Painting direct to taped plasterboard

[mikeday1991]

Hello everyone,

Just a quick question - hope some of you can shed some light...

We've started stripping our upstairs of wood chip and, predictably, the plaster behind is rubbish!
We had the downstairs skimmed after removal of the woodchip, but we had it done by our Damp proof co. as part of their insurance backed guarantee process, however the finish leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm just wondering how plausible it is to take the walls upstairs back to brick (internal stud walls being rebuilt anyway!), dot and dab TE plasterboard to the wall, tape and paint directly to?
Has anyone here done this and were you happy with the finish? The reason I ask, is that we really are strapped for cash and feel I could achieve a better finish with TE Board and Tape than having a go at plastering/skimming for the first time!! I will be fitting a dropped ceiling with this method anyway.

I have been in a Crest Nicholson house and have looked at their finish - I read somewhere the developers paint straight to PB - is this the case? (if it is, I would be happy with the finish I have seen in that house!)

Thanks in advanced!
Mike

[5potTurbo]

My suspended ceilings are taped with mud (if that's the right phrase?), sanded and painted, not skimmed entirely, only the joints.

[magooagain]

Yes its ok to paint on the board after jointing.

[blaineuk]

Yes some building companies will have the boards painted, only issue comes if you wall paper them, and then at a later date remove the paper, it will remove the plaster board face.

[F1SERB]

Generally it looks Sh.t in residential though
Pay a plasterer to skim the boards once dabbed

[226bhp]

Yes it's perfectly viable and has been done for years - it dates back to the 80's or even beyond. Do a search for Gyprocs 'White book' and other guides.
It's all down to how skilled you are and your standards of course, use a long straight edge to set the boards up and fill everything at least twice - the first app always shrinks back a lot.
If you mess it up you can always sand it back as it's soft, not something you can do with other types of finish coats.

[mikeday1991]

Thanks for the responses!

I think im going to give it a go, if the worst comes to the worst i can always get a plasterer in to sort it out, would only have wasted a few bags of jointing compound and some tape!

[benters]

I found 'easyfill' a good product for filling joints, easy to sand after. . .not sure if this is the best solution but looks ok to me.

[jep]

My new-build had this set-up, but with a thin plaster skim over the tape. It was absolutely fine, and we had no issues at all with the finish.

[Mr GrimNasty]

If you do it properly, the finish will be indistinguishable from a skim coat, only it will be 'more perfect'! Skimming p/b is a UK thing, loads of other countries don't do it. Do finish the lot with a bespoke plasterboard sealer, this will harden the surface and give a uniform paint coverage over boards and joints, do not be tempted to cheap-skate and mix up your own miracle PVA or emulsion coats.