New Build Advice Please.

I imagine there is a day or two rectifying involved before skimming plus you would take up a day or two talking all the time so would add 4 days to the job that’s all I’m saying so not a big extra but neither complete saving for you boarding it yourself if you was really counting the pennies expecting that part to be completely lost from your final bill :p

PS welcome to the forum
Thanks for that. I'm considering pausing my boarding as I've finished a couple of area's and getting a plasterer in to see what they think and get a price for both boarded and not. The only downside is that I do not like getting trades out as it obviously costs them time / money and I may decide not to go with them. That's one of the reasons for coming on here to try and get some good advice and forum members can choose if they wish to spend time replying.
Thanks for the welcome!
 
Comparing glue to dot and dab.this Place is bonkers.you try scrape glue off a stud then try the same with dot and dab with the same force
I often do tests such as this when deciding how to tackle things. In fact I did text the glue on plasterboard to OSB interface and it was impossible to separate after a few days. However I appreciate that OSB is likely more receptive to the glue so I will set up a text on one of my stud walls and provide the results..
I did try to remove a board from the ceiling the other day after it had been glued and screwed for about an hour. I removed all the screws and it took a great deal of pressure to pull the unscrewed board off. In fact in many places the paper ripped off the back of the board not the timber.
 
Thanks for that. I'm considering pausing my boarding as I've finished a couple of area's and getting a plasterer in to see what they think and get a price for both boarded and not. The only downside is that I do not like getting trades out as it obviously costs them time / money and I may decide not to go with them. That's one of the reasons for coming on here to try and get some good advice and forum members can choose if they wish to spend time replying.
Thanks for the welcome!
Quotes are free
 
if there's a gap of 3mm or more then it should be pre-filled before plastering. Not with foam or whatever, but with plaster, by the plasterer. If there's lots of it expect to pay a bit extra..
OK, I thought 3mm was the max but the other day when my friend got his done the plasterer just put mesh over all gaps and then skimmed. Some of the gaps were 20mm wide and 20mm deep. Surely this will cuse issues in the future? Should the pre-filled gaps be left to set before the skim coat?
Stop using glue on the studs it's utterly pointless, use the saved time to measure twice, cut once and end up with fewer gaps.
Ditch the dimple bits for your driver and buy a proper collated screwgun, 100% money well spent.
Do not under any circumstances scrim or bead up for the plasterer.
I'll have to start measuring 3 or 4 times I think!
My mate's a joiner and has a first fix and second fix screwgun, will one of these do or is it a specialist boarders too?
I will not scrim or bead anywhere.
Thanks again for help! (y) (y)
 
OK, I thought 3mm was the max but the other day when my friend got his done the plasterer just put mesh over all gaps and then skimmed. Some of the gaps were 20mm wide and 20mm deep. Surely this will cuse issues in the future? Should the pre-filled gaps be left to set before the skim coat?

I'll have to start measuring 3 or 4 times I think!
My mate's a joiner and has a first fix and second fix screwgun, will one of these do or is it a specialist boarders too?
I will not scrim or bead anywhere.
Thanks again for help! (y) (y)
Well ideally there shouldn't be a 3mm gap, but everyone is human and make mistakes. There definitely shouldn't be 20mm gaps, if I cut a board and end up with a gap of 5mm I just shrug my shoulders and cut a new bit of board, taking more care.
Yes the filled gaps should be allowed to set, but that'll only happen if you've agreed to pay the plasterer for doing so, we're not charities.
A screwgun is a specific tool for sheet materials, you really want a collated one.
 
@essexandy has gave you some good advice,you might aswell carrying on with the boarding,yes you have some gaps but there not as bad as what I've come across before,just take your time with the measuring and cutting any gaps to be filled just ask your plasterer to pre fill them and let them set,any big gaps I come across ive always filled and bed some scrim into it and left it to set will be abit more money as it's more prep for the plasterer but shouldn't break your pension pot
 
@essexandy has gave you some good advice,you might aswell carrying on with the boarding,yes you have some gaps but there not as bad as what I've come across before,just take your time with the measuring and cutting any gaps to be filled just ask your plasterer to pre fill them and let them set,any big gaps I come across ive always filled and bed some scrim into it and left it to set will be abit more money as it's more prep for the plasterer but shouldn't break your pension pot
Don't think sparkys earn enough for a pension pot :LOL:
 
Thanks for advice superspread.
I'm also confused as to why I would pay more if I board out to an acceptable?
I have asked the question but at the moment I can only assume it may be that the plasterer may loose a mark up on the materials? However I nearly always buy all the materials myself as it's a new build so I can claim the VAT back and also it keeps their turnover down for the trades.
Take no notice of the bengals on here! You won’t pay extra , most on here work on a lot worse boarding than that and don’t charge extra, but I’ve been doing this 40 years what do I know!
 
