DIY Plasterboard ceiling hole fix.

ukonline · 07-04-2012 1:20am #1

Hi,

I'm trying to get an idea of how to repair a small 2ft square area of bedroom ceiling, (plaster/chalk board), which suffered leak damage. The area has sagged slightly, and there's a hole big enough to slip three or four fingers into.

After watching a few YouTube videos, it seems simple enough to cut out the damaged area and screw a new piece of plasterboard in, either by cutting back to expose joists or using small wood batons to screw the new board to.

The only issue would be finishing with plaster/skim which I've never done before, but as the ceiling is finished with textured ceiling paint, stippled, I wonder if I can just apply fresh textured paint directly onto the new board?

Would I need to tidy up the new board edges first with plaster and tape? What is the procedure? Tape the edges then plaster to level things out?

Any advice appreciated.

As we're on a very tight budget, we can't really afford a plasterer. The leak has been repaired a few months now, btw.

:-)

DublinDilbert · 07-04-2012 9:37am

As you said cut out the damaged section then replace.

I would strip back the old stipple/plaster where the old board meets the new board. Then apply scrim tape/mesh over the join. Then skim over the join and the new board with profin. then reapply the stipple.

If you don't want to buy a tub of profin, you'll be able to pick up a small quantity of skimming plaster in your local hardware and mix it.

ukonline · 10-04-2012 9:20am

DublinDilbert wrote: »

As you said cut out the damaged section then replace.

I would strip back the old stipple/plaster where the old board meets the new board. Then apply scrim tape/mesh over the join. Then skim over the join and the new board with profin. then reapply the stipple.

If you don't want to buy a tub of profin, you'll be able to pick up a small quantity of skimming plaster in your local hardware and mix it.

Thanks.

I'll have a crack at it, this week.

ukonline · 16-04-2012 3:50pm

Update,

Well, I've cut a good square meter out, back to the edges of the plasterboard panels either side, in fact, and those edges are warped. One edge sags about half an inch, the other is warped up about a quarter inch. Tried screws to straighten the edges but that didn't work.

Can't see a new section fitting flush.

As there are only 3 panels in the entire ceiling, I'm now thinking of ripping them all out and replacing? (It's a very small single bedroom in a dormer bungalow about 4m x 3m).

Was thinking of installing furring strips w/shims to the joists to ensure getting a good flat plane to screw the new panels to?

I don't think the joists are aligned well to begin with.

Am I mad?

galwaydude18 · 16-04-2012 7:16pm

ukonline wrote: »

Update,

Well, I've cut a good square meter out, back to the edges of the plasterboard panels either side, in fact, and those edges are warped. One edge sags about half an inch, the other is warped up about a quarter inch. Tried screws to straighten the edges but that didn't work.

Can't see a new section fitting flush.

As there are only 3 panels in the entire ceiling, I'm now thinking of ripping them all out and replacing? (It's a very small single bedroom in a dormer bungalow about 4m x 3m).

Was thinking of installing furring strips w/shims to the joists to ensure getting a good flat plane to screw the new panels to?

I don't think the joists are aligned well to begin with.

Am I mad?

Your nuts! There is no need in the world to rip a ceiling down just to fix one hole!

It's not a big job to repair the hole as already described in the posts above

jaspertheghost · 17-04-2012 9:59am

dont rip it all down....buy a bag of bonding and use this to bring it out almost flush ( leave a couple of mill for the skim) use a straight bit of timber to level it off..then you can skim over that once it dries...make sure to coat the bonding with pva before skimming...and make sure you have taped up the joints..its an easy enough and cheap fix best of luck with it

quietsailor · 17-04-2012 11:12am

ukonline wrote: »

Update,

As there are only 3 panels in the entire ceiling, I'm now thinking of ripping them all out and replacing? (It's a very small single bedroom in a dormer bungalow about 4m x 3m).

Was thinking of installing furring strips w/shims to the joists to ensure getting a good flat plane to screw the new panels to?

