"Plastered in" shelves

[armour]

Hi all, I'm intending to use some one inch battening to build a frame in an alcove, screw some 1/4" plasterboard to it (top & bottom of frame) and then skim over to create a seamless shelf.
Is this the correct way to do it? Any hints/tips welcomed.
Cheers, Chris.

 

[Micilin]

You are going to plasterboard over the shelf and then skim it?.

No reason why not - just make sure you scrim the face of the shelf (ie the narrow strip) before beading it to stop it cracking.

Edit - Make sure the shelf is thick enough so that you can get a thincoat / drywall angle bead top and bottom of the facing strip

 

[noseall]

A plastered shelf is nothing new, there are thousands of plastered widow sills where a widow board has been removed or built as such.

However, the durability of an emulsion painted surface is such that it will attract muck and dirt and be reluctant to clean should you wish to use this shelf regularly and for food stuff etc.

 

[armour]

Thanks for your replies.
Micilin, Is scrim that gauze type tape I've seen? After applying that I'd have to put the angle bead on, top & bottom, then plaster up to that level? I was hoping to make the shelves as thin as possible. What's the minimum thickness you'd reccomend?
noseall, The shelves are to be in an alcove by the (small) bathroom. I was thinking of giving the emulsioned shelves a coat of varnish. Would this be OK?
Once again, Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Micilin]

Thanks for your replies.
Micilin, Is scrim that gauze type tape I've seen? After applying that I'd have to put the angle bead on, top & bottom, then plaster up to that level? I was hoping to make the shelves as thin as possible. What's the minimum thickness you'd reccomend?
noseall, The shelves are to be in an alcove by the (small) bathroom. I was thinking of giving the emulsioned shelves a coat of varnish. Would this be OK?
Once again, Thanks for taking the time.

Well, you could use a 3mm stop bead top and bottom, so that the shelf can be as thin as you like - but they can be knocked off a bit easier than angle beads. Those beads are about an inch wide, (they can be trimmed down) so shelf 2 inches wide?