' x 3' sheets. This is to minimize the joins to fill in.

I've never drywalled a boggin thing before in my life. So if you can offer advice on any of the following, I'd appreciate it very much.

Tapered edge sheets/square edge ::.pros and cons?

In a pefect world I will be able to slap 2 coats of paint on it and it will look fantastic but whats the reality?

With a 10' high ceiling I'm gonna need to hire a panel lifter...Pros and cons..best deal?

But mostly concerned that the joists don't present a perfectly level surface and that it will result in dents or hollows to the finished surface. Advice on this please?

Thanks

Arthur.

[IMM]

Look at Fermacell. Pre-finished. All you need is use their filler in the gaps and screw holes. Two man job to put up as they are heavy. They also have good sound deadening qualities. Also while you are at it, before you put up the ceiling install Rockwool rigid batts in the void with a tight fit against the joists (75% fill from top to bottom). This will also reduce sound quite cheaply too. Fermacell is expensive, but you save the cost of an expensive plasterer, if you can get one, so works out cheaper and a far superior job.

[Grunff]

Certainly looks interesting. Have you used it yourself (or has anyone else here for that matter)? How much is a sheet?

[IMM]

I have used it. Brilliant stuff. For ceiling you get the thinner sheets. Depending on where you buy it, anything from £15 to £20 per 8x4 sheet. Overall cheaper than normal boards and a pro skimming. Certainly cheaper doing it yourself. No real wet skills needed at all, just use common sense and follow their guide. I think they issue a CDROM with fitting demo on it for free.

[Nick Brooks]

Can you really buy twelve foot sheets - they must be really heavy.

If your house is old enough to have lath and plaster, then the joists probably wont be spaced at 400mm centres so you'll end up cutting every sheet anyway.

Having just done a ceiling, it's much easier to use 1800 x 900 (6'x3') sheets as they are much easier to handle.

We had ours skimmed so could use loads of screws to hold them up which made life easier too. I bought an automatic feed screwdriver which I'll sell when I've done the other 5 ceilings that need doing

Nick Brooks