I don't think the joists are aligned well to begin with.

Am I mad?

Your not mad, if the ceiling is that bad you'll never get a straight join, I mean a perfect one like the ceiling used to look unless your incredibly skilled and an A1 DIYer - That's not calling you useless in case your getting the hump, I've had to repair old ceilings and even my brother who is precise can't get them right.

Instead we ripped out the old ceiling, installed 2" X 1" laths across the old joists, starting in the lowest (closest to the floor) corner and packing the other laths so they stayed level.

Be careful when you rip out the old ceiling, a little time taken at the join of the wall and ceiling will save you a lot of time when you come to fill the joint holes

Is the 4mX3m measurement exact - because that is 13.12ft X 9.84ft and you'll need five 8' X4' panels

Next slab the ceiling, scrim tape it, joint fill all joints and screw holes, maybe joint again after sanding the original joint compound when its dry and now just paint straight on, no need to skim the plasterboard.

Advantages;

Straight clean ceiling
No repair patches visible - how will you get the new stipple to look exactly like the old
You can insulate above the ceiling if it hasn't been done before.

Disadvantages;

Cost in money will be more
Cost of your time

If you an get someone who is good at DIY to help you it will be finished ready to paint in 2 days. If you want I can post the "recipie" of what we did on a similar repair a few years ago. You'll need to be motivated though as its a long hard day on the first day and you need to be set up right before you even start.

ukonline · 17-04-2012 5:42pm

Thanks for the replies.

I popped 'round to the house today and took some photos for clarity. I've labelled them for reference.

I also measured the room. It's only 328cm x 240cm. I reckon 3 slabs of plasterboard.

You can see from the photo of the southside that the sag extends all the way to the edge above the door and on the northside, the edge bows upwards slightly.

The westside edge is uneven too, the small additional hole was cut to feel for the light wiring which is just behind the joist. I want to cut beyond the joist to insert batons/back block if not replacing the whole thing. Photo in next post due to 5 pic maximum per post.

I have no experience of plastering/repair but have plenty of time on my hands.

Would appreciate any further comments about whether or not to remove the entire ceiling or if I would get away with a repair based on the photos.

Thanks!

ukonline · 17-04-2012 5:46pm

Photo of the west edge. You can see another damaged section further toward the west wall that was just painted over. The light fixture is just out of shot to the right.

...

jaspertheghost · 17-04-2012 7:52pm

it looks fairly warped alright....if you have the time id suggest you take it all down...the joists look twisted so you are going to have to do a bit of arsing about if you want it perfectly straight, do you want to stipple it again?? if not then you could re-plaster board it and give it a coat of bonding and straighten out the bumps(make sure to tape the joints before bonding) then give it a coat of skim (let the bonding dry out first) its a messy job for an amateur but its not that difficult,have you got a hawk and trowel? if all that seems a bit much then your better off just re boarding it and then taping it up and using joint filler...this is a far easier method but you will still have the bumps...

paddy147 · 17-04-2012 8:09pm

Sheets of 4 x 2 plasterboard are very handy and managable for diy jobs like this.

ukonline · 18-04-2012 12:35am

Thanks again everyone for the replies. Have read them all and decided to take the whole ceiling out.

quietsailor wrote: »

If you want I can post the "recipie" of what we did on a similar repair a few years ago. You'll need to be motivated though as its a long hard day on the first day and you need to be set up right before you even start.

That'd be great, if it's not too much trouble!

jaspertheghost · 18-04-2012 8:24am

good man,i`m a plasterer by trade so if you have any questions feel free to ask...good luck

quietsailor · 19-04-2012 1:58pm

ukonline wrote: »

Thanks again everyone for the replies. Have read them all and decided to take the whole ceiling out.
That'd be great, if it's not too much trouble!

