DIY Advice

[leslie65]

Hi, just wondering if anyone can advise, I have removed an old fireplace from a bedroom.
The lathe and plaster wall is in a bad way and I have to cover up the hole where the fire was.
Can I simply glue new plasterboard on top? Should I put a vent in where fire was? Should I block the chimney with something?
It is already capped so nothing can get down.
Thanks in advance.

[gleeber]

You need to build the hole up with 100 mm concrete blocks and insert a vent. Small one above the skirtings fine but you need to have ventilation at the top too. As for sticking plasterboard to loose plaster. Its your hoose. :lol:

[George Brims]

I would rip off the lath and plaster and put on new plasterboard. This will also give you a chance to assess the condition of the wall itself in case there are any spots where the damp is coming in.

[leslie65]

Thank you both for the advice, especially about blocking up the fireplace, given me something to think about.
Just dreading the mess taking off lathe and plaster!

[gleeber]

You could do it just by taking off any plaster thats really loose. Those bits are obvious and often the rest is ok. You can get small bags of Bonding plaster mix and will save takng the lathe off. Stick your plasterboard on top of that. itll still make a good mess though.

[smithp]

If the lathe and plaster is damp don't stick plasterboard directly onto it; it'll only go damp.

[Angel]

Removing lath and plaster is messy... but there is another alternative! Find out where all the vertical studs are (tap wall with hammer to get a general idea then use 100mm nail and hammer) once you find your first stud, other are generally either 16" or 24" apart. Once you have located them all you can nail tile battens horizontally ideally placing one at around 36" high (dado height or thereabouts) this is most vunerable to impacts (such as chair backs etc). With modern Plaster boards being 1.2 metres wide slightly narrower than 2 studs wide, you can skew nail verticals where the boards come together. Also for extra support you can add an insulation board in the spaces between all new battens... This method will have reduced your room by approximatly 1.5 inches (32mm) once plasterboard has been added. Then you will need to match and add new skirting board. If there are opening such as doors or windows this needs to be taken into account prior to starting any works as they will also need to be beaded out to match the wall surface...

Hope this helps...

Angel...

[Alrock]

Or... Just cover the offending bit of wall with a big wardrobe... out of sight, out of mind... problem solved... lol

[leslie65]

Lots of good advice, just what I was looking for, thanks everyone!