Can you attach plasterboards horizontally?

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doomageta

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Hi All,

Back for some more wiseness to be sent my way. I have a tiny room 2.6mx2.6m (about 2.8m high) that needs plasterboards put up. I have 3mx1.2m plasterboard sheets.
Assuming I use the existing studs that are left after removing the old L+P that made the wall, when i install these...

If I install the sheets vertically, I will have a ridiculously small length that i will need to cut to fill the gap (only between 2 adjacent studs) and i will also need to cut the previous board to accommodate this. (obviously i can't attach a strip 200mm wide and 2.8m high into thin air)
If i install them horizontally (which is something i have never seen done although i have limited experience with this) it should make things a bit easier.

So i just wanted to check if this is crazy talk to even contemplate doing it this way or any building practice that states it should be done vertically (although i haven't come across that).

Thanks in advance for the advice...

Dooma
 
That's all they do in the States, fix boards horizontally. I do it if the stud spacing is all to cock too.
 
No probs doing it that way, sometimes the stud isn't set out for boards and you get less waste putting them horizontally. We did this the other day in a loft conversion. Put one row from the floor, another row pushed up to the ceiling and put strips along the centre (breaking the joints).
 
Rhys said:
No probs doing it that way, sometimes the stud isn't set out for boards and you get less waste putting them horizontally. We did this the other day in a loft conversion. Put one row from the floor, another row pushed up to the ceiling and put strips along the centre (breaking the joints).
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do not do this. you will have a fault in the middle of the wall.
 
Not sure about the staggering. Can i not just start from the bottom (with an offsett of 100mm) and attach the first sheet which will cover the entire width of the wall and up to a height of 1.2m. Then do the same thing again with the second sheet which will give me overall cover for the entire width and up to 2.4m. Finally cut a last sheet so it measures 300mm X 2.6m which will close the gap at the top.
What would the role of the stagering be?
 
yeh if it goes all the way across but put the full board at the top and work down that way your last cut doesnt have to be spot on coz of your skirting.
 
What size skirting boards you using?

Edit: You beat me to it Flynny :RpS_mellow:
 
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Alright great thanks. Didn't think i would get a reply so late/early. I can now get ready for a long day of hard work. Thanks Guys.
 
flynnyman said:
yeh if it goes all the way across but put the full board at the top and work down that way your last cut doesnt have to be spot on coz of your skirting.
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Don't do this either in this instance. Start with a full board at the bottom and have the cut at the top of the wall. You dont want the join 400mm from the floor, when you fix the skirts it may crack. Might not of course, it depends how good the studs are and how you fix but no point taking the chance.
 
hmm...good point DannyMac however, it is done already now. Hopefully the 2000 screws that we put in will keep everything nice and tight. Also they are 15mm deep sheets so quite sturdy.

Yes NPS i will be skiiming it. Should be easier that the rest of the house i had to do. Skimming over old L+P walls and ceilings. Will be applying some tape over the joints first of course and some PVA. Hopefully it won't look too bad.

Thanks to Everyone, all the way up from Dundee.

Dooma
 
malc said:
do not do this. you will have a fault in the middle of the wall.
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Really? We were using 6x3 1/2" Firelines and noggins ran central - the strip was about 11" wide. No skirting going on. I can imagine a bit if flex etc. with normal boards especially 3/8ths.
 
doomageta said:
hmm...good point DannyMac however, it is done already now. Hopefully the 2000 screws that we put in will keep everything nice and tight. Also they are 15mm deep sheets so quite sturdy.

Yes NPS i will be skiiming it. Should be easier that the rest of the house i had to do. Skimming over old L+P walls and ceilings. Will be applying some tape over the joints first of course and some PVA. Hopefully it won't look too bad.

Thanks to Everyone, all the way up from Dundee.

Dooma
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Don't worry, it'll probably be fine. Especially with 15mm boards.
 
