Plasterboards

[Vaughat]

Hi

I'm looking to buy some plaster boards to dry line a room, I've come across BA13mm NF and B 13mm (which are slightly cheaper) at the local Brico sheds - whats the difference please (except the price). I'm intending to tape the joints and eventually paint the plasterboards.

 

Thanks

Tony (16)

[Meg]

Tony,

 

Wild guess here, but has one got tapered joints and the other not??

Louise

[Tresco]

If you are going to paint straight onto the plasterboard, won't the lines from the tape show through?

[Dick Smith]

You fill over them and then sand back (if your filling is as sloppy as mine) - that is why they have tapered edges.

[Tresco]

Dick, I'm pretty fastidious when it comes to sanding, but I can still see where the boards are.*

If i was to do it all again, I would skim: or rather, pay someone to skim.

*Other people claim not to be able to see the lines.

[Dick Smith]

May depend on what you use or on technique. I prefer skimming (we have just had several ceilings replaced in England and they look very good skimmed), partly because our French builder hasn't quite got the technique. No1 son got me some filler (called EasyFill) which works a treat, but can still show through some paints due to a change in texture.

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Tresco"]

Dick, I'm pretty fastidious when it comes to sanding, but I can still see where the boards are.[/quote]

Exactly. I've recently become a plasterboard obsessive (to go with my other obsessions... grouts, adhesives, bathroom fittings) and invariably I can see the lines where someone has taped the joints. Even where the sanding has been done well, there's a distinct difference between the finish on the taped and filled joints vs the plasterboard itself when painted. But then, I can be a smug ***** because my OH does near-perfect skim coats of plaster. [:P] And faster than he'd do all the filling and taping and filling and sanding... Sadly, this skill also leads to problems. The finish is too perfect for an elderly Norman farmhouse so he's been instructed to deliver a more rustic finish to the face of the plaster before painting. He thought I was joking...[6]

[Dick Smith]

I find it frustrating that where I have filled dings and divots in walls (and we had a lot of them) the change in material shows through several coats of paint. We used silk (because we aren't there all the time) and it makes it worse.

[Chancer]

To reply to the original post, which I think is missing the letter A -  i.e what is the difference between BA13NF and the slightly cheaper BA13?

The non "NF" (norme francaise) boards are invariably less dense, harder to cut accurately as the plaster can fall out of the cut edges but for me the real bugbear is the plasterboard screws very easily go straight through the board due to the lack of density. This is not a desirable quality say for a ceiling.

For those reasons I always pay the extra and only use NF boards, I have also found that buying from a grossiste usually results in a better quality NF board than from say Brico-depot, I know that they are both supposedly Norme Francais but one can still be a better quality than another, a good measure of the difference is when trying to cut a thin sliver.

I recently did some boarding in the UK and the boards from a dywall supplier were nowhere near as good as the French ones I use.

[Vaughat]

JR

Thanks for getting back to the original queation and thanks for the reply - I think  I'll go with the NF type and see what type of finish I get.

 

Tony

[Deimos]

I've finished of a room in my house (previous owner had already fitted the plasterboard and I taped, filled and sanded the joints) and its fine. I cannot see the lines and I'm pretty fussy. Not the nicest of jobs (the sanding that is) but no problems with the finish. However, another room the previous owner had done themselves did show the joints as I guess they were not as thorough/careful about the sanding.

Ian

[Meg]

Even if you can't see the joint you still know they're their...lurking under the surface!! I too am becoming obsessed by getting them prefect, much to OH's annoyance..........'ah that'll do just paint it'! And i look at walls when i go out to see how badly other people have done it. I always feel smug when i see it done really badly! (Mine are far from perfect though!)

A sponge to feather the edges helps, and cuts down on sanding ( an evil job!)

Thanks J.R for clearing up what the difference is. No idea what we used!!

Louise

[Gastines]

In reply to JR. and the quality of boards from a Dry-lining supplier being of poorer standard, it may be that Lafarge now owns British Plasterboard!!!

The first house I boarded in Brittany, I brought over 430 boards as it was half price[Trade at T&P ] than it was in France, even though it was made by Lafarge. Now as so many people UK ers and Locals seem to be in the renovation business or DIY ers, the price has equalled out.

Regards.

[Rob Roy]

You might all think you are obsessive about your joints - try being married to a car body repairer/classic car restorer who has rubbed down more cars than I've had hot dinners! I was told in no uncertain terms that my rubbing down was not good enough, and to keep going (I suggested he did the rest on his own[:@]) - mind you he was right and you can't tell at all where they are now it is all painted.[:P]

[legs_akimbo]

When using tapered edge boards it is always better to spread your compound a good few inches wider than the recess in the board, if for example your joint has a ten inch width joint of compound done gradually in three nice thin coats it is a breeze to sand down and feather in the edge of the compound to the plasterboard for a seamless finish. For filling in marks and gouges there is a Uk product that the old timers used to call aimes, it is pre mixed dry wall gyproc finishing compound and used as a filler can be sanded really easily and can never be seen under the paint surface, next time in the Uk pick up a tub as it is invaluable and keeps for a couple of years. One thing not mentioned in this thread is the important point of ensureing all plasterboard joints are skrim or paper taped before caulking so that they do not crack on the joint.

