Plasterboard filler

[KD]

Hi all, Yet again I've ended up with a hole that's too big for the fixing in a plasterboard wall. Now usually I just fill this with one of the Polycell ready made fillers from a tube and look elsewhere to drill but ... this time I really need to use this hole. I can't use a toggle fixing 'cos there only a tiny gap between the plasterboard and the brick behind. Is there a filler that people would recommend that would render the filled hole suitable for drilling and refixing where it would be just as strong as before ? Any help would be much appreciated. I do hate plasterboard with a passion, almost as much as the screw in fixings that I manage to demolish the stuff with :-(

Thanks, Keith

[Andrew Gabriel]

Why not drill and plug the wall behind?

[The Natural Philosopher]

If you can do it, glue a piece of wood to the reaeer with car body filler. Sometimes these can be slid thriogh and positinobned against some cballed up newspares or insulation long enough for teh resin to set.

Then fill with plaster, and drrill, knowing you have a plate behind.

I tend to take the 'short way is longer by far' approach and hack out the board to get to the local studs, mal or screw wood to those, and re-plasterboard. A quick load od PolySlkim and an orbital snader gets things even and a later of farrow and ball emulsion restores pristinity..

THEN you can attach things with no hassle.

SWMBO has now realised that when I say 'it will take 4 datys to put up that curtain pole. I am

(i) Not joking (ii) Not avoiding the job. (iii) the result will be worth the wait.

In my life I have fixed many things from toys, to cars, and houses.

I have a motto 'when in doubt. rip it out'.

Its nearly always infinitely quicker to cut back to the sound and replace, than bodge what is there..

[Lurch]

On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 07:33:00 +0100, in uk.d-i-y "KD" strung together this:

I'd use a longer screw and and rawlpug and fix to the brick behind.

[Kevin]

Depending exactly how big you've made the hole, these may do the job :-

've used them before and they will hold quite a lot of weight.

[Christian McArdle]

If it is that close, use long screws and a brown plug into the brick. Wedge/glue some sort of offcut behind the plasterboard to prevent it being pushed back by whatever you are attaching when you tighten up.

Christian.

[KD]

Cheers Kevin, It was nylon version of this that did the damage. These are unfortunately the same width so gain no purchase on the surrounding plaster. I've got loads of the heavy duty ones with toggles and they're brilliant but only when you've got a suitable cavity :-(

Thanks, Keith

[KD]

Hi Andy, 'Cos fundamentally I'm a bit lazy but it looks like I'll have to do some investigation to check that (a) it is breeze block behind and (b) that the long screws I've got a be used to hang the speakers off. The speakers have a smaller keyhole bracket which requires a small screw head.

Thanks, Keith

[Christian McArdle]

Call me overcautious, but I'd never hang speakers off plasterboard. I limit plasterboard fixings to clocks and wall thermostats etc.

For this, I'd cut out sufficient plasterboard to enable a block of wood to be firmly affixed using screws and brown plugs, without being visible outside the footprint of the bracket. I'd then attach the speaker bracket directly to the wood using the chunkiest screws that will fit in the holes. If the bracket had a small footprint, then it might get more tricky, as you need a reasonably large area to prevent the wood drooping downwards under the weight.

Christian.

[KD]

Cheers Christian, I normally wouldn't but these are just bipolar rears (not more than a couple of kilos) and I've hung similar ones off screws before with no problems - they just have the keyhole style fittings. Anything heavier including brackets and it would be a different story.

Thanks, Keith

[Pete C]

Hi,

Why not prime the hole with epoxy which will soak into the plasterboard and help bind it together, then using thickened epoxy set a rawlplug into the hole.

Drilling some very small holes at an angle around the larger one will help to lock the epoxy into the hole, and if you warm the plasterboard before applying the first coat it will help it soak in.

Could be worthwhile to do a trial with different thickeners before filling the hole, 'Cabosil' (fumed silica) is a good one, and BTW uncured epoxy is nasty stuff so wear some suitable gloves to stop it getting on your hands.

cheers, Pete.

[KD]

unfortunately

Cheers Pete. I got a bit brutal with the drill and have fixed breeze block plugs into whatever is at the rear - it didn't feel like plasterboard and it didn't require much force so I've no idea what was behind. Probably cornflakes knowing these builders :-)

Keith