How flat/level should plasterboard be?

[TedTrippin]

Hi,

My builders have finished plasterboarding our extension. The worst wall, the plasterboard is flat on the top half but then bows in towards the bottom. When I put a spirit level on the wall the bottom is about 9-10 mm in. I told the builder I wasn't happy and didn't expect such a huge difference. He assured me repeatedly "that's what the skimming is for, you can't get the PB perfectly flat". Whilst I realise it shouldn't be perfectly flat, is there an acceptable tolerance? Like he says, will it be easy to skim flat?

ps. I've tried googling "level plasterboard", "uneven plasterboard", etc. but haven't got any relevant hits. Should I be googling something else?

 

[London Mike 49]

The skim coat on plasterboard will end up about 3mm thick at most so to make up another 6mm or so the plasterer would have to put some backing plaster on first to make up the difference.
What your builder is telling you is total rubbish because he or whoever put the plasterboard up has messed up and he sounds like he isn't taking responsibility for the cock up.
If it were me , I would insist he take off the plasterboard and get it level at no extra cost to you.

Mike

 

[TedTrippin]

Cheers Mike.

Would 3mm be an acceptable deviance in your opinion?

 

[London Mike 49]

My take on it is this, plasterboard is screwed on to timber that should be vertically flat and if the timber were not flat then what you screw to it will be a compromise.
Having said that , it really is your call because you will have to live with it but once it has been plastered flat by whatever means , you may never know it was out in the first place.

Tell the builder that if he thinks he can make it flat then go ahead but if it is out by a country mile after you have checked it then he should bear the cost of taking it back to base and starting again.

It really is your call

Mike

 

[TedTrippin]

Sound advice, cheers Mike.

For what its worth, its dot and dab, not on timber. Either way, at one point, you can actually see where the board bows.

 

[chappers]

basically he has cocked it up

 

[paulandfrodo]

Yep... Cocked up. When I put up dot and dab I'd put a level on the wall, to determine which way it was (or was not) leaning. Then apply pads to the wall appropriately. Then offer up the plasterboard knowing what the wall was doing. Then slap it up with a long bit of timber, followed by a level to determine if it was true. I would not do it too 'tight' to the wall, so you have a little bit of "play". Sometimes a line on the floor will allow you to square rooms up if needed. I'm not a plasterer or dot and dabber (such a word), but that's what I do as and when needed.

if it's onto studs, then the chippy needs shooting really !

The guy needs to resolve the problem.

 

[TedTrippin]

Cheers guys.