Would I be right in saying a Top notch English type plasterer would be a very busy guy in France then?

[legs_akimbo]

Some may find this rather usefull.

http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/PLASTERING_CENTRE.htm

[Deimos]

I used the "mesh" type tape for mine as I did not have a cassette for the paper roll and being slightly tacky it stays up by itself (on the ceiling). Seems much quicker, cleaner and easier than the paper tape. Year and a half later nothing has cracked-out.

Ian

[tj]

Hi

Found the different takes on this subject quite interesting, but it appears the extremely quick and easy task of sanding is causing a few problems.

When done correctly the sanding should be a breeze, the trick is to apply the first coat with a six inch plaster knife, using sufficient pressure on the final pass to leave only the recess filled. Although possible a single filling is not normally enough due to shrinkage, particularly around drywall fixings and the joint itself.

On the second filling use the six inch to apply the jointing compound, with the knife clean strike up or down the board to remove about an inch of filler from each side of the strip you just applied, then make the final pass with a ten inch plaster knife this will result in as near as dammit the feathered edge you want, any sanding after it is dry should be minimal sponge sanding blocks are good, and a pole sander for large areas of ceilings. But gently though, good quality jointing compound only needs to see the sander, if you get what I mean! 

hope it helps

 

[Dick Smith]

I think the problem for me (at least) isn't getting a smooth finish, it's that with some paint finishes there is a slightly different texture on the filler compared to the surrounding material.

[tj]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]I think the problem for me (at least) isn't getting a smooth finish, it's that with some paint finishes there is a slightly different texture on the filler compared to the surrounding material.
[/quote]

Ah, if the paint is too wet / too thin it has an effect like raising the grain on wood, it lifts the surface fibres of the boards paper covering. A once over with a dilute PVA and mohair roller, or a blind coat ( 8 to 1 with water of the paint you are using ) diluted just on the exposed board not the joint )before painting should do the trick. Two coats is most always neccessary to get the proper finish, unless you are using professional grade ( not to be confused with Contract grade, which by the way is suitable for areas that need to breath since it contains less acrylic/latex ) at 5 € or 6 € a litre, which may cover in one depending. 

It could also be the roller, a long pile or the sheepskin type will give a good finish.

 

 

[Dick Smith]

Nope, it was plaster on plaster (filling dings), painted on with a brush. You could just see the different texture, very annoying.

[Meg]

[quote user="Deimos"]I used the "mesh" type tape for mine as I did not have a cassette for the paper roll and being slightly tacky it stays up by itself (on the ceiling). Seems much quicker, cleaner and easier than the paper tape. Year and a half later nothing has cracked-out.

Ian[/quote]

Yep i prefer the mesh stuff, much easier. But why does it say not suitable for use on ceilings?? (I i have used it anyway though!)

Louise

[legs_akimbo]

The mesh type.... fibre skrim tape, is fine for both ceilings and walls, though it is really for skimming and will occasionaly crack. Paper tape will not and is the pro's method but still very easy. Cut the lengths required and roll them up loosely, then drop them in a bucket of water for twenty seconds. Shake off, then run the tape between your fingers to remove the excess water, Apply a thin layer of compound down the joint and apply the tape then run a scraer down the tape to squeeze out the excess compound from beneath the tape so that it is tight to the board over the joint. Proceed to apply three layers of compound in increasing widths up to 10 12 inches before sanding when dry. If using self adhesive skrim apply a thin layer of compound on the trowell/knife/ scraper/ tight against the tape to press it tight against the board before proceeding to apply compond so that no webbing from the skrim will be exposed when sanding is complete.

Never apply diluted pva to freshly prepared areas prior to painting ....paint and pva do not go well together and leaves an evidently poor finish. A mist coat of 50/50 paint to water is ideal prep before painting proper. Have heard many tales that French paint is notoriously very poor quality yet very expensive.

[legs_akimbo]

On the subject of pva and when not to use it. Never Ever use it on walls before you tile either, the consequenses can be disastarous with tiles coming away in swathes. There are proper bonding agents but pva is not one of them. Never use pva in any external applications either b.t.w.

[Gastines]

On the pva note.Whenever we have papered out room sets in superstores, on new plasterboard, we always roller on a very diluted coat of PVA. Having papered over 90 stores with hundreds of rolls of paper,from cheap to expensive papers, we have never had a problem. We also find that if at a later date we have to strip these papers to change room set design, they steam off easily without damaging the plasterboard or joint filler.

I have just found out an easier method of plastering.Having just taken out our old kitchen and removed the huge wood burner and fireplace etc. We were left with a huge hole ,floor to ceiling where the fireplace was. I framed out the recess and double boarded it and my neighbour arrived to see what I was up to. He left,returned 5 minutes later with plaster and mixers and using my trowels, plastered the wall for me. I would probably still be thinking about it. His trade is carpentry and having seen the things he produces, I tell him I am a hammer and nails only, carpenter.

Regards.