I'm assuming here that;
- you have someone to help and both of you are used to DIY If your not don't worry, take it slowly and spread it out over a week of nights. I've just visited a friend who (up to 6 months ago) had no DIY skills and has done exactly what I'm writing below.
- your going to do this over a weekend and want to get it finished in the weekend
- Your going to put up 2"X1" laths to level the ceiling
you haven't skimmed before so your going to tape&joint the edges and then just paint the whole lot without skimming (plastering) the ceiling
- the floor is level Check that the floor itself is level - get a lath with a straight edge and put it on the floor - put the spirit level on top and see if it reads level maybe the floor is uneven or sloped - if it is badly uneven think again about this job as it will be very hard to get the room looking right - More than likely the floor will be level though so don't panic.

If at all possible try and get the preparation work done mid week before you start ie get the old ceiling down & out of the room, get the materials bought and stored. I'll write it as if your doing it all on saturday& sunday.

Buy the following;
1. Plasterboard slabs - how many slabs do you want (8'X4' or 4'X2')
2. 2 inch X 1 inch lengths of timber - If your re-levelling the ceiling by putting in new "joists" calculate how many you'll need.
3. roll of tape and jointing compound (not bonding or plastering mix) it comes in a bag similar to cement ie 25kg
4. if you don't have them buy a strip of Electrical connection block sometimes called electrical terminal blocks.
5. Ceiling rose - MAYBE - see explanation below.

Check the following and see what option suits you best;
Check to see if you can get rid of the rubble (plasterboard) at your local dump site/recycling centre (some don't take plasterboard) and if you can;
a.have a trailer outside ready to take the rubble and buckets/wheelbarrows ready to bringit out. Have a sheet of plastic there to cover the trailer if you plan to leave it there for a whileto avoid making a mess when the dust mixes with the rain.
b. No trailer for the moment = make a heap in the yard and dispose later - have a plastic sheet to cover it.
c. If you can't landfill/recycle it nearby consider hiring a skip

Plan of action :eek: yes I made this many mistakes myself I remember them all
1. Turn of all the electricity to the house at the fuseboard, remove the ceiling rose (the thing you can see on the ceiling for the light) disconnection the wires. Place the bare ends of the wires in the terminal blocks, cover in insulation tape and push that back up through the plasteboard once your happy all the bare wire is covered. You might want to buy a new ceiling rose as they are often so old and brittle they crack. Once fiished turn the electricity back on.

2a. Rip the ceiling at arms length - there will be dust up there and the original / previous builders will have left offcuts of wood, pipes, drops of plaster etc up on the ceiling - you don't want that falling on you. Use a short crowbar or a hammer.
2b. Be careful where the ceiling joins the wall, rip from the centre of the ceiling out to the walls and when your close enough to look between the joists to where the wall is see if there are pipe/wires over the join. If not think about using a plaster hand saw/mechanical saw (but nothing that creates sparks or heat) to cleanly cut the join between wall and ceiling. DO NOT CUT THE JOISTS, remove the plasterboard under the joists with a hand knife
2c. You will need to remove some of the nails to allow the laths to sit properly on the joists. You might want to have a think here - which way are the slabs running and - place the laths so that they are at 16 inch intervals under the slabs that way there will be 3 laths every 48 inches ie 4 foot . You could leave this job until the 2nd person is back and the rubble cleared out as your going to be playing with the laths getting them level

3. Clear the rubble out. (sounds short but it is the worst part of the job)

Around this point you'll need to break for lunch or just take a break anyway. You should be well past twelve o clock so stop and relax for a while

4. Fixing the laths - this will be a long explanation but shorter in real life -
4a.
- Find what is your lowest corner -If the floor is level measure from the floor to the ceiling at all 4 corners - If they are the same then the corners are all level with each other.
- Are the measurements hugely different - ie cm's rather than mm's = they are unlevel, pick the LOWEST corner (shortest measurement) and use that as your reference level.
- Check that there isn't a bow in one of the original joists that is lower than your lowest corner, if there is take that height as your NEW zero mark and put all laths level with that point. Mark the zero mark at all 4 corners lightly with a pencil.

