Any Plasterers/Builders/Pro level DIYers in the house? new ceiling content

Just having a couple of ceilings taken out (artex)

Was going to get the downstairs walls and ceilings skimmed anyway but its was quite a big job and i’d not factored the original ceilings coming down into my budget, so plastering might have to wait a few months.

If i reboard with tapered edge board and tape and fill the joints to make it look prettier in the short term is this ok to skim over at a later date?

I assume so but i’ve i’ve watched a few youtube vids but people seem to be just filling the joints and directly painting the plasterboard.

ta!

Board, tape, and fill is absolutely DIY-able. And you don’t necessarily need to skim.

Skimming, absolutely not. Get a pro in.

Use taper edge boards and fill the joins and paint – perfectly acceptable and you can get a good finish

Depending on how high your ceilings are, you can over board and not remove the old artex.

I’ve heard about people boarding, filling and painting straight onto plasterboard these days but I thought it more of a quick redo your office type thing rather than houses. Haven’t seen it but it must look ok if peple are doing it…

If the boards are solid, just artex, then I would knock off the high points and overboard with longer screws. More sound deadening.

I assume so but i’ve i’ve watched a few youtube vids but people seem to be just filling the joints and directly painting the plasterboard.

If you’re thinking of doing that, personally I’d put a layer of lining paper on the plasterboard first as it can be quite tricky filling the screw/nail holes & joints in to the same finish as the paper surface on the plasterboard, so they may well show up once painted.

But that could just be my over obsessiveness about finishes taking control though.

Beware artex can contain asbestos fibres so dust masks essential.
Boarding ceiling, I would hire a board lift . Mark joists on walls , get plasterboard screws and use a combi with clutch on lowest setting.
Toupret joint filler and nice wide blade for flat finish.
Consider fireproof board if you’re a worrier.
Check room for square to start with , make a 4,5, 6 or laser it
Very satisfying once you get into it.

Get the artex tested for asbestos. A test  only costs about £20-ish.

Even if you plan to overboard it you’ll still be creating dust.

It’ll work. I’d try not to paint if you can as you want the skim coat to soak into the paper allowing the crystals to go through it & into the gypsum. Possibly join the boards with bonding rather than filler (ask your plasterer)? Bear in mind a lot of the youtube plastering vids are american who seem to use really absorbent scrim tape and something that looks like custard in dry lining with taper edge boards

Taper edge is OK so long as your room is a full number of taper edge boards high and wide. As soon as you have to start cutting boards down then your method might run into issues – particularly when you want to keep wastage to a minimum. There’s sfa difference in cost and recently I’ve been sent taper edge in lieu of square when they’re run out.

My tame plasterer’s greatest attribute is patience. “you need to let it do its thing” seems to be a constant mantra.

Thanks all

When i bought house ceilings were tested for asbestos and negative. however since moving in i’ve discovered they are all overboarded with older asbestos positive artex underneith 😡

I’m not messing about with it and so got a removal company coming in next week. Also not prepared to overboard for a third time and leave it for the next owner.

Anyhow thats somewhat depleated my budget.

100% getting a pro in to skim them eventually but thought in the short term filling might look nicer.

Just don’t want the plasterer to turn up later on and go “oh mate, you shouldn’t have done that!”

Couldn’t work out from youtube vids if people were only filling before painting directly or you could skim over.

Another thing i’ve learned is boards run perpendicular to the joists and need to stagger the joints right?

The american way is just that – taper edge board, tape the edges,  and ‘mud’ them then rub down smooth.

An American would look at you like your heads screwed on wrong if you told them that over here we ‘mud’ (skim) the whole room.

I did my garage in taper edge like this and to be honest – it looks absolutely fine. And makes me consider whether in the future if the whole ‘skim the entire room’ thing we’ve been doing in the UK for ever is actually just a massive scam!

Crucial point – DO NOT rip the paper with your screws – they should tighten down enough to sit below the level but NOT so that they rip through the paper.

The american way is just that – taper edge board, tape the edges, and ‘mud’ them then rub down smooth.

yes seems to be a very trans-altantic divide in techniques

also wondered what do they mean by mud? is it actual plaster or something like easy-fill?

Had some sagging old lathe and plaster bathroom ceiling in the the Mrs flat a few years ago. Contemplated ripping it all down but the amount of crap from the first test hole put paid to that plans. Instead I screwed battons into the joists with the original ceiling still in place, then new plasterboard nailed to the batons with the edges taped and skimmed. Didn’t bother skimming the entire ceiling, just the joints. Then painted over when it was dry and it was absolutely fine and dead easy.

Anything that they mix with water seems to get referred to as mud: mortar, render, plaster, screed, pie. Have you watched those 1950’s dry lining tutorials with the utterly lethal ice axe type tools?

where they essentially cut out sockets with an axe? yes makes me wonder how any tradies got throug the 50’s and 60’s the all body parts and lungs intact.

I’m an ex plasterer; as said Artex has/had asbestos in it, I suggest you don’t scrape high points down.. Tape and fill it; it will still look better than Artex, if doing it yourself; buy a sanding pole. A scratch and a coat or two of PVA at a later date and it can be skimmed over.

