Plasterboard Ceiling

[Rich55]

Looking for a bit of guidance here from anyone that may have done this before! My plasterer has let me down for the last time with constant dates being changed over the last few weeks which has been delaying me being able to proceed with the rest of my kitchen fitting.

So following a rewire of the house the sparky removed the artexed plasterboard ceiling due to the amount of wiring he was going to be running through there. As a result a new plasterboard ceiling needs to be put in place so that we can proceed with the rest of the work that needs to be done.

The original plan was for the plasterer to put a plasterboard ceiling and skim it, however following his latest let down I have started to research this myself to see if its something I would be happy to give a go myself. It looks like between myself and a helping hand I should be able to give this a go and at least get it sorted this month rather than trying to get a new plasterer sorted.

Couple of photos to show the current ceiling

Spoiler

Spoiler

My current plan is;

- Put up 4 sheets of moisture panel tapered edge plasterboard
- Tape the joints and skim with jointing compound
- Sand down and paint

So couple of questions if people are able to answer them or point me in the right direction;

- Should I consider putting up a new vapour barrier and spacing out the insulation a little better where it is missing?
- Is it necessary to skim the whole thing or with it being a ceiling is it possible to get a decent enough finish painting on to plasterboard

Anything else I need to consider? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[lsg1r]

Your plan is pretty similar to what we did with ours when we did our extension etc. I would suggest 3 people or 2 plus some sort of support (we made one from 2x4 wood in a kind of 'T' shape) for the plasterboard if you're using the larger boards, they're not light when you'll be putting in screws or nails to hold it up. You might want to check if building regs need you to use insulated plasterboards too.

Insulation - we filled in all the gaps and don't have any plastic sheeting on the internal ceilings, the external pitch roof ceiling is the polystyrene type insulation under roof lining etc.

Skim the whole surface - depends on the plasterboard and how smooth/flat/level it ends up if I'm honest. We plastered ours but but plenty of people just scrim (thats the gauze tape) the gaps and plaster over them along with the screws/nails like dot and dab on walls (use screws/nails on your ceiling). If you do decide to skim the whole surface you can normally skip filling in the gaps with jointing compound (still need scrim) before this as the plaster will do the same job of filling the joints in.

 

[Lumeycom]

Get it plastered, the finish on painted plasterboards is always pants. Also consider the kitchen is going to be a little bit of a damp environment and your effectively painting porous paper, doesnt seem like much of a good idea to me.

 

[chillidog]

Get it plastered, the finish on painted plasterboards is always pants. Also consider the kitchen is going to be a little bit of a damp environment and your effectively painting porous paper, doesnt seem like much of a good idea to me.

i agree with you on the get plasterboarded but disagree about just paint it is pants. this is totally depends how well you fill the joints in. if done right 3 coats of matt emulsion will look just as good, but it looks like an small kitchen so it would 'nt take long to plaster it anyway

 

[Skiddley]

If you're on your own - use half sheets! 8x4' 12.5mm MR boards are not easy to get into place - even with a couple of support timbers nearby!

It needs skimming. Surely you can just find another plasterer? Skimming that is a few hours all in.

I'd also be reconsidering my lighting setup - now is the time!

 

[Rich55]

I've got a new light fitting ready to go up, not a big fan of downlighters so just got a temporary pendant while I wait to get the ceiling done.

I think I'll get the boards up and see if I can get someone in just to skim it. The job is a two parter with another much larger ceiling that needs boarding and skimming which is probably why I'm getting estimated waits of 2-3 weeks from anyone I approach. If I've already got the boards up and the ceiling ready for skimming it should hopefully allow someone to fit it in.

 

[-Ad-]

With lighting don't just go 'it'll do'.

Plan it properly and do it right first time. With ceiling down you have the perfect opportunity.

Downlights are great, especially for the kitchen;

Space 600mm from the wall so during at edge of worktop.
Space 300mm further away from appliance, e.g. 600mm over at waist or high level, put light 900mm from wall.
With 300mm deep high level cupboards, putting at 600mm means you hit worktop and 300mm rule easily.
Space around 1.2m apart or to ensure you get light where you need it, forget this symmetrical grid spacing rubbish done by clueless builders and sparkies.

On the plasterboard front, get a little help and rent or buy a 2nd hand auto feed drywall gun. Absolute godsend.

 

[Vipa66]

Make sure you use proper drywall/plasterboard screws, if you don't, they will corrode under the wet plaster (skim) or paint and start to stain. You will never be able to cover it up.