Plasterboard - which side for skimming ?

[Mark Downey]

hi guys

just had the p[lasterboard delivered- so the question is which side for skimming grey or white ?

Mark

[Christian McArdle]

Either really, unless it is taper edge, where the tapers should be on the facing side. I use the white side. Most plasterboards actually suggest on them that you use the white side these days.

Christian.

[BigWallop]

Are they tapered edges? If they are, then the taper is faced out so it can be filled to hide joints. If they ain't, then it don't really matter one way or another.

[ben]

So your the one that done my ceiling? :-)

Cracks all along where the boards meet each other, because some 2nd rate plasterer has skimped on the matting that should cover the joins before plastering.

[BigWallop]

I was shown how to do Aimes Taping and fleece scratching in to old lath and plaster, so my ceilings are all nice and neat and smooth now. :-) My walls leave a lot to be desired though, but that's another job for a cold winters night. LOL

[Christian McArdle]

He said that it doesn't matter which way round, not that you shouldn't use scrim tape.

Christian.

[PC Paul]

Ha. We've got the matting on our ceiling joints and *that's* what's come off. So no cracks at the joins, just a 3" wide strip showing on every joint. I've toyed with injecting PVA under them and rolling them flat or something but the artex covering it appears solid and I worry I'd make it look worse...

[Andrew Gabriel]

Nowadays, the white side. (Actually, it's referred to as ivory, not white.) However, it doesn't make a lot of difference.

You normally use taper edge board when you aren't skimming it.

The scrim doesn't really stop cracking; it stops the plaster falling away when it does crack. To stop cracking, you have to prevent relative movement between the boards, which is really more down to how they are fixed up, if the edges are bonded, and if the support for them is rigid enough.

[Mark]

Explained previously in

[EC]

[Andrew Gabriel]

I think all plasterboard I've used in the last few years (except foil backed) has had appropriate instruction printed on the rear, e.g. "Decorate other side" or similar. I definately recall this on some Knauf board.