4b. Fix the first lath to the old joists so that it can be adjusted ,ie maybe use 3-4 screws in it's length instead of permanently fixing it, running ACROSS the joists not parallel as this makes it easier to level it. You want it tight enough not to move but not fixed with so many screws you can't adjust it easily. Put one end in the ZERO CORNER. Now use the spirit level to level the lath then permanently fix it in place packing any spaces between the lath and joist.
- Once this lath is level you done all the hard work - now put up a lath at the other end of the room,levelling it off the 1st lath and then stand back and see if the ceiling looks right ie it doesn't look off square with the floor. You might want to put up a few more laths in between the first two as it will make it easier to visualise the ceiling
there is a trick you can use here - run 2 lengths of string or if you have it (to spare) run 2 straight edged laths between ends of the 1st and 2nd laths as you can see in the sketch. The top of the "guide" will always be level with the bottom of the lath so you just place, pack and screw all other laths in place without using the spirit level. MAKE SURE that the laths are never pressing heavily on the guides or it will distort the guides and create a sag in the ceiling.
- I'm using old measurements - inches - it would be a good idea to put a slab on the floor before you start the laths and arrange/mark on the slab what it will look like at 16" centers ie does the last lath overhang the edge so the next slab can screw onto that lath as well. it'll give you an idea of what your going to do later.

6. Screw the slabs on. If your using large slabs ie 8'X4' it would be nice to have a third person handy for the next hour. Two of ye can hold the slab in place leaving a 3mm gap all round and the third screw it. There should be 5 screws across the 4' width and 7 screws in the length of a slab - assuming you used 16" centers in all directions.
A trick to get the 3mm is to fold hard cardboard into a right angle and screw some to the existing slab, now just press the new slab against it and you don't need to worry about measuring for the correct gap it will be there. The 3mm gap is to allow the jointing compound to squeeze up between the slabs and get a better grip. 3mm isn't precise either - you'd get away with 4 or 5mm.

At this stage you'll be late Sat night, if you can get point seven out of the way you can sand the dry joint compound on Sun and re-fill any small gaps. That leaves it ready to paint. IF your not at this point on Sat night DON'T WORRY. You can do everything after this point on your own so you can leave it ti mid-week if you feel like it.

7. Tape all the joints and screw holes. You'll see the slabs have a depression at their edges - this is to give the jointing compound room to cover the tape without the tape showing. Get a smooth straight edge longer than the depessions and smooth the jointing compound so it fills both depressions. You'll probably need to come back tomorrow when its dry and refill any holes you missed/ridges you made.
7a. Don't forget to bring the wires for the ligh back down through the slabs. If possible run them through a joist or a lath so you have something solid to screw the new light fitting to.

8. Run your hands & a straight edge over all the joints & screw holes. If you can't feel imperfections - congratulations your ready to paint.

This looks like a lot - both to write and to do. I was lucky enough that I had it written in an email for another friend so I copied, pasted and altered. You'll have it a bit harder and will need to do this once to learn the process, after that its simple and you'll wonder why you never did it before

quietsailor · 19-04-2012 2:01pm

I'm coming at this from a DIY angle, jasper (or any plasterer) will probably see holes in my theory/easier ways of doing things, I've no hang-ups about being told I'm wrong, i'm always glad to find out better ways of doing things. Hopefully more people will post ideas to help you. I'm sure things I think are obvious to me will be just as glaringly obviously missing from the list for them and hopefully they will point them out.

ukonline · 19-04-2012 5:16pm

jaspertheghost wrote: »

good man,i`m a plasterer by trade so if you have any questions feel free to ask...good luck

Thanks, will do.

paddy147 wrote: »

Sheets of 4 x 2 plasterboard are very handy and managable for diy jobs like this.

