Filling hole in plastered wall

[rbel]

I need to remove a serving hatch from an internal block wall finished with plaster and emulsion. I intend to remove the architrave around the hatchway, fix batten to the interior of the recess and plasterboard to the batten. The existing plaster finish to the wall is very good and I want to end up with the same quality finish.

I have a couple of questions - I imagine that I need to skim over the plasterboard patch to get a good matching finish prior to painting but do I need to apply plasterboard tape around the joint between plasterboard and adjacent wall? Surely this will produce a slight ridge on the existing wall unless I re-skim a significant area of the wall. Is it possible just to use filler around the joint flush with both surfaces?

[JimK]

I've had good results doing similar by chipping off abt 1-2 inches of plaster around the hole, then apply mesh plasterboard tape over the join, skim over and feather onto old part. Try your hardest to feather it whilst wet speaying with water (plant sprayer) rather than sanding when set... Some will advocate PVA here and there but I've never bothered and never regretted so far.

Cheers JimKK

[The Medway Handyman]

Chipping off a couple on inches all round will give a better job. Plaster tends to curve upwards slightly towards openings, something to do with the trowel action I guess.

[JimK]

a good point.

Cheers JimK

[Lobster]

I'd be inclined to fill the hole with more blocks rather than plasterboard, to be honest. No matter how good you get the finish now, I'd say it's a dead cert that a crack will eventually appear around the perimeter of the hole, at the interface between the different materials making up the wall.

David

[rbel]

Interesting point - unfortunately I have already filled the other side of the hatchway using batten, plasterboard and tiles and this does not leave sufficient depth to fit blocks.

-- rbel

[rbel]

I had not thought of this solution - I imagine that this is likely to produce a better long term solution than just using joint filler.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I'll second this approach.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Shutter it up ad use concrete ;-)