walls again

ok anyone out there have any ideas on whats best to fill in a space about 600ml wide from top of walls clad in pine boards to ceiling ie between the picture rail to ceiling was going to use masonite but have been told that it will bulge after a while and fibro sheeting would be better dont think plasterboard would be any good as wall paneling is only 12 mil thick and have never used it so is a bit of a mystry to me ? and never seen it used in any older qlder so dont know how it would go

am also going to put battens down each stud so this rm will match the rest of the hse

ceilings are about 4 or 5 mt high so u are never going to be up to close to it to look at and need to keep the costs down as well

anyone have any other ideas would be good
this hse is just going on and on and on why did i ever start lol
thks again
david

As masonite normally is only 4.5mm thick I used 6 mm mdf for the walls in my shed conversion which I think is a better alternative.

It is cleaner to cut than masonite and paints better as fewer coats are needed. Surprisingly is is also cheaper. I but jointed the sheets and patched it with gap filler but you can get 6mm plastic joining cover strips from Bunnings.

David,

In section I am picturing studs with the 12 mm boarding on them, and studs with nothing on them at the top. (Does that make sense?)

If I am right, just go with plasterboard..10mm will easily pack out 2 with glue, (I may not be cheap but I am certainly rough!) and you will have both surfaces flush (more or less). There is no mystery to plasterboard, at that height I reckon even I could get a reasonable looking joint!

Use the battens over the top as you suggest, but run one horizontally over the join to frame it all.

Sturdee's shed walls are fine - for a shed :D but I think you'll find a bit of movement in 6mm MDF as well, particularly with the back unfinished.

If you are really intimidated by plasterboard, use 10 or 12mm MDF, but that will be hard on your missus, holding it up over her head while you nail it in place! :eek: :eek:

Lastly, fibre cement will work, detailed as above.

Hope I haven't added to your confusion!

Regards,

P

David,
I'd go with the plasterboard, it's available in 12mm which will make things easier. If possible get square edge sheets, these are/were made but I've never seen anyone stock them. Most sheets have recessed edges (50mm or so along each long edge is reduced in thickness by about 3mm to allow for setting the joints) and this will be noticeable if your picture rail doesn't cover it at the bottom or your cornice at the top. If you can get square edge get 1200 wide sheets which you can cut down to 2 x 600. Otherwise get recessed edge 1350 wide sheets and remove the recessed edge. Cutting is dead simple: a straight edge and a stanley knife and simply score and snap. If you've got help then buy long sheets to minimise the amounts of joints you need to tape and set. Get yourself a "how to" leaflet from the plasterboard manufacturer, it's not that hard (it's not even a real trade, in Qld you only need to have done a 2 year traineeship rather than a 4 year apprenticeship to get licensed, no offense intended to any plasterboard setters :) ).

Mick

thks guys for the input
still havent decided and there is no missus to hold the pieces lol
( and i am running out of friends as well lol ) which is something else that i have to think about when doing this as am doing all myself so pieces have to be weight and size that i can handle
so next question how easy dose plasterboard break ? i mean when moving it around etc ( i tend to like things that i can drop and do only little damage ) ?
thks again
david

hi david,
yep it breaks but on the up side its easy to fix, i was working with a mate last year and we were bending 4m sheets 90 degrees from a narrow hallway into the roomto get it in, and we didnt break any not bad for novices.
if you dont have help you will struggle as the sheets are quite awkward to handle, i note that you are in rural qld so i dont know if there will be a hire place in your area but if there is you could hire a gyprock lifter. usally used for putting on ceiling sheets but you can turn them to fit sheets horizontally. flushing is simple and on the up side it should be cheaper than almost any other option.
i have done a lot of flushing with gyrock and it is a messy job, but very simple to do and you will pick it up easy
hope this helps.
cheers Ian :)

Use a cornice cement mix that you mix fairly thick. Put biggish dobs onto framing then set you plaster onto this. Use a straight edge bridged accross the sheet and either side to set the sheet flush with surroundings. Use a 10mm plaster if you have it and visualise the thick but smooth cornice cement as a variable packer. Press slowly giving it time to ooze away. This is if you are only doing a small area. Other wise if doing a large area use standard thichness.Depending on your dimension you could use someone elses offcut and it doesn't get much more economical than that. Plaster is stable and although fragile once in place it is easily patched/smoothed.

Now I know I am a yank but I am an architect and general contractor.
Go with the plaster board. I do not know what your building codes are but here in this US all wall must have at least 1/2 drywall board which is easy to install and tape with mud. For one thing it gives a wall one hour fire rating. Stairs and grage walls must have drywall and is even thicker. You need to finish the walls with wall board before you apply the wood. Our codes would not let you do it any other way. Now keep in mind our building codes are a minimum standard. If you try to do it on the cheap that is what you get cheap! It does not cost that much more to build it right and in the end you will have a house with a greater value. It only comes home to haunt you if you take short cuts.
Happy building
Richard

I'm not sure mick is right about anyone noticing the recessed edge of the plasterboard if it is 3m above the ground. I would probably not stress over it as it will be shadowed by the picture rail :D

Having had my first go at plasterboarding fairly recently I'd definately say go for the lifter if you can hire one or get a couple of tolerant friends along. Those boards are heavier than they look. I was going the other way and putting plasterboard at the top level with masonite at the bottom covering a chimney breast. ( don't ask ... the whole job was a nightmare from first to last ).

When you are putting plasterboard up high it is a real help to have something to actually rest the bottom horizontal edge of the plasterboard on while you do the fixing - especially if the something is itself horizontal ( I can vouch for the difficulty of two people trying to get the bottom edge of a sheet of plasterboard 3m off the ground to be horizontal ). Under normal circumstances you would be resting the bottom edge of the higher piece on the top of the lower piece of plasterboard. As I realised after the event a temporary batten ( screw/nail holes to be covered with the picture rail later would be helpful if you don't think the tops of your wall boards provide a good enough resting surface.

And biting midge in some houses its the boyfriend who holds the plasterboard over his head while the woman bangs the nails in and swears a lot :p

If I was doing it I'd get 1370 x 2400 sheets (the recessed edge runs along the 2400 side) and cut 4\600 x 1370 lengths from each. Then you'd have the recessed edges where you want them. More joints to tape this way but a better finish than butt joins and easier to manage short lengths by yourself. You would need a nogging between studs where the joins are.

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For one thing it gives a wall one hour fire rating.

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SailingAmerican: I am glad you gave the disclaimer you did. Standard plasterboard will NOT give a fire rating of any kind. To achieve a fire ratiing requires special board and fixings, depending on the level of rating required.

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And biting midge in some houses its the boyfriend who holds the plasterboard over his head while the woman bangs the nails in and swears a lot

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:eek: :eek: :eek:

But don't all real men have skinny little office workers arms like me? He could get HURT doing women's work! :D

P

[QUOTE=Tip hunter]Use a cornice cement mix that you mix fairly thick. Put biggish dobs onto framing then set you plaster onto this.

I'd be very wary about using cornice cement to fix plasterboard to timber. Cornice adhesive is designed to fix cornice, ceiling roses etc to plasterboard and plasterboard to masonary and is not flexible. Stud adhesive is designed to fix plasterboard to timber (with screws or nails) and is a flexible adhesive which allows for some timber movement.

If in doubt give your local Boral or CSR supplier a call as they will be able to give advice.