That's a good idea as I'll be working alone!

quietsailor wrote: »

I'm assuming here that;
- you have someone to help and both of you are used to DIY If your not don't worry, ... ...you'll wonder why you never did it before

Thank a million for that, I'll have a good read of it before starting! I'll just be plodding along, a couple or 3 hours here and there over the next 2 weeks, plenty of time to do a good job.

jaspertheghost · 20-04-2012 10:24am

the only problem i see there is when you put laths on the joists it not going to solve the problem of the warp in the laths,unless you get bits of hardboard and fill out every little bump...another way would be to use 4x2 and screw them onto the side of the joists,this would allow you to drop the ceiling down an an inch or 2 so you can get it perfectly straight,this would solve the problem of bonding out the ceiling,and it seems that a lot of the bumps could be down to just wet plasterboard,one other thing,if you have any friends that are carpenters just get them to have a quick look at the timber to make sure its not rotten after the leak

quietsailor · 20-04-2012 3:08pm

jaspertheghost wrote: »

the only problem i see there is when you put laths on the joists it not going to solve the problem of the warp in the laths,unless you get bits of hardboard and fill out every little bump

I was lucky with my ceiling, it was only slightly highr in one corner so only a little packing was needed. OP take a look at that attachment and if you can understand my crazy sketching you could use that idea to get an idea of how much packing is needed by just laying one more lath in on top of the guides and slide it along to the 16" center positions. If your having huge gaps between the laths and joists you'll need to pack a lot.

jaspertheghost wrote: »

another way would be to use 4x2 and screw them onto the side of the joists,this would allow you to drop the ceiling down an an inch or 2 so you can get it perfectly straight,this would solve the problem of bonding out the ceiling,and it seems that a lot of the bumps could be down to just wet plasterboard

In case I've misunderstood you and I don't want to give the OP wrong advice - My big post was to do with ripping down the old ceiling and replacing it completely so there would be no bonding/lumps and bumps? Your 4X2 idea and my 2X1 is for the same purpose - to get a new level clean surface to attach the new slabs to?

jaspertheghost wrote: »

,if you have any friends that are carpenters just get them to have a quick look at the timber to make sure its not rotten after the leak

See - told you I would miss something

that's important

jaspertheghost · 20-04-2012 4:45pm

Its kind of the same...but i presume you would put the laths on the face of the joist;this would still leave bumps when you scre it secure...i would put the 4x2 at the side of the joist so you would have a straight piece to secure to and that would eliminate the need for screwing inti the face of the bad joists....

jaspertheghost · 23-04-2012 8:29am

just one last hing....when your putting up the slabs go against the joists( across them rather than with them) and stagger your joints....

quietsailor · 01-05-2012 12:10pm

how did you get on with the job ukonline?

ukonline · 01-05-2012 12:55pm

Hello,

Just finished taking the old ceiling down last week and am waiting for a delivery of timber and plasterboard, etc. which is due today.

One snag is that the bedroom door has a window above it, the top frame of the window abuts the old ceiling, so I can't have the new ceiling lower or that frame will have to be shaved.

So some head scratching over the last week.

I'm now hoping I can put up the new ceiling on the same level as the old. It may mean planing any low joists.

You can see what I mean in one of the photos, Northside4.jpg. When I removed the old ceiling, that top window frame piece was built around the sag, ie. it was fitted after the ceiling had sagged, so is shaped to match the sag! I'd prefer if I could redo that top frame, ie. make it straight and original rather that take more off it. Also, there's a fitted wardrobe that would be a pain to have to shorten, as it also abuts the old ceiling.

Will check the joists using your idea with 2 long 2 x 1 timber along the room length, and two shorter pieces along the width, to see how square things are, as the next step.

Thanks for asking.

quietsailor · 01-05-2012 4:02pm

ukonline wrote: »

One snag is that the bedroom door has a window above it, the top frame of the window abuts the old ceiling, so I can't have the new ceiling lower or that frame will have to be shaved. QUOTE]

Have you a jigsaw handy or a friend would have a table saw? A router might be needed as well; here's an idea of something we had to do in another house.