Take no notice of the bengals on here! You won’t pay extra , most on here work on a lot worse boarding than that and don’t charge extra, but I’ve been doing this 40 years what do I know!
Well you don't know that galvanising won't come off with a light rub from sandpaper.lol
Are you the same age as me Andy, 56? I'll have been doing this 40 years come September.
 
Well you don't know that galvanising won't come off with a light rub from sandpaper.lol
Are you the same age as me Andy, 56? I'll have been doing this 40 years come September.
Yea I’m 56 also, started with the old man when I was 17 , he had 6/7 spreads working for him

And definitely the galv bleeds if u give them a rub ;-)
 

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You have done such a good job of the plasterboarding why don't you skim it you self?
Mix plaster, use a cement mixer, you will get a better mix, apply to ceilings and walls it will level it's self, somebody of your skill level, should be easy.
Any problems just post a request, with photos.
 
Hi all,

I am a first time self builder attempting to do most of the work myself and I have just started to board out my house.
As with most of the tasks I have undertaken to date I have found that you can get a reasonable amount of knowledge before you start a job from the tech guys and from general googling but then you find that you have more specific questions and a reasonable amount of conflicting advice.
Hence this call for help!
I have no intention to do any plastering and I have not yet chosen a plaster yet but I would like to ensure that all of the boarding is done to a high standard that will prevent future issues and make the plasterers life as easy as possible.
I have approx. 370 boards to do in total so any advantage I can get is going to make a big difference.

So here goes including photo's of my work so far showing some of my amateur / learning mistakes.....

For the stud walls and ceilings I am using screws but also a tube of grip adhesive on all joists and also along the edges of all boards so once they are butted up they are theoretically glued together.
View attachment 63054
It does take longer and costs more but I believe that it can only help as long as it will not cause me any issues.
I am also using lots of screws, possible more than what is the norm, will this weaken the board?
Any thoughts appreciated.


Should any gaps >?mm between the boards and at the junctions etc be pre-filled with the appropriate filler before taping / skimming?

View attachment 63048View attachment 63050

Should any loose paper / crushed board be cut out / removed?
Do I need to do anything where the paper edges of the board are not clean cut?
Should I be using blue grit anywhere, for example of the timber that is visible in the gaps?


I would also appreciate any advice on cutting the boards as when I cut and snap I find that the backing paper starts to pull away from the back of the boards.
I have tried only snapping back a little but no matter what I do the paper still comes away.

View attachment 63049
I have taken to cutting all the way through the board and or scoring both sides before snapping but these both add a significant amount of time.
Am I doing something wrong?
Do I need to worry about the paper coming away?


When cutting the boards I am creating a reasonable amount of offcuts, especially as my first area was quite a complicated shaped corridor.
I have been trying to use these offcuts as much as possible but I am aware that there is a balance between the cost of the boards and the added cost / complication of more joins etc.
At what size offcut should I just accept it’s for the skip?
Any thoughts?

For the outlets I am unsure as to how to prep for the plasterer.
I have experienced issues in the past with cracking etc around sockets and I want to minimise this risk.
I have tried a few ides so far.
On some of the walls I can fit the back box so that the face of it is level with the timber and therefore I could leave any cutting until after skimming, would this help?
Alternatively I have cut a small hole in the centre in some area’s so I know where they are, would this help the plasterer?View attachment 63052
On the DnD walls I can attempt to keep the cut as tight as possible and ensure that adhesive is placed around them to support the board.
View attachment 63051
I could use the socket beads if they are worth it?


When should I be using paper for the joins and when mesh tape?
Most of the tech guys state tape but most plasterers, in my limited experience, seem to use mesh.
Is it a case of using mesh for bigger gaps so that the plaster can penetrate and fill the gap or should all gaps be filled in advance?


