Railway Room (External) Insulation

[old wrinkly]

Follow up message.

Refurbishment in progress and going well.

One problem has been that when using 50mm insulated and plasterboard getting the right length of screw has proved difficult. Partly this is due to the fact that when the battens where originally fitted they weren't at 16 inch centres and when the new wall coverings are in place locating the battens accurately has proved difficult. Have tried to mark the position on the celing and floor but even so go slightly off and the screws ( 70mm drywall )have nothing to bite into and even at best there is a minimal amount of bite.

In hindsight should have taken the battens down and refitted but got too far into project to start all over again.

I want to put some light fixtures on the walls i.e a small display case and some tools and wondered, given the batten location & depth problem when using normal screws what the best type of plasterboard fixing I could use.

Have seen some that screw into the plasterboard, think they are called Redidrive but would these be OK with the insulation board in place as well.


Is there an easy wall to accurately locate the battens behind the insulation/plastwerboard.

Thanks

 

[Burnerman]

Hi Chris
Its good to hear that your project is going well - albeit with the usual difficulties!
If fixing directly into the battens is a real problem, the redidriva fittings work reasonably well (with light loads) but you have to ensure that you drill the right size hole first time - they don't like to be fiddled about once you start to screw them in. For extra security, apply some pva glue around the drilled hole prior to insertion.
Personally I prefer the hollow wall anchor (screwfix 18266 or similar) as once they are passed through the plasterboard and compressed they are very permanent - but you must choose an anchor that is designed for your particular board thickness. I appreciate that as you are using insulated plasterboard though, and it could be worth a practice fix with a piece of scrap....I reckon the insulation will be pushed out of the way though.
Its possible that an electronic stud finder could work well in your project to help locate those battens - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
If you want to hold heavy items onto the wall, its possible to drill right through the plasterboard and insulation and continue into the original blockwork, and by inserting a window anchor of a suitable length you'll get an excellent hold. A bit unorthodox I agree, but it does work!
Carry on!
Cheers John

 

[old wrinkly]

Thanks again John

Getting toward the end now but beginning to hit new, but not serious snags, as to be expected.

The latest is that we have converted the door & frame from inward to outward opening. However, we had thought we could reuse the existing Yale lock but have found that the lock hits the door frame before the door closes.

Would I be right to think that the frame next a rebate cut to accomodate the lock and striker plate (will that still be OK). Would it be best to discard the Yale and fit a mortice instead?

Chris