Rhys said:
Really? We were using 6x3 1/2" Firelines and noggins ran central - the strip was about 11" wide. No skirting going on. I can imagine a bit if flex etc. with normal boards especially 3/8ths.
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the strength in any sheet of plasterboard is the bonded edge.with your method you have a cut edge in the centre of the wall which is a weak point therefore a fault.
 
malc said:
the strength in any sheet of plasterboard is the bonded edge.with your method you have a cut edge in the centre of the wall which is a weak point therefore a fault.
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I could agree with that, using boards vertically any joints if the ceiling is higher than 8' you are putting 2 non-bound edges together, bound edges are jointed onto the same timber. Horizontally, non-bound edges are jointed onto the same timber (minimising failure) whilst bound edges are butted together. When putting a strip in this way there is only one non-bound edge butted for the same height.
 
But putting a strip at the top would be better I agree (we did it because of the angle of the roof, putting a strip at the top would mean the end would have to carry without a fastening)
 
Or you could just have the strip at the top and have no unbound edges together.

Why do you prefer the strip in the middle?
 
if i was tacking a wall over 2.4 in hight i would place the the first board on the floor, horizontal , then have turned the boards up right.[ you can order boards over 2.4 in length]
 
lol
Don't prefer it tbh, usually always put strips at the top plus a small bridge at the bottom. On this job the floor was out, the ceiling was out - there was no skirting going on and we couldn't get anything bigger than a 6x3 up the stairs. So we butted boards tight to the ceiling and to the floor then cut to fit the middle.

I have to say though skimming the wall (Fireline boards) was very enjoyable. One stroke top to bottom with no water on the flatten and practically no water on the second. Ran my trowel across from one end to the other twice and it came out lovely.
 
Rhys said:
lol
Don't prefer it tbh, usually always put strips at the top plus a small bridge at the bottom. On this job the floor was out, the ceiling was out - there was no skirting going on and we couldn't get anything bigger than a 6x3 up the stairs. So we butted boards tight to the ceiling and to the floor then cut to fit the middle.

I have to say though skimming the wall (Fireline boards) was very enjoyable. One stroke top to bottom with no water on the flatten and practically no water on the second. Ran my trowel across from one end to the other twice and it came out lovely.
Click to expand...

Are you challenging longstroke to be the biggest stroker on here ryhs..........:-0 get some really tiny pics up so we cant see how good your work is marra.....................:RpS_thumbup:
 
Better late than never...my phone's gone and i have had trouble getting my picture off. Hopefully nothing majorly wrong will be on there...well besides the bad habit of taking chunks out of studs. It is from having to deal with L+P...it seems to be the only way i found to make adding new sockets work. Before and after picture although, i did add a few noggins where the top kitchen units will go up. I will soon come back with another query for the other side of the wall and some D&D...Actually how much of a gap do you get (between front of solid wall and back of plasterboard) when u D&D? I have some 35mm deep knock out boxes so, i was wondering whether they would stick out. And how much pressure to apply on the wall which will of course influence the previous question/answer.
Can you attach plasterboards horizontally?Can you attach plasterboards horizontally?Can you attach plasterboards horizontally?Can you attach plasterboards horizontally?
 
DannyMac said:
Needs a few more screws.
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Yeah i know, OCD mode kicked in and i could not stop...my screw fetish knows no boundaries!!! ;)
So you reckon D&D takes about 10mm. I have already placed all the boxes on and ran cables through 20mm PVC conduit. So i actually need to leave a gap about 20mm+ deep if I D&D as it is.
If the dots are "bigger" (stick out more) would that give me enough contact knowing i can only press them down to about 20mm of the solid wall? Difficult to answer i know without actually seeing it but, i will not have time to correct the knockout boxes depth before my handy helper comes in.

Alternative is, i delay everything and install some battens maybe 47mm*20mm or thereabouts (in stock) nail them to the wall and screw the boards onto that. However, the battens would possibly have areas where they are discontinued due to the hor/vert PVC conduit.

Anyway thanks for the advice and i will make sure to put twice as many screws, if that is what i go for!
Have a nice day.
 
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