What are peoples thoughts on wall boarding horizontally?
I’ve read a few articles on the benefits which include…
Fewer seams - Horizontal hanging reduces the lineal footage of seams by about 25%. Keeping the footage of seams to a minimum will result in less taping and a better looking finished job.
Hides uneven studs -Hanging horizontally also allows the drywall to flow over the framing so that bowed studs create less of a problem. If the drywall were hung vertically and a seam placed on a bowed out stud, the seam would be magnified because of the bump in the wall.
Easier to finish - A horizontal seam 48 inches or 54 inches off the floor is easier to finish uniformly, especially when compared to a vertical seam, which requires reaching up high and bending down low to finish.


Most of the time I have been using the special plasterboard screwdriver bits, if I just screw in until it stops driving the screw it does seem to countersink quite far but does not break the paper. I think it achieves this by the outer rim of the bit compressing the board around the hole.
Is this correct I should I stop screwing earlier?
Do the black or zinc screws require any priming before plastering?

Does it matter how long plasterboard is on the walls before skimming?

Some DnD specific questions….....

Should I be placing a full line of adhesive along all edges of the boards?
I know I should for skirting and I think I need to at the top but what about the vertical joins?


How important is it that the total wall ends up plumb?
This may sound like a daft question but it’s based on my experience of having to find a compromise whilst tiling and the difficulty of achieving a perfectly flat service.
I have watched several videos and they all seem to show how to get one board nice and plumb but never mention the next few boards, surely even a small variation in the starting angle on the first board could result in the last board of a long run being significantly out from the wall.
I have toyed with the idea of using pre drawn datum lines on the floor, walls, ceiling etc and even adding some form of battens to work too, or building string.
I understand the basic principle of finding the high spot on the wall and working from that but most DnD I have seen done they seem to just start from one wall and work across hitting the board with a straight edge and using a spirit level whilst showing no regard to the subsequent boards wall until they get there.

I have read and am fairly confident that I should be PVA’ing the block walls before DnDing.
I am using approx.. 4-1 mix which I think is OK.
Should I do the full wall or just where I am going to apply the adhesive?
Does it work on aircrete blocks as well as the traditional blocks?

Also a couple of question about the final skimming and what is deemed acceptable.....
My friend has recently had an extension skimmed and I have been popping down on a regular basis to have a look.
The plaster, who I am considering using, did all of the DnDing and my friend did the ceiling.
Things I noticed that I was concerned about included….
Gaps of up to 20mm wide and deep being mesh taped over and then skimmed with no pre filling.
Visible mesh after the final skim coat that can be felt.
Visible angle bead on angel bead joins and not particularly joined well.
Gaps in the plasterboard that the plasterer cut around the sockets of up to 10mm, subsequently the skimming filled these but a couple have already cracked.
When I put a 2m straight edge on one of the walls the middle was about 3mm out.
I am aware that I am a bit of a perfectionist so are my concerns justified?

Other photo's....

View attachment 63053View attachment 63055View attachment 63056View attachment 63058

Any general comments about any issues in any of my photo's that I have missed are most welcome and I can upload bigger photo's if that helps.

Any help much appreciated.
How do you intend to fix your beads mate?
 
Get yourself a board lifter mate and a pack of plastic wedges will help massively with the gaps.. Youre doing fine seen alot worse.. Dont board to far ahead without getting the plasterer close behind the olfer the boards quicker the suction will be..
 
Get yourself a board lifter mate and a pack of plastic wedges will help massively with the gaps.. Youre doing fine seen alot worse.. Dont board to far ahead without getting the plasterer close behind the olfer the boards quicker the suction will be..
Got a lifter mate and plenty wedges from when I fitted the windows. Thanks for the help! (y)
 
Not read the thread but The boarding is shocking on the first picture , I wouldn’t be interested, in situations like this I just walk off as it’s impossible to start explaining everything to someone doing there own stuff and shouldn’t have too
Good luck
 
Not read the thread but The boarding is shocking on the first picture , I wouldn’t be interested, in situations like this I just walk off as it’s impossible to start explaining everything to someone doing there own stuff and shouldn’t have too
Good luck
Are you having a bad day Peter?
 
Went to view a local new build yesterday and the plastering looks spot on. Painter and decorator was there and he also gave the thumbs up so I spoke to the plasterer this morning and he's coming to view later today. Will get an on site opinion of my handy work and whether I should continue or let him do it all.
 
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