Best thing for filling in plasterboard joints?

[Jimmerinho]

Hi Everyone

I am currently DIYing the toilet under the stairs. I have got all the old plaster of the walls and I am going to plaster board it. I've decided not to get it plastered after as its only a small room. We are going to paint the top half and tile the bottom. Obviously we are going to be left with all the joins around the top half and I was wondering what was best to fill them in? Someone told me Caulk but reading online that its a no go.

Cheers

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Joint tape and easifill,
Will require taping joints, then applying easifill compound over tapes and filling the joints out, you are likely to require two possibly three application of
leaving to dry and sand down after each application, use 150-180 grit paper.
The aim is to get a smooth even finish. It's more time consuming than plastering because of the number of application and it is dusty.
Links will follow.

 

[Jimmerinho]

Ok. Sounds good. Don't mind time and dust. Just want to do it all myself as don't want to get a plasterer in plus its only a small room.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

easifill
joint tape
application spreaders
sand paper
Then all you need is dust mask, goggles, step ladders/hop up, mixing bucket, mixing paddle and water.

Helpful links
http://www.british-gypsum.com/pdf/SB07_Jointing_03.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFEi50yaqRo

 

[Jimmerinho]

Thank you for all that information. I'll print it and have a read.

 

[kbdiy]

Worth mentioning (or highlighting) that it should be tapered-edge plasterboard rather than square-edge so that the filling process does not end up proud of the boards.

 

[Jimmerinho]

Ah right. I got square edge sorry. How do I deal with that?

 

[kbdiy]

Call in the plasterer! The problem you now have is that the boards are flush all the way round so any filling is going to create a bulge in the wall. If you go too thin on the filler, which you can't do anyway because of the reinforcing tape, it will inevitably crack at each joint.

Unless someone else has a better idea?

 

[kjacko]

Jimmer....if its a small room, have a go yourself mate, that's how all us non pro plasterers learned.
1 x bag of multifinish = £6 max?
You won't use a full bag, so balls it up and you can call a plasterer in to fix it without paying for extra gear.

Seriously dude, give it a go.

Alternatively.....and i've done this, but not sure if the skims on here would recommend it.
I used a stanley knife and cut a bevel into the board edges where they met.
PVA'd the new formed valley then easyfilled it. It worked though.

 

[Jimmerinho]

Why can't you caulk the joins? I understand why on tapered but what about square edge? Sorry if its a bit of a dumb question but only young and all new to me so bit of a learning curve.

 

[dhutch]

Having a go is one option, and I might have a go myself in by spare loo, which is going to be half tiled anyway, im not sure. But although Im a massive fan of doing as much as I can, but plastering is one thing where practic and being good at it makes a huge diffrent to the finished job and cannot be 'taken slowly' as such.
It cost me £80 for the local plaster to spend all day doing me a fairly large double room, with rads into sloping ceilings, alcoves, bits here and there. If you can find someone who will take 50 beernotes to skim it over it will look better and be less heart ache.


Daniel

 

[dhutch]

Why can't you caulk the joins? I understand why on tapered but what about square edge? Sorry if its a bit of a dumb question but only young and all new to me so bit of a learning curve.

Well theres nothing stopping you, it will just look like somone has run a bead of chalk down the joint, rather than looking like its been plastered!


Daniel

 

[Jimmerinho]

Ok guys. Thanks for all the advice. I'll have a good think about it and decide what to do. I might give it a go myself or like you said call someone in.

 

[kjacko]

dhutch, £80 for what you described seems like a bargain.

Jimmer, caulk is a flexible, plasticly type filler, its not malleable enough to absolutely flatten out without it showing imho. And you can't sand it (unless someone proves otherwise).

 

[dhutch]

dhutch, £80 for what you described seems like a bargain.

Yes I would agree, local lad, painter decorator, plaster, plays drums, gets everywhere on his bike...

That wasnt including materials, and he plastered it off my steps. He did the room next door for the same money, all be it that was slightly simpler as the ceiling only comes down on one side not two.


Daniel