There is a decent width (height as you look in your photo) of trim, it should be possible to cut some off and still attach it to the wall.

1. Remove the trim around the top and sides of the window and install the laths & plasterboard. Finish all your filling/sanding/painting.

2. Measure the new height between the window and the plasterboard and cut your trim piece to match - depending on where the cut line is it might be in one of the curves in the moulding you might need to take more off to make it look nice. You might also ned to use a router to curve the top edge if the cut line makes the trim look weird.

3. Place back on the side trim loosely, try and mark on a curve so that the outside edge of the side trim curves around and meets the new top edge of the top trim.

I've attached a very rough hand-drawn sketch, does it make any sense to you?

ukonline · 02-05-2012 4:45pm

Thanks QS.

I spent some time there yesterday measuring all the joists every 2ft or so along their lengths from bottom edge to floor and it seems only one joist is sagging about 3/4 inch. So maybe I could just plane that one down and, if need be, sister a new joist to it to strengthen it so that all joists are at the old level. Then pack out any gaps between joists and new ceiling.

That would avoid having to take more off the window and not forgetting the fitted wardrobe in the corner.

The joists are only 4.5" x 1.5", at 14" OC.

jaspertheghost · 02-05-2012 4:58pm

Is the floor level?

ukonline · 03-05-2012 12:14am

jaspertheghost wrote: »

Is the floor level?

Hi there,

Yes, it's level, thank God.

quietsailor · 03-05-2012 1:14pm

ukonline wrote: »

Thanks QS.

I spent some time there yesterday measuring all the joists every 2ft or so along their lengths from bottom edge to floor and it seems only one joist is sagging about 3/4 inch. So maybe I could just plane that one down and, if need be, sister a new joist to it to strengthen it so that all joists are at the old level. Then pack out any gaps between joists and new ceiling.

That would avoid having to take more off the window and not forgetting the fitted wardrobe in the corner.

The joists are only 4.5" x 1.5", at 14" OC.

Is there another floor above that joist or an attic - basically will people be walking on that joist?

If it's going to cause the ceiling to curve do as you say - cut off the protruding timber and add in extra timber above the line to compensate. I've seen joists completely replaced that way, the builders used nuts&bolts rather than screws to fasten on the new timber as it won't allow the two timbers to move relative to each other.

ASK JASPERTHEGHOST THOUGH, this is his bread and butter so I'm sure he's seen it before.

ukonline · 03-05-2012 1:46pm

quietsailor wrote: »

Is there another floor above that joist or an attic - basically will people be walking on that joist?

If it's going to cause the ceiling to curve do as you say - cut off the protruding timber and add in extra timber above the line to compensate. I've seen joists completely replaced that way, the builders used nuts&bolts rather than screws to fasten on the new timber as it won't allow the two timbers to move relative to each other.

ASK JASPERTHEGHOST THOUGH, this is his bread and butter so I'm sure he's seen it before.

There's a flat felt roof on top, top floor of a dormer bungalow. The gable joists abut the ceiling joists.

I'm putting in some insulation today so will wait and see if JTG replies and check in again tomorrow.

Will take some more pics and post them this evening.

edit: there's a cross-member perpendicular to and on top of the ceiling joists, the gable joists abut these.

quietsailor · 03-05-2012 8:58pm

ukonline wrote: »

There's a flat felt roof on top, top floor of a dormer bungalow. The gable joists abut the ceiling joists.

Then there won't be people moving on top of the joist - hence it shouldn't crack. All the same put in a second piece of timber alongside it and bolt it up tight. It might cost you a little more but its better than faffing around with windows and wardrobes.

jaspertheghost · 03-05-2012 9:47pm

You would be better to replace it with new timber and bolts...are the rest of the joists straight and level? If so then you shouldnt need to use 2x1 on them...

ukonline · 04-05-2012 12:11am

quietsailor wrote: »

Then there won't be people moving on top of the joist - hence it shouldn't crack. All the same put in a second piece of timber alongside it and bolt it up tight. It might cost you a little more but its better than faffing around with windows and wardrobes.

jaspertheghost wrote: »

You would be better to replace it with new timber and bolts...are the rest of the joists straight and level? If so then you shouldnt need to use 2x1 on them...

