206 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
206 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
property
|
|
propertyadvice
|
|
propertyclinic
|
|
8303246
|
|
-----
|
|
# Doctor in the House: fixing plasterboard
|
|
|
|
## Our DIY expert answers your questions on plasterboard, bathroom mould and
|
|
painting oak
|
|
|
|
![David Snell answers your questions on plasterboard, bathroom mould and
|
|
painting oak][1]
|
|
|
|
David Snell answers your questions on plasterboard, bathroom mould and
|
|
painting oak
|
|
|
|
By David Snell 12:24PM GMT 04 Feb 2011
|
|
|
|
[Comments][2]
|
|
|
|
_My grandchildren were play fighting and I'm afraid that they've made a hole
|
|
in the plasterboard wall in my hall. I didn't even realise that the house was
|
|
dry lined until this happened. How do I fix it? _**MH, Gloucestershire**
|
|
|
|
![David Snell answers your questions on plasterboard, bathroom mould and
|
|
painting oak][3]
|
|
|
|
David Snell answers your questions on plasterboard, bathroom mould and
|
|
painting oak
|
|
|
|
Many modern homes are dry lined, where plasterboard is fixed to the walls by
|
|
screwing it to battens or by using dabs of plaster. It dries out much faster
|
|
than hard plaster and is, therefore, capable of being decorated almost
|
|
immediately - but it isn't as durable. What a shame your grandchildren didn't
|
|
attack the wall in the same place as a dab.
|
|
|
|
To patch small holes in plasterboard you will need to provide a backing. Cut
|
|
the hole square with a Stanley knife and a straight edge. Cut a piece of
|
|
plasterboard an inch bigger, both ways, than the hole and then cut it in half.
|
|
Squeeze filler or coving adhesive around three sides of one of the pieces of
|
|
board. Insert it in the hole and pull it back against the plasterboard to
|
|
stick it in place.
|
|
|
|
Repeat this for the other side of the hole. Don't worry about the gap left
|
|
down the middle by your fingers. Let things dry out and harden. Cut a piece of
|
|
board about 3mm smaller all around than the size of the hole and butter up the
|
|
back with adhesive. Press this gently into position, jiggling it slightly from
|
|
side to side and taking care not to push too hard, so as to dislodge the
|
|
backing boards. When dry, fill the gaps with filler and, when that is dry,
|
|
sand smooth and redecorate.
|
|
|
|
## Related Articles
|
|
|
|
* [Property clinic: When to get onto the property ladder][4]
|
|
|
|
03 Feb 2011
|
|
|
|
* [Green property: How to insulate to avoid a draft][5]
|
|
|
|
01 Feb 2011
|
|
|
|
* [Doctor in the House: looking after wood][6]
|
|
|
|
28 Jan 2011
|
|
|
|
* [Property Clinic: Finding a bargain][7]
|
|
|
|
27 Jan 2011
|
|
|
|
* [Home improvements: What is radiator 'balancing'?][8]
|
|
|
|
24 Jan 2011
|
|
|
|
* [Home improvements: trouble with the boiler?][9]
|
|
|
|
18 Jan 2011
|
|
|
|
_Our two teenage daughters prefer to use the shower in our en suite rather
|
|
than the bath in their own bathroom. As a result, I'm constantly at war with
|
|
patches of black mould. I try to ensure that the windows are left open, but my
|
|
wife shuts them. We do have an extractor linked to the light but this can be
|
|
very annoying at night. Is there a paint with a built in anti-mould element?
|
|
What would you recommend? _**AH, by email**
|
|
|
|
One of my daughters gave me a lecture about how wasteful baths were and then
|
|
proceeded to stand under the shower for 42 minutes, using four times as much
|
|
water and pumping vapour into the home's atmosphere.
|
|
|
|
There are paints available with a built-in anti-fungal element, made by
|
|
Blackfriars. But I don't think that's the answer. Nor do I think leaving the
|
|
window open is a permanent solution because at certain times of the year the
|
|
air has a humidity level of almost 100 per cent. All you're doing is inviting
|
|
that in.
|
|
|
|
I think the best solution is to crank up the heat in the bathroom, so that
|
|
it's hotter than the rest of the house, and to put the extractor on the
|
|
maximum overrun. I know the sound can be annoying when you're trying to sleep.
|
|
If so, you could simply make a habit of using the shaver light in the night -
|
|
if you're not having a shower, there won't be any need for the extractor.
|
|
|
|
_I have light oak kitchen units and I'd like to paint them in a light colour.
|
|
Is it possible to paint oak, will it cover properly and will it be liable to
|
|
chipping? _**DP, Oxfordshire**
|
|
|
|
There is no reason why you can't paint over oak, but preparation, as with all
|
|
decoration, is essential. Give the units a light sanding, then prime them with
|
|
a primer or a white matt emulsion. Rub them down lightly again and apply an
|
|
undercoat followed by a gloss top coat.
|
|
|
|
There are water-based undercoats and top coats, but they won't be as durable.
|
|
It might be as well to use oil-based paints for these final two coats.
|
|
|
|
[X][10] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][11]
|
|
|
|
* Share: [Share][10] [ ][12] [ ][13]
|
|
|
|
[Tweet][14]
|
|
|
|
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/propertyclinic/8303246
|
|
/Doctor-in-the-House-fixing-plasterboard.html
|
|
|
|
Telegraph
|
|
|
|
## [Property Clinic][15]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Lifestyle »][16]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Property Advice »][17]
|
|
|
|
* ### [Renovating and DIY »][18]
|
|
|
|
In property
|
|
|
|
[![Twenty-four-hour party people: noisyneighbours can turn even the loveliest
|
|
of houses into a waking nightmare][19] ][20]
|
|
|
|
### [Property clinic: Noisy neighbours][20]
|
|
|
|
[![House Doctor DIY: whether you are papering walls or ceilings, it pays to
|
|
have a helper at hand, says David Snell][21] ][22]
|
|
|
|
### [Doctor in the House: wallpaper worries][22]
|
|
|
|
[![I spy: neighbours are not responsible for subcontractors
|
|
|
|
][23] ][24]
|
|
|
|
### [Property clinic: How responsible are our neighbours?][24]
|
|
|
|
[![Building regulations and energy efficiency: The new elemental U values
|
|
applies to flat roofs, external walls, glazing and roof lights][25] ][26]
|
|
|
|
### [Building regulations and energy efficiency][26]
|
|
|
|
[X][10] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][11]
|
|
|
|
Share:
|
|
|
|
* [ ][10]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][12]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][13]
|
|
|
|
* [Tweet][14]
|
|
|
|
* Advertisement
|
|
|
|
![][27]
|
|
|
|
telegraphuk
|
|
|
|
Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][28] [blog
|
|
comments powered by Disqus][29]
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
sponsored features
|
|
|
|
Loading
|
|
|
|
Classified Advertising
|
|
|
|
* [UK Homes][30]
|
|
|
|
* [Overseas][31]
|
|
|
|
* [RHS Chelsea][32]
|
|
|
|
Loading
|
|
|
|
var puffs_8314099 = new Array();
|
|
|