Plasterboarding Walls

[Onar]

Hello guys,
Two of my walls will need to be completely stripped due to loose plaster.
The plaster is on wattle/laths.
What I plan to do is to remove only the plaster and fit ordinary plasterboard over the wattle/laths
Any alternative advice or suggestion is welcomed.
Please see photo
Thank you.

[dewaltdisney]

It is a right job but worth it. Take the lathes off they are a pig to screw into. Seal the room well against dust with windows open, get plenty of rubble sacks, and find where you can dump it before you start. Hack off the plaster first where you can and then strip the lathes. You will need to spend a bit of time de-nailing and cleaning the studs before you fit your new boards. Put tape markers on top and bottom where the studs are so you can draw a line on the boards for accurate screwing. Consider fitting insulation if it might cut noise or retain warmth. Get the smaller PB sheets as they are easier to handle and use a drill driver to screw the drywall screws in a uniform pattern (avoid over-driving, just countersink the head). Take your time and treat each stage as a separate step. Stripping out and spoil removal, clean up and de-nail, insulate and plasterboard out, plaster skim, and then decorating. This will help you to keep focus. Good luck and let us know how it went.

DWD

[Neelix]

Remove existing lathe and plaster.

Replace with plasterboard with insulation.

Skim plaster for best finish

[Grendel]

I have in the past under instruction plasterboarded over the laths . It is possible but if I’m honest it did seem a bit of a bodge . Lath and plaster works by squeezing through the gaps and setting in place . When the plaster is removed there is a lot of debris left inside the wall and of course there’s no way to insulate or check the condition of the studs . Better to remove as mentioned above . You’ll find there’s a bit more cutting as I very much doubt the studs are set out for plasterboard and I’d also follow dwd’s advice about the smaller boards , I tend to use 6’x3’ rather than the 8’x4’ , much easier to use and manoeuvre.

[dewaltdisney]

I overboarded once, never again. The lathes are often inconsistent depth as the level was found by the plasterer. This means the board often sits out of square when you attach. Also, there are nails through the lathes into each stud so you can guarantee your drywall screw will hit a nail head and skew off tearing the board or just lock. It makes just as much mess raking out, you may as well rip the lathes off too. You might have to shim some studs to get a level surface but this can ne done as you go when boarding using a level.

DWD

[Onar]

Many, many thanks you for your replies.
I intend to use 6mm MDF and then 9.5 or 12.5mm plasterboard.
Those walls are internal so not sure if insulation will be necessary.
Now, I found mould as shown in photos. That area is concrete.
So may only be able to do anti mould treatment.

[stevei]

Why are you intending to use MDF? I can't see any benefit in using it, especially 6mm.

[dewaltdisney]

Scratch the MDF it is not needed. The insulation in an internal wall can help with noise transmission from an adjacent room. This might be a TV, gaming, or the like. When you pull the old plaster and lathes off you can inspect the studs for any mold and spray any affected area with a fungicidal wash.

DWD

[Onar]

I made an error with the last photos.
Water was coming through the valley/roof due to the recent downpours. That area has been repaired.
That mould is on the concrete walls: but as has been suggested here, I will use fungicidal wash.

One wall has been stripped of plaster, but using a straight edge, I find the laths to be about 99% actually flat, but I will check again.
It seems daunting to remove all those laths. Large walls.

[dewaltdisney]

Get a crow bar and lever them off. You soon get into a rhythm. It will make boarding out much easier

DWD

[Grendel]

To be fair removing the plaster is the worst and dirty part of the job. Removing the laths is easy enough although removing the nails left in the studs is probably the most tedious part of the job . However , if you are intent on leaving the laths in place ( who knows perhaps someone in the future will get rid of the plasterboard and reuse them for their original purpose) then so be it . I’d vacuum as much of the dust that falls inside as possible and perhaps take a couple of laths off at the bottom to remove although it’s probably fine left where it is , it’s just that it can work it’s way between the lath and the plasterboard. I’d also still cut the plasterboard to the studs and probably use 45-50mm drywall screws to give a good bite into the studs .

[dewaltdisney]

I advised against leaving the lathes because the lathes are all nailed to the studs. When you are blindly screwing to a line you always hit a nail head with the screw which skews off messing up the board face. I overboarded a ceiling, never again, it was such a job, I wish I had pulled it down to give a clean surface. Yes it is messy and there is a lot of wood to burn but I would always go that way.

DWD

[Grendel]

I think Onar is intent on leaving the laths on .

[dewaltdisney]

Yes, I think so too. You can but share your experience.

DWD

[fin]

the laths will fly off super easy. the nails theyre fixed with are tinyv usually 25mm if that. for a propper job get them off. get some insulation in and board it direct to the studs.