Replastering in old cylinder cupboard...advice needed

[brettjbuckley]

We had our old hot water cylinder removed when we had a combi-boiler installed. This has now left us with a fairly large and useful cupboard in the back beroom. However, years of heat from the cylinder has caused major cracks in the plaster on one wall.

Last night I knocked off all of the loose plaster to reveal the layer beneath (looks like cement on top of the breeze blocks, with swirly horizontal lines scrawled in, presumably to let the plaster grip?). Some of this layer has also cracked (~2mm) but it at least still seems very solid.

What is the quickest and cheapest way to fix up this wall? I don't need a perfect finish as we will only use the cupboard for storage. Shall I just buy a bag of plaster, or would even a light skimming of cement do? I have only ever used patching plaster before so don't (yet) have the kit for mixing larger amounts of the real stuff.

 

[Golfer1]

I'm no expert, but could you not pasterboard over the wall ( I presume it's not a huge area) and skim the joints. Wouldn't perhaps be perfect, but I reckon the finish would be better than trying to plaster it if you're not experienced at plastering.

I'm assuming that the cracked wall is not the main room wall, but one of the walls that form the 'new' cupboard...

 

[brettjbuckley]

Thanks for the response...yes...the problem wall exists on the inside of the cupboard. Which also makes it an outside wall.

I suppost I could just drill and screw the plaster board onto the bad wall and then paint it directly...don't mind seeing the joints.

 

[Golfer1]

Yeah - I'd def go for that approach then - particularly if it's inside the cupboard.

I did a similar thing in my understairs cupbaord which was pretty manky - old Victorian plaster work which had never been touched.

Bit of filler and a good sand on the joints and you won't see 'em - well, not in the half light of a cupbaord at any rate!

Golfer

 

[brettjbuckley]

Can I just screw the plasterboard directly onto what looks like "cement on top of the breeze blocks, with swirly horizontal lines scrawled in"? What kind of screws would I use? I have heard of "dot and dab" for fixing plasterboard ....but it sounds more like a kid's TV programme!

 

[Golfer1]

Again, I'm no expert, but I would either:

Screw batons to the wall and attach the plaster board to the batons (you might be able to use glue to attach the board to the batons, but countersunk screws filled screws may be better).

OR

Screw the board directly to the wall. If you do this, use a raw plug and screw suitable for a solid wall (didn't you say it was solid block work or similar). Any DIY shop will be able to advise on the best screw to use.

It depends how flat the wall is I guess . If it's very uneven you may struggle to screw the board directly to the wall. The nice thing about batons is that you can build them out slightly if you need to, in order to get the wall 'straight'

I think I'd always go for the baton approach, but without seeing the cupboard it's hard to say.

 

[brettjbuckley]

The wall looks very flat and so hopeful I will screw the plasterboard directly to the surface - I presume that they call this surface browning?

I don't need a perfect finish at all - just something solid to cover the browning with.

 

[jbonding]

dab the board on with bonding compound, a little tip for getting a big peice of board into a small cupboard is cut the size you need, cut a line straight down the middle of the board at the back and fold it in half, put it in the cupboard the right way round and open it back up