New plasterboard but no joist

[Andrew May]

Box-room ceiling is still the original strawboard covered in woodchip wallpaper. All other ceilings in the house have been covered with plasterboard and I have just done the same here. Plasterboard is screwed into the joists through the existing strawboard. However on the outside wall there is no joist. It looks as if the strawboard was put up before the walls were plastered so are supported at the ends. This option is, of course, not open to me.

From what I can see there are several ways of approaching this:-

1) Ignore it, and hope that the screws into the adjacent joist are sufficient.

2) Screw into the strawboard with some suitable type of fixing designed for fixing to plasterboard.

3) Glue the end to the strawboard using something like No More Nails.

4) Screw into a new batten in the loft.

As far as I can see 1) is a non-starter, 2) looks a bit suspect, 3) three might work but by preference would be for 4)

Am I missing anything? Is there anything else I should consider?

Andrew

[Cicero]

================================== You could have used the wall plaster to support the plasterboard by cutting out a small channel at the top of the wall into which the plasterboard would have fitted as the original strawboard did. Since that's no longer an option (unless you feel like re-doing the job) you could attach a decorative wooden batten along the wall to support the plasterboard. If you don't like the look of the wooden batten you could cover it with a cornice or even use a cornice alone.

Cic.

[Andrew May]

Well that's one option I hadn't considered. I do need to take down what is already up there to turn it around because I mistakenly assumed that when it said 'plaster other side only' it meant paint this side. As it is only a box-room I see no point it getting it skimmed.

Actually thinking about it further that probably isn't going to work. I would have to move the board a little into the new gap and that would open up the same problem at the other end where it is currently held by the new plasterboard on a new wall.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Andrew