Thanks a million!

This has been the hardest part of the job, deciding which level to use!

So I'll bolt a length of new joist to the sagging one and pare off the excess sag from the old joist. I can get the door frame straightened up to the level it should be, and don't need to touch the fitted wardrobe.

The other joists are straight enough.

jaspertheghost · 04-05-2012 8:42am

can you put up some pics of the stripped down ceiling???

johnfoyvision · 04-05-2012 11:37am

A very informative and valuable forum discussion. A number of comprehensive paragraphs for understanding DIY. Thanks for sharing such a good posts.

ukonline · 04-05-2012 3:02pm

jaspertheghost wrote: »

can you put up some pics of the stripped down ceiling???

Took a couple of pics yesterday.

Anyway, had some fun today playing around with string lines. Just string and nails trying to find a flat plane. Seems most of the joists are sagging to some degree but not as much as the joist over the door.

A friend is coming to the house tomorrow to loan me a power plane and look things over. I'll take a few more pics then, and post them together with yesterday's over the weekend.

ukonline · 08-05-2012 12:45am

Some pics.

You can see the two joists above the door are almost an inch lower than the four joists to the right of the door at the top of that wall. A friend reckons the guy who put the door frame in cut and removed the cross member above the door. There is a timber cross member under the four joists to the right of the door.

He suggested I 'jack up' those 2 joists and put in some 4 x 2 under where they rest on the door cavity. We may still have to sister those joists with more timber and shave some off the sag. The other joists just need a slight shave. (The 2nd pic shows a string line which highlights the sagging, and that line is not even that tight, tbh.)

I'll also be putting some insulation in while I'm at it.

jaspertheghost · 08-05-2012 1:08pm

Be careful when your jacking them up; you may damage the roof...and be careful ya dont raise them to much....

ukonline · 09-05-2012 12:02am

jaspertheghost wrote: »

Be careful when your jacking them up; you may damage the roof...and be careful ya dont raise them to much....

Will do. Thanks.

ukonline · 13-05-2012 6:45am

Almost done.

Jacked up those two joists and have almost finished putting new slabs in.

Decided not to use a power plane on the joists due to the odd buried nail in some of them, so I used a small electric saw to cut in vertically about 1/8th inch every 4 or 5 inches, then a hammer and chisel. Used saftey goggles and gloves to protect eyes and hands from small splinters!

Where slabs met between joists, I used 8" 2x1 strips of wood to strengthen the edges and get them flush.

Small bits of folded corrugated cardboard were inserted between slabs and joist bottoms where there were gaps.

Light fitting was moved slightly to the center of the ceiling to meet with the two slab edges.

Insulation was pushed in, in 24" lengths, after each row of slab was screwed in. (Wore goggles, mask and gloves for that!)

Next step, mesh webbing tape and joint compound to cover gaps and screw holes.

The first pic shows a very small bulge in one of the slabs. That was there before that slab went up and the other side of that slab is undamaged, so don't know what that is. Hopefully, the textured ceiling paint will hide it.

...

jaspertheghost · 13-05-2012 9:42am

Are your slabs finishing half way on a joist? They all have too be screwed on or else they will sag....the bump is broken chalk..just cut the paper with a stanley and take out the loose stuff...then fill it with filler...remove any loose paper too.

ukonline · 13-05-2012 12:35pm

jaspertheghost wrote: »

Are your slabs finishing half way on a joist? They all have too be screwed on or else they will sag....the bump is broken chalk..just cut the paper with a stanley and take out the loose stuff...then fill it with filler...remove any loose paper too.

Thanks Jasper. Will do.