“Have you watched those 1950’s dry lining tutorials with the utterly lethal ice axe type tools?”

Called a lath hammer; estwing make the best.

The american way is just that – taper edge board, tape the edges,  and ‘mud’ them then rub down smooth.

Or any modern new build ? Keeps costs down. Much like the removal of the sarkin boards in the roof. Structural breathable building paper mmmmmm

Skip the lining paper Bodgetastic. No reason you should see screw holes after you have done your taping.

Taper edge is OK so long as your room is a full number of taper edge boards high and wide. As soon as you have to start cutting boards down then your method might run into issues

Its not unfortunately but the majority of joints will be the tapered edges – not sure what to do with the butt ends

In France we dont skim. Plasterboard, tape over screws and skim joints . And paint .

Skip the lining paper Bodgetastic. No reason you should see screw holes after you have done your taping.

Just so its clear in my head you should tape over the screws too,  not just fill?

I’ve seem some vids where people use scrim tape for the tapered edge then another tape that looks like masking tape for other parts

do you fill, sand the tape over the screws too?

We had a couple of Artex ceilings skimmed over without boarding etc. Still there many years later.

estwing make the best.

statements like that will cause curious anomalies in the Estwing web traffic data.  “We seem to have a lot of  redirects from this cycling website that all resulted in sales.”

The big disadvantage with the dry lining finish used in new builds is at removal time of anything stuck to the walls like wallpaper, tiles and mirrors, all will destroy the plasterboard.

Taper edge is OK so long as your room is a full number of taper edge boards high and wide

No you cut the board and you add a taper with your plasterboard rasp.

Just having a couple of ceilings taken out (artex)

You don’t need to do this “just” for artex unless there’s a structural reason, rusty nails, sagging laths, etc.

We had a couple of Artex ceilings skimmed over without boarding etc. Still there many years later.

Coyote +1, I’m sitting under one now

When i bought house ceilings were tested for asbestos and negative

Should be safe enough and the older stuff is encapsulated so why disturb it?

Knock the peaks and loose stuff off with a scraper (does a stalactite have a peak?), there’s no need to make it smooth. A decent plasterer will be able to skim that. You are potentially spending a fortune needlessly

The scraping will create dust but a cheap M-class vac will sort that out; try Screwfix/Tool Station, etc, e.g. Titan TTB922VAC-M 1400W 20Ltr M Class Wet & Dry Vacuum 220-240V £130

No you cut the board and you add a taper with your plasterboard rasp.

Ahh good info! was wondering what you do with the non-tapered joins

Tape the edges, fill the edges/screws drywall style (loads of ‘mericans/Canadians with videos on youtube, try https://www.youtube.com/@vancouvercarpenter for tutorials). Then paint with Tikkurila Anti Reflex paint and you’d never know the difference from a skimmed ceiling. I know as I have both in my property (Skimmed and drywall) and I can’t tell them apart.

Should be safe enough and the older stuff is encapsulated so why disturb it?

Knock the peaks and loose stuff off with a scraper (does a stalactite have a peak?), there’s no need to make it smooth. A decent plasterer will be able to skim that. You are potentially spending a fortune needlessly

Part of the reason is the lounge had a leak and a big section is knackered, the rest of the ceillings are pretty gash too. We had 4 plasterers quote and they all recommended overboarding.

The lighting circuit has some very dodgy junction boxes and the current lighting is in the wrong place or just plain wierd. – i’d like to add some downlights and rewire it which will involve cutting through the old artex.

Its a bungalow with a room in the roof and there is no insulation between the floors so it solve that i either have to take the ceiling down or the floor up.

Will make life easier in some respect if they go.

Also if i know there is asbestos in the house i would feel obliged to say if selling. Even though the last vendor possibly neglected to do so.

Just so its clear in my head you should tape over the screws too, not just fill?

If you do the screws right then just fill. Proper drywall screws then tightened so they are sub flush but haven’t pulled through the top layer. A little smear of filler with the same stuff you are doing the joints.

Proper drywall screws then tightened so they are sub flush but haven’t pulled through the top layer.

Drywall bits for your driver are a godsend for this.

There’s a real art to it. I’m sure professionals can whack them in and get each one right but as an amateur just take your time. An extra half an hour putting screws in will save you much more time and give a better finish.

Skimming, absolutely not. Get a pro in.

Disagree. Skimming is fine… Whatsmore… Skimming ceilings is the easiest.

Sure the first bag will end up everywhere but its cheap once you get a feel for it more and more stays on the trowel and less of it on your forehead.

Yeah , it’s called a collated dry walling gun .
That’s how the pros do it. Fast accurate, low torque, lightweight.

As others have said, feather edge boards, scrim tape and a quick skim of the joints. Now the fun is getting the boards up to the ceiling and screwing them on. Either get a friend, hire the relevant tool or YouTube it and see how to make a DIY lift for the plasterboard. In theory your only flat joints should be at the edge of the ceiling, or the short end of the boards.