tape and joint VS plastering - which better?

boarduser01

I am in process of building timberframe house, would like advice on the pro's and con's of tape/jointing rather than plastering.

I know it is cheaper to tape/joint but are there any other things to be aware of? Also is it possible to tape/joint successfully as a self-builder with no previous experience?

construct06

Personally i rather the hardwall finish but if taping/jointing is done right then it should be ok.

If i was doing my house again, which is block built by the way i waould dryline the inside of the outside walls. I eould put plywood inside the plasterboard so as i would have a robust backround to affix something to.

kadman

Skimmed finish resists impact damage from general traffic better than taped and jointed boards, but is slightly more expensive .

kadman

Fermacell is another option, it is glued and can be "skimmed" with FST a substance similar to artex but smooth and easy to apply, It leaves a smooth surface as good as any skimmed plasterboard wall but three times stronger.

CJhaughey

Skimming is lot more expensive than taping and jointing, also taping and jointing can be done by a competent DIYer as opposed to skimming.
I got a plasterer to skim the ceilings but T+Jed all the walls myself, I estimate I saved about 2000+ by doing this.
Fermacell is good stuff but at 3 times the price of standard plasterboard it has a premium.
I find that skimmed rooms have a harder echo than T+J rooms.
It is up to you, but I would try one small room with taping and jointing to see whether you are up to it, it won't cost much , a bucket of Gyproc profin semi lite ready mix jointfiller is about €22 a roll of fibreglass scrim €10 and a hawk and steel trowel probably €30.

ednwireland

sorry to butt into this thread but exactley how do you do tape and joint ? do yo use the fibreglass mesh tape and the fill that to get a sooth finish (got anold room that i dont want to plaster and its already plasterboarded .

boarduser01

CJHaughey - thanks for the info. We are definitely going to give it a go, so a few more questions:
1)Can the ceiling be tape and jointed or should it be skimmed?
2) Could you please describe how you tape and joint, as we are DIY'ers and never done it before. EG how to cope with corners etc.
3) Are there any rooms that cannot be tape and jointed eg bathroom for tiling etc?

Thanks again in advance

CJhaughey

What I would do is start in a room that is viewed the least
You can tape and join a ceiling and it can look great, the last room in the house was done by me tapinig and jointing and sanding and it looks perfect, although the room was small and the amount of sanding was minimal.
Internal corners are done by rolling the mesh down from the top and pushing it into the corner with a tapered roller, I borrowed a taping gun from my mate who bought it on ebay and got great use out of it.
you will need an internal corner trowel, a flat steel trowel 12" or so and possibly one longer, and a couple of good quality filling knives of 2" and 3"
only use profin- semilite ready mixed jointfiller as anything else is a waste of time to try and sand.

The procedure is simple on tapered edges just tape the edges with the meh tape and take a trowel full of mix and skim it down the edge, you will be able to see the joint filler fill the tapered edges and stop in a band about 4" wide
when dry do it again and fill out to about 7-8" with a fine edge.
when dry lightly sand.

I would do an entire room in one go, and don't forget to make sure that all the screw heads are sunk below the surface of the board.
I went around with the small knife and just ran the blade over all screw holes any that weren't sunk went click. it was very annoying to stop in the middle of filling and have to drive one in.
fill screw holes by filling in vertically and finishing horizontally.
corner trowels are a little difficult to get your head around at first, you fill the trowel and use one sweeping motion to fill the corner.
make sure that there are no lumps or bumps left on the wall after you finish even if you think they will be hidden by skirting or architrave they will still make it hard to 2nd fix over.
the profin semilite is quite soft and easy to sand/chip off if necessary.
External angles I am going to use 90deg timber mouldings to protect the corners as I have kids

boarduser01

Sorry for yet more questions -

Have been told that using tape and joint, the paint required is much greater as it is aborbed by the plaster-boards, is this true???

Also

Have been told that the sound insulation between rooms is worse not better than skimming with plaster - is this true???


Someone else said, that no matter how well it is done, you can always see the join between the boards - is it really possible to get it looking good?

Sorry to have so many more questions, just trying to convince my partner that this is the way to go?

construct06

find a few show houses that are finished by taping and jointing.

Bring her along, but dont say anything and see what she makes of it....

carol.c

Hi,

Anyone interested in trading plastering skills for a 2002 Ducati. It only has 6000 miles on the clock, new tyres, micron exhaust. Great condition.
We have a 1000 foot extension which needs skimming inside and external plastering.

Slig

carol.c wrote: »

Hi,

Anyone interested in trading plastering skills for a 2002 Ducati. It only has 6000 miles on the clock, new tyres, micron exhaust. Great condition.
We have a 1000 foot extension which needs skimming inside and external plastering.

:DBrilliant

gman2k

carol.c wrote: »

Hi,

Anyone interested in trading plastering skills for a 2002 Ducati. It only has 6000 miles on the clock, new tyres, micron exhaust. Great condition.
We have a 1000 foot extension which needs skimming inside and external plastering.

If this is a real offer, I might know someone who could help you out - depending on your location. I'll await your PM!