Some slab edges extend beyond a joist, yes, but I screwed the 'floating' edges of those to a piece of 2x1 timber and joined that with the edge of the next slab. It's not even 2x1, more like 5/8 x 1 3/4. Very light timber.

Do you reckon that's not strong enough and the textured paint will cause sagging?

Will have to take my chances at this stage.

jaspertheghost · 13-05-2012 6:59pm

If you fixed the timber to the joist then it should be ok..watch the depth of the screws when your putting them in aswell...dont screw in to much.if ya break the paper with the head of the screw moisture will get in and loosen the slab...

ukonline · 14-05-2012 10:50am

jaspertheghost wrote: »

If you fixed the timber to the joist then it should be ok..watch the depth of the screws when your putting them in aswell...dont screw in to much.if ya break the paper with the head of the screw moisture will get in and loosen the slab...

Done. I've made sure the screws are only around 1mm into the board, thanks.

Well, there are guests staying in the house for a couple of weeks, so might wait 'till they leave before taping and jointing/painting. Had to move some clutter back in and hate working around it.

I'll check everything again before I start that, ie. make sure there are screws where there should be and that there are no screws that are too deep. I've got a spare slab, so may replace the damaged one if you reckon that's a better option.

jaspertheghost · 14-05-2012 12:35pm

Well theres no need to replace the slab..but if yoi want to just cut it off at the last joist and remove that section..look forward to the updates...oh and for the screws just rub your hand along the slab and if a screw catches your hand then its to far out...also you can just push the slab to make sure theres no movement...

quietsailor · 15-05-2012 10:32pm

Hey Lads, sorry I haven't posted in a while, exams have taken over my life!!

ukonline - thats a cracking looking job, I'll bet your feeling proud of yourself now - as you should be

ukonline · 16-05-2012 1:25am

quietsailor wrote: »

Hey Lads, sorry I haven't posted in a while, exams have taken over my life!!

ukonline - thats a cracking looking job, I'll bet your feeling proud of yourself now - as you should be

Thanks and I appreciate all the help yee have given, couldn't have done it without.

Hope I don't mess it up with the plastering and painting!

jaspertheghost · 16-05-2012 12:13pm

the plastering is easy enough (once your only doing tape and filler) ...just watch the angles,you will need to put the skrim onto the old wall aswell...but you can cut off the excess once the filler has dried...dont put to much on and dont worry if its not smooth straight away as you`ll have to sand it down when its dry...

jaspertheghost · 30-05-2012 1:04pm

any updates for us?

ukonline · 30-05-2012 1:46pm

jaspertheghost wrote: »

any updates for us?

Hello Jasper,

Well, there were visitors in the house until recently so the room was full of clutter. There's another relative staying there this week, so the room might not be available to work in for another week or so. :rolleyes:

Am going there tomorrow. Dependng on whether I can take the clutter out of the room or not, I can make a start then or wait 'till the visitor is gone.

ukonline · 13-06-2012 8:52am

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Well, finally, the house is free again.

Started taping and plastering. Should get everything finished this week. Will post pics on Thursday.

Does anyone know how to get that stippled effect? (See pic in earlier post). I see Homebase have a
stipple brush, but it's 20 Euro, :eek:

Maybe I could use the head of a scrubbing brush?

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jaspertheghost · 13-06-2012 9:37am

stipple is a pain in the arse.....ive seen it done with a paint roller before,or a sponge,if you have any leftover plaster board do a few tests first till you get it,if you start on the ceiling without trying it first ya might make a pigs ear of it and that would be one hell of a messy job to clean up..

riclad · 14-06-2012 9:00am

MY friend had a leak, in the roof, damp patch in ceiling plaster, he replastered hole, then repainted the ceiling ,then stippled the whole ceiling ,it now looks like a new ceiling.
it might have been simpler ,to remove damaged plasterboard slab,and just put in a new one of identical size.

DIY Plasterboard ceiling hole fix.

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