Question:

Ok, so about this plastering?

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I've asked about plaster boarding a small wall, 2m x 1m. We will be wallpapering it afterwards.

Some people have said it's an easy enough for my husband to do, using dot and dab to stick the boards and then skimming afterwards.

However others have said no way should we try it and to get a plasterer in, as the skimming is too hard to do.

We've had 1 quote of £180 - far too much, and although we have another guy coming to have a look tonight, if it's in the same region it's too expensive.

Would my husband be able to plasterboard and skim this wall himself?

Please can you advise why?

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11 ANSWERS


  1. if he's up to really doing it I don't think It's hard to do..


  2. If you're going to wallpaper over it afterwards, creating an absolutely smooth skim coat isn't as critical.  Just lay it on and sand it down smooth as you can to the surrounding wall.

  3. oh yes! its so very easy! all you need is sheetrock, (mud) and yellow grid tape. its much more effective than plaster. you apply the tape then slap on some mud and smooth it out. after it drys take a piece of sand paper and smooth out all the imperfections. its takes no time at all. and it will cost you about 30 bucks to do it yourself.

  4. it is up to you really.

  5. if your husband buys an 8 by 4 .plaster board ..and a bag of bonding adhesive   total cost ..about £11 ..he could carefully cut out the size required in one ..mix the adhesive ...into a mix stiff enough for the mixing stick to stand upright on its own ..and don't worry about it going off as it goes off slowly ..apply the dabs 3 across and 6 down ..push board into place ...with spare adhesive fill any gaps in sides ..leaving it smooth ..leave for a few days ..then you can paint it ..wont be necessary to skim ..total time 2 hours

  6. I am very good at DIY, however it is more difficult than it appears, I have even been shown by an experienced plasterer ( a friend ) and I still cannot achieve the results that a plasterer gets.

  7. You asked if your husband would be able to do this himself.  I can only say that it is really up to your husband, as I don't know him or the quality of his work.

    If your husband has a lot of patients and is basically "handy",  then I think he might be able to accomplish the task.

    Now you must remember that skimming your wall is not the difficult part.  The hard part is making it look smooth.   You may be under the misconception that wall paper will hide mistakes.   Cracks and uneven lines will show right through the wallpaper.

    If you are willing to do a LOT of sanding and put up with the dust and the clean up, then go ahead and do it yourself.

    I am a professional carpenter and can mud.  But I usually hire it out because I know how difficult it is to get it perfectly smooth.

    A pro will skim it and have very little (if any) sanding.  It will blend in and be ready for your decorating.  It is one of those jobs that just takes the right touch.

    If you can feel the line with your finger tip you will be able to see it as well, so sand it smooth.  One way to get it smooth and cut down on dust is to use a damp sponge to feather the edges.

    Good luck.

  8. With a small patch like that he should able to do it himself if he is patient and use joint tape and joint compound with a wide trowel  at least 10 inches he should tape it first with a thinner trowel and using the compound sparingly wait until completely drys sand and clean with a moist rag then feater it out with the wider trowel, let it dry completely sand and do it again if needed. you should not be able to feel any difference from the wall when it is finished. You were given a fair price for a professional to do it.

  9. It really depends on how you want it to be.  If you put the board up, and that is pretty easy, stick it with the ivory coloured side outwards and make sure it ends up at the finished level you want.  If you plan to skim it you need to put the grey side outwards and leave a few mm for the skimcoat.  If it has to level up with a bit of existing wall it is better skimmed.

    As to whether to do it, I can say that after many years of trying I can now plaster and skim walls OK, but not ceilings yet.  However, unless I really can't afford it, I get a professional to do it because I don't want to notice the imperfections I will leave that a good professional won't.  Plastering is the job that surveys show that DIYers wish they had not done.  If you do the plumbing and it works, then if the pipes under the floor are not perfectly level/straight you don't care.  Seeing bad plastering every day is a real pain.  However that having been said you can cover a lot of poor surface with 1200 grade lining paper and then paint it.

  10. haven't you heard of drywall ?

  11. I would go with boy boy,s answer,think about it 2m x 1m is a very small area,if him indoors cut,s the plaster board slightly smaller say 5-8mm each side & the top then dot & dab it to the existing wall you will only have the edges to fill & maybe sand. Cost about £15-£20 better then £180. Job done give him indoors a beer or two & he'll love for ever!!!

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