replacing plasterboard

Hi All,

I need to replace the plasterboard behind my shower.

As you can see from the picture, there was previous work done and patched up, possibly some plumbing work. The bathroom has since been ripped up and renovated, but the outside wall started crumbling (from the bottom).

With regards to the outside wall, should i simple remove the entire plasterboard sheet and fix a new one onto the studs or should i attached a new panel below the light switch?

If i did replace the whole panel would i need an electrician to disconnect the light switch and would i need to remove the cornice?

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Robbie

 

No need to take off the whole sheet.. I'd just cut 1200 above floor level so you can have a new sheet with recessed edge to plaster over.

This would be below the light switch so no need to touch that. If you did have to touch the light switch there should be enough slack in the cables to prevent disconnecting it.

Are you doing the plastering? If not, don't touch anything and just let the plasterer do everything. Removing and fixing new Gyprock takes no time and the plasterer would have a preferred method.

 

Is the timber stud wet? Makes sure it's fully dry before re-sheeting

 

Thanks for the advice @vbplease ! I think I'm going to give the plastering a go myself, what have i got to loose?

Whats the best way to neatly cut the existing plasterboard?

The timber stud does show signs of being wet previously, so what would be the best way to fully dry if out.. just leave the wall open for a while?

 

There's some really handy YouTube clips that would explain the processes better than I can in words..
That's great you're having a go, but be aware plastering is not quite as easy as it looks in the videos. The cost of tools may add up, but still prob cheaper than paying a tradie. Worth having a go at least once.

Without a moisture meter it can be hard knowing the timber is fully dry.. Once it's dry to touch, id still leave it a month or two in warm weather fully ventilated..

 

I've taken about 700mm off the bottom sheet. The timber is fine, but you can see there was mold there before, so im going to treat the timbers with a bleach / water solution and keep the timber exposed for a month to two to make sure its all dried out.

 

You should have taken 600mm as this is 1/2 a sheet width and will give less waste.

 

The bottom 1000mm is damaged (cant actually see it on the picture), so replacing the bottom 1200 was ideal in this situation.

 

Good idea to treat the mould but bleach doesn't kill mould. Vinegar is recommended.

Removing mould and mildew

The Truth About Mold Removal - Bleach vs. Vinegar - All Star Cleaning Services

 

With repairs like that and diy keep the new plastering and joints as low as possible, less likely to draw attention if you do a mediocre job!

Don't forget to use tape. Get the paper tape for the join and get the top coat bucket not just the "multi purpose" bog!

The bottom sheet will have the recessed edge and will be easy to finish. The top will be tricky as you don't have a recess, so you'll want to "feather out" the plaster. ...so you'll need to go out wider with the plaster to hide your join.

I didn't watch the video just looked at the finished job

You have "half a butt join" so do that on the top and on the bottom use the recess

 

Gotta luv it - "half a butt joint". What do you do with the other half of a butt?

 

Normal size plaster sheets usually come with both long edges with a recess. So if you use the full width sheet (they come in two different widths) -no problem.

If you get a sheet without a recess on one edge (due to you cutting the sheet to fit - if you need less than 1200mm high - then just put the cut edge at the bottom and it will be covered by the skirting.

Though as Bob says, you will likely have a butt joint at one or both sides - hard to tell from the pic

Make sure you put a 10mm off cut on the ground underneath the sheet before fixing it - this raises it 10mm off the floor. Remove it once the sheet is fixed.

I always use the premixed multi propose joint compound. Works well and the one tub that does everything.

Most important though is stopping the source of the leak.

 

Share it or save it for "later"

 

I'm guessing whatever caused the water problem has been dealt with? It would be good to leave the sheet off for a while just to make sure. I would be tempted to put a vent/inspection panel there. When I did my last PPOR bathroom reno, I put in a few inspection points so I could see what was happening if need be.