Plasterboarding

[Graham Jones]

Hello,

When plasterboarding a stud wall, should I fix just to the uprights or both the uprights and the noggins?

I'm thinking that it is probably better to fix anywhere there is part of the wooden structure underneath.

Thanks

Graham

[SantaUK]

A local joiner laughed when he saw my attempt at plasterboarding a stud wall I put up. I went for "screw it everywhere" approach, and it took more time and filler than I wanted!!!

[Allan Mac]

Just the uprights

[Cash]

Allan,

That's not what the Clerk of the Works said when I was building schools way back in the very early 70's and using plaster boards by the artic lorry load - it was "nail it to all the studding" son that's what it's there for, and stop farting about! He even made us fit all the noggins in a straight line, forcing us to skew-nail every on of the b*****ds on (and there were bloody hundreds - and all cut by hand) and put all the nails in evenly spaced and in straight lines! And don't forget to be a bloody mind reader and fit all the necessary noggins behind the boards for light fittings, toilet flushes, wash hand basins etc, etc, etc.

At least we didn't have to fill all those bloody nail holes in!

Ah, those were the days! Do I miss 'em? Not flamin' likely - but it certainly taught me a thing or two on cutting and fitting plasterboards. LOL

Now as for your "just the uprights" - not a really good idea - and why go to all that trouble of fitting noggins if you're not going to nail the boards to them? But I suppose plasterboard walls do have a little more character when they have the odd bouncy 'bows' between the uprights - as will happen given the right (or wrong) conditions and/or poor fitting.

Cash

[NT]

adding a screw on each nogging makes the plasterboard more rigid, reduces sound transmission. Its not vital though.

If its just a small job you may as well add noggings at useful heigths all round. That way you can fix anything wherever later, plus a bit better for sound. Also if you have any lumps of concrete, unwanted blocks etc, sit a row of them on your noggings, again it improves sound performance.

NT

[dom]

Much easier now with gas nailers and/or self-drilling screws.

I use a couple of spacers to set the noggins in at exactly the right height, nail from the top side, remove spacers, nail from the bottom side.

Yup, same here, again I've made up a spacer/jig to set radiator noggins/brackets and another for backboxes (and a template for marking and cutting the plasterboard cut out, prior to fixing).

Manufacturer data says fix every 400mm over the surface, and every

200mm at the edges. So, that's 7 screws (they're quick, and cheap enough now) up the centre stud (at 600mm) spacing, I then put two screws in each noggin (so actually 200mm spacing), then work my way around the edge.

That's a lot of screws, but the way I see it - do the early jobs to the very best of your ability, and the later jobs will turn out much better and with less effort.

Have done 85 sheets this way in the chapel conversion I'm doing. Pity I've got a back injury though. From now on, someone(s) else will shift and fix the plasterboard.