Making good a hole in plasterboard

Martynt74

Martynt74

Martynt74

Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
Posts
23,160
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
I had some blown plaster on a wall where there are some central heating pipes, presumably the heat caused the issue. I had thought it might've been a leak but there's no water stains so i think it's just heat.

I cut away the plasterboard affected with the view to reboard it up and skim over it.

Having cut it out, it seems that part of whats caused the bulge is that the pipes stick out further than the thickness of the plasterboard. So as they move and expand it's pushing away from the blockwork and into the plasterboard.

L4AR415.png



I'm wondering what the best way to fix this is. I can't just stick a new piece of plasterboard over it as it'd end up stick out and not being flush. I know you can get thinner plasterboard but i think this might still be too thick once you put a skim over it.

Do i get some 3mm plywood to stick in the hole and then skim over that? Would that even work? Even then i think it'd end up bulging out slightly.

The other option is to just whack a huge pile of flexible sealant/filler in there, let it dry and skim over the top, but thats a terrible idea for any future maintenance and i don't even think it'd work!

Any other ideas that i've not thought of?
 
What's behind the pipes? It looks like a T-connector on both the pipes.

Ideally you need to recess the pipes further so you can fix the plasterboard without any issue reoccurring.

That may mean chasing out the block behind and shorting the pipe which branches off the t-connector. Or there may be enough flex on the pipe to push it further back.
 
You know that dread that the first response is the one you're hoping people don't respond with :p

There doesn't feel like there's much flex in the pipes to move, so i assumed that the work involved in doing that would be to remove the various connectors, drain the system and then re-do, i think that might be a little beyond what i'd be comfortable with so would probably get someone out.

I'm wondering whether some kind of push-fit fittings might have a smaller circumference and so wouldn't stick out as much as these fittings. Would still need the systems draining though.


EDIT - Few more images below showing it from different angles. The pipes run right along the blockwork so trying to push the T connectors further in might not be possible as it would involve a lot more adjustment i imagine

CyrRLhn.png


O4nbICj.png
 
Looks like you need to remove some of the block so it can go back as already mentioned. I looked for thinner connectors and they all seem to have the same sort of general shape at the joints, so you may be out of luck in that regard
 
Stick a picture over it? :p

You're not really meant to bury push fit fittings. I'd personally look at ripping them out and replacing them with solvent weld fittings which are less likely to leak. They also have a much smaller profile so should let you flatten the wall as well. However it looks like you don't have much room to work there which would make it.. fun.
 
I would just carve out some of the back of the piece of plasterboard you took out and just put it back or do the same with a new piece. Skim over it all with some Easy Fill and paint.

You could probably describe it as a ‘bodge’ but fixing that correctly would require that whole section to be reengineered and is a huge job. Those push fit fixings shouldn’t really be used on dot dab sections because they are so big, they don’t actually fit correctly in the cavity as you have found out. They are fine for studs or under the floor where size doesn’t really matter. It might be easier to swap that section for copper than chase out the block work but to be honest I’d just leave it and make the wall as good as you can.
 
Alternatively, put some deep section coving up and then only patch up the bit where the pipes aren't :-)
 
I would fit a piece of plasterboard over the section with parts cut out where the pipes stick out most significantly. The resulting holes I would fill with expanding foam and then cut the excess foam back to a depth below the plasterboard. Finally I would use jointing compound to skim over the whole thing and hopefully get a decent finish. Will be weak in places but only small areas and easily repaired again if accidentally damaged.
 
shoddy cowboy builders always takin short cuts whenever they can, how long has that been there for?

so I reckon you'll prob need someone in by the sounds of it, if you're going to go for copper piping instead.

maybe first try taking some of that block away and see if it moves
 
rubberduck said:
I would fit a piece of plasterboard over the section with parts cut out where the pipes stick out most significantly. The resulting holes I would fill with expanding foam and then cut the excess foam back to a depth below the plasterboard. Finally I would use jointing compound to skim over the whole thing and hopefully get a decent finish. Will be weak in places but only small areas and easily repaired again if accidentally damaged.
Click to expand...

This is a slightly better version of what I was trying to say.

This is the filler you’ll want to use:
https://www.diy.com/departments/gyp...iller-jointing-compound-5kg-bag/143937_BQ.prd
 
Coving might be your best friend here. I think it should cover the pipes anyway. I used to use gyproc 127mm C profile and that was 73mm each direction from the corner IIRC.
 
Save yourself some time on the plaster and buy this. I needed to do a lot of fixing on the kitchen (build thread soon) and bought a tub, its really really good

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-ready-mixed-plaster-white-10kg/23226?_requestid=472833

Personally if you can get a 3mm or so piece of ply or something in there and enough gap to blend in the plaster I would do that.
probably worth keeping it open for a while, running the heating etc and checking it definately doesnt leak

If ever it seems to blow again you now know what your dealing with
 
Cheers everyone.

As for how long it's been like that. The extension was built in around 2008 by the previous owners and so it's just got worse since we've been in.

I cut the plasterboard out a while back to keep an eye on things. I've had kitchen roll wraped around it to keep checking for any leaks, issue being that the heating hasn't been kicking in due to the warm weather, so hard to know for sure.

I quite like the expanding foam/plasterboard solution. I also need some expanding foam for another project so will have it handy. Yes it's a botch, but the work involved in doing it properly isn't something i want to commit to at the moment and doesn't feel like it is worth it. Maybe if this solution goes bad again at least i can approach it at a later date and i don't imagine things will escalate with not doing a proper job.


A picture was my initial plan, but it's right at the ceiling line on a sloped roof so i'm not sure i could get that past the wife :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom