Work involved in skimming 6mx4m ceiling?

[iwilson16]

Hi,

I have removed a stud wall between the living room and a bedroom to give a larger lounge.

I plan to patch up the gap between the two ceilings myself with smaller bits
of plasterboard. The two ceilings are at the same level (screwed onto
44mm battens which are in the underside of concrete bison beams).

I have been very careful to cut back the ceiling plasterboard to the nearest batten .

A couple of questions ....

• 
  1. Is there a chance this can be repaired without needing the whole ceiling skimmed? (I'll try and get some photos onto here later on).
  
  2. If the whole ceiling does need skimmed, then can someone detail the preparation and process for this? (ceiling has one or two coats of white
  emulsion directly onto 4 yr old plasterboard) e.g. what preparation is required, how long would skimming this take, how long before it could be painted.
  
  3. Are the following correct:
  • 
    a. 3mm gap should be left between cut edges
    b. 12mm should be left between screw/nail and cut edge

Thanks,
Ian

 

[Richard C]

Is there a chance this can be repaired without needing the whole ceiling skimmed? (I'll try and get some photos onto here later on).

Without seeing it it’s difficult to say but if the levels are the same then yes, if you get a good plasterer who knows what he’s doing!

If the whole ceiling does need skimmed, then can someone detail the preparation and process for this? (ceiling has one or two coats of white emulsion directly onto 4 yr old plasterboard) e.g. what preparation is required, how long would skimming this take, how long before it could be painted.

Rough fill the voids, reinforce the joints & any cracks, PVA & skim the whole lot; done in one day. A skim coat should be dry enough to overpaint in a couple of days; use 60/40 thinned emulsion for the first coat

Are the following correct:
3mm gap should be left between cut edges

OK but not essential; the tolerance on cut edges will probably vary between, say, 0mm & 5mm! As long as you use reinforcing tape over the joints & the plasterer fills them, it won’t matter.

12mm should be left between screw/nail and cut edge

Way too much; I would treat the same as above.

 

[brist]

Thats a big ceiling .Lets hope the plasterer has a labourer with him to mix otherwise hes got his work cut out.

 

[iwilson16]

Thats a big ceiling .Lets hope the plasterer has a labourer with him to mix otherwise hes got his work cut out.

You should see the size of some of the rooms in the old Edinburgh victorian/georgian tenement flats .... a friend has a living room room that
is approx 8m x 6m with a 3.5m high ceiling, and very fancy cornicing!

Usually the only thing holding the old horsehair plaster in place is the
5 layers of wallpaper! And none of the walls are straight.

Luckily I'm in a modern flat, else I wouldnt even have attempted this work.

Thanks for the advice,
Ian

 

[Richard C]

Luckily I'm in a modern flat, else I wouldnt even have attempted this work.

Did you manage it OK then?

 

[Micilin]

JUst my bit -

Gap between boards advised for expansion.

Make sure if using PVA, to coat it at leat 24 hrs before to seal it. Then apply plaster to fresh PVA. Better still use Bondit 24 hrs before.

30m2 is not a problem for a plasterer, especially on one ceiling. If he can't manage that, I'd be surprised. Make sure there has been no heating on in the room on the day or the day before, as this WOULD cause him trouble.[/b]

 

[iwilson16]

Luckily I'm in a modern flat, else I wouldnt even have attempted this work.

Did you manage it OK then?

Not yet .... just finished putting plasterboard patches onto the gap where
the partition wall used to be. In the process of looking for a plasterer
just now. Its taken me a while because I've been installing wiring
for a projector.

One more question .... two walls have had new plasterboard put on
them. They are 3m lengths, but I didnt get them all to butt up close
to the ceiling. The max gap is about 30-40mm. Does this matter?
It will be covered with coving anyway.

Thanks,
Ian

 

[Richard C]

It’s a bit of a large gap but shove some Bonding in there flush with the boards & then put some reinforcing tape over the join when dry, ready for the skim coat; it shouldn’t crack but if it’s being covered by coving!

As a point of interest; it’s a matter of personal preference of course but coving, along with its best friend Artex, are going through a ‘less fashionable’ stage at the moment. I’ve just gone to a lot of trouble to remove all the coving & strip all the Artex off our 60’s house as part of the total renovation it’s going through. If it’s not up there already, I probably wouldn’t bother; you can always put some up when it becomes fashionable again!

 

[joe-90]

Stud walls often support the ceiling. Did you check that reinforcing wasn't required? Bigger spans need heftier timbers.

 

[Micilin]

Stud walls often support the ceiling. Did you check that reinforcing wasn't required? Bigger spans need heftier timbers.

Although it is always worth checking, as whoever did the last alteration may not have known what they were doing, I'd be very surprised if a stud wall was load bearing.

 

[diyisfree]

If your plasterer cant manage a ceiling of those dimensions then he isnt a plasterer.

Nothing difficult about a room of that size and no need for a labourer.

 

[brist]

Beg to differ ok if the room is clear and well decked out also depends if spreading on new plasterboard or artex ceiling also room temp.

 

[diyisfree]

lol

your putting up hurdles Brist.

lets assume the room is free of clutter and ready to go.

I can only guess that if the ceiling was artexed, then the Op probably would have mentioned that when asking the question.

Like i said, not a problem (for me) but i can only speak for me and how fast i can lay it on.

 

[roughcaster]

I don't use a labourer either.Never have done for plastering.

Roughcaster.

 

[brist]

ok ON FRESH pLASTERBOARD NO PROBLEM.