drywalling

[madsey]

hi all,
i've just bought a house that i'm renovating and i cant decided
whether to skim over the old plaster or knock all the old plaster off and stick plasterboard to the walls and have that skimmed.
The old plaster is fairly good but not very straight and level.
All suggestions welcomed.

 

[DAZB]

Up to you really. If the old plaster is sound and hasn't blown then you can either give it a coat of PVA and over skim it or Dot and Dab new boards on and then skim it. The down side to reboarding it is that you will probably have to remove the skirting boards . If you knock all the old plaster off and start afresh it is a very messy, dusty job and you will then have to bond the wall first and then skim it so it may take a little longer than the previous options.

 

[nstreet]

If you are going to reboard don't forget things like coving, door liners, window cills, pipework for radiators, electric sockets, light switches etc. Some of these may need extending, adjusting or rewiring.

 

[legs-akimbo]

A good plasterer will give a very good finish with a skim coat alone, maybe paying attention to any hollows or unevenness with a spot of bonding. A big big job that would not as a rule be worth doing, to take off the lot, particually if the plaster is sound and not blown, feathering into door frames and skirtings means the minimum of disruptionand is far quicker and cheaper for much the same result., attention to ceiling lines and internal angles will detract the eye from a little unevenness on the walls. All in all a good skim usually surfices, but done by a poor plasterer it can look a pig!!!

 

[fartknocker]

I've just had the walls in the house that I am renovating skimmed throughout and two of the ceilings. Got to say it was one of the best things that I have done. Just get a few quotes from plasterers unless you have a friend who has a friend who is a plasterer.

I prepared most of the walls by hacking out loose plaster and replacing stud walls where required (flood damage), cleared out the house, took off the plug sockets (made them safe) and let the plasterer have a set of keys. He just gave me a call when it was done!

FK