Bonding vs Dot and Dab

[theflyingpig]

Hi all,

I have started a big project renovating a shop . . . it has been empty for a while and really bodged by previous owners. Most of the walls had been plasterboard onto battons, which I'm about half way through ripping out, along with about a mile of wiring of various ages . . .!

I am wondering what is the best method of rebuilding . .I need to rewire the place completely, so would I be best to fix conduit and directly to brickwork, then get the wall bonded then plastered? How does dot and dab work if you have to rewire? Is the plasterboard route likely to be cheaper overall?

thanks in advance for any input .

Huey

Untitled

• theflyingpig
• 27 May 2010
• 1

Untitled

• theflyingpig
• 27 May 2010
• 1

 

[1john]

To be honest, batten and board is best in my mind if you have alot of services to hide that may need altering or adding to, you can make the walls absolutly spot on straight, flat and plumb if you spend your time on the battening.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

agreed john!

 

[andy21275]

to be honsest, i would always dot and dab as so much quicker, you can get walls practically bang on plumb dot-ing and dabbing , just put enough adhesive on the wall, quite wet and use a big spirit level to bang the boards level, you do have to be quick as the adhesive goes off very quickly. I would always pva wall first aswell to get a good bond.
The only time i screw boards on now is if i am doing a ceiling or creating a stud wall

hope this helps
andy

 

[theflyingpig]

thanks guys

andy - sure, but what about the wiring?

 

[andy21275]

either chase the wires into the wall and fix conduct over them, then board, or fix wires straight to brickwork with conduct over them and dot and dab abit thick enough to get over the conduct

 

[1john]

trust me, fishing wires through D&D walls is very difficult and sometimes impossible and can make lots of damage where as with batten and board it is ALOT easier.

IMO D&D is a cheap and nasty way of boarding a wall, dont get me wrong i have done it in my own house, I can admit it, but i am not proud of it in the slightest. Just trying to chip through it so we can move in, it is a sacrifice I have had to make

 

[theflyingpig]

hmmm - two opposing views coming through here! as I am starting completely from scratch - have ripped all previous wiring out and room is rooms are back to bricks - perhaps this will swing it in favour of D&D??

 

[1john]

hmmm - two opposing views coming through here! as I am starting completely from scratch - have ripped all previous wiring out and room is rooms are back to bricks - perhaps this will swing it in favour of D&D??

Not in my mind. Do they want the wiring hidden, if you are back to brick then why not render / bonding and skim with trunking and conduit system on the surface, easilly added to then and a much better finish to fix anything to the wall in the future (racking, display shelves etc)

 

[andy21275]

that is a good point by john, i have not really done many shop fitting jobs, always been domestic work i usually carry out, so hiding wires behind the walls is always best option to customer. If i am doing a kitchen for example and have the plan drawing to the new kitchen to hand , i will always put more adhesive approx where wall cupboards are going as abit of extra strength to hang the units off.
It really is up to you

 

[theflyingpig]

a good point there re fixing shelves etc to walls later . . .

I think I am going to do a mixture of the two - some walls with battons and some with D&D - the wall where the electric meter with batons as there will be approx 4 ring mains and 4 lighting circuits - too much chasing! and others that just have a single cable for sockets with D&D . . . .only downside to this plan is I need to pre-plan the whole damn shop!

thanks for all input