Falling through plasterboard

Having just pulled a load down in the garage, and broken it up by stamping on it, I have to say that I wouldn't risk walking on it myself :-) The nails weaken it somewhat. And if it should be damp...

OK, please do us all a favour, go up into your attic and jump on the ceiling of the floor below, preferably with one leg either side of a joist. Don't bother reporting the result.

I wouldn't walk across a large area of it. But held between 2 foot apart joists, it works fine. I wouldn't carry something heavy or put a sudden load on it though.

Who said anything about jumping? People allegedly fall through it without doing so.

Which thickness of plasterboard?

When in a loft and falling off a joist your foot will stamp hard through the ceiling plasterboard. You are not applying you weight gently or evenly.

I'm not really surprised by that, but try standing on the edge of a supported piece. It may start to crack.

Just standard household 12mm stuff.

Falling off a joist?! The joists are only 4 inches higher than the plasterboard.

"The edge of a supported piece"? You mean right next to the joist? I'd say that was the strongest part.

No, I mean the middle of the edge that isn't supported. What I'd guess is the weakest part. I expect that if you trod on an unsupported join, you'd go through.

Why on earth would I have an unsupported join? The edges are always attached to a joist or a crosspiece. To not do so is asking for the ceiling paint to crack.

No crosspieces in my loft. Just taped up.

This house (Bett 1979) seems to be belt and braces everywhere.

Prick.

Prick.

Prick.

It might turn out like the time I fell through the ceiling.

Many years ago I was woken by a noise in the loft. So up I went. It turned out to be a starling. The bastard landed on my glasses and knocked them off and I fell. One leg went into the landing and one leg into the bedroom - right where the metal capping for the bedroom light switch was sticking up through the ceiling and it cut me all the way up my thigh.

The starling came out of the loft hatch, flew around a bit taking the piss before the cat caught it.

So you're fat enough to break TWO pieces of plasterboard simultaneously.

What is "metal capping"? Above my lightswitches is just some twin and earth coming up through the wall and along to the light.

How the f*ck did a bird that big get into your attic in the first place?