Do you want to remove your dated artex or repair a damaged ceiling? If so, you should consider covering your ceiling with a new layer of plasterboard.
The process of covering your ceiling or walls with plasterboard is known as dry lining. Dry lining is probably the easiest way to get the best results, and you can avoid the health risks associated with scraping off asbestos-filled artex.
Fixing plasterboard to your ceiling is a big job but still well within reach of an average DIY enthusiast. In this guide, I’ll show you how to plasterboard a ceiling step-by-step.
IMPORTANT: If you suspect your ceiling contains asbestos, call in a professional to check it out. Do NOT work on your ceiling until you have consulted a trained asbestos professional.
Don’t fancy doing this job yourself? Find top-rated plasterers in your area by clicking the button below:
Pros & Cons
The table below highlights the pros & cons of covering your ceiling with plasterboard:
| Pros | Cons |
| It saves you from scraping off artex, which is time-consuming, messy, and potentially dangerous if it contains asbestos (see warning above). | You’ll need a second pair of hands because plasterboard is heavy. A plasterboard lifter is highly recommended. |
| It leaves a perfectly smooth finish that makes decorating easy. | It creates lots of mess, but not as much as scraping off or wet plastering over artex. |
| It saves you from fixing holes in the ceiling. | More challenging than scraping off artex but still easier than wet plastering. |
| It provides an opportunity to cut holes in the ceiling before covering it. E.g. It’s the perfect time to add or move light fixtures. | It costs more than both scraping off and wet plastering over. |
| The skill required is well within the realm of an average DIY enthusiast, unlike wet plastering, where you should hire a pro. |
If you still think dry-lining is the solution, read on.
Pro Tip: if you want to learn more about dry lining, please check out Dry Lining Tips – How to Plasterboard Stud Partition Walls. Also, if you’re looking for alternative ways to remove artex from your ceiling, please check out 5 Ways To Deal With An Artex Ceiling.
Tools and Materials
I recommend a 12.5mm thick ‘lightweight’ plasterboard for this project. It’s lighter and stronger than standard plasterboard, meaning you can hang it from joists centred 60cm apart.
If available, get long enough sheets to span the entire ceiling. Shorter sheets are easier to handle, but the convenience will cost you when it is time to finish the ‘butt joints’ (where the ends of the sheets meet).
Pro Tip: Unlike the tapered joints along the long edges of plasterboard, butt joints are hard to finish. Avoid them if you can.
Important safety tip – always wear safety goggles and a dust mask, and remember to use gloves when handling these products.
Tools
- Electronic stud finder
- Tape measure and spirit level
- Chalk, marker pen and pencil
- Knife with replaceable blades. I recommend using specialist plasterboard blades as these are quicker, safer and give you a cleaner cut.
- Plasterboard rasp
- Plasterboard lifter
- Step ladder
- Electric screwdriver
- Scissors
- Bucket
- Taping knife
- Filling knife
- Internal corner trowel
Materials
- Masking tape
- 50mm x 50mm sawn timber battens for noggins
- 12 x 100mm Countersunk wood screws for noggins
- 12.5mm plasterboard (tapered edge)
- 38mm plasterboard screws
- Perforated plasterboard tape
- Jointing compound
- 120-grit sandpaper
- Paper-faced metal angle bead
Before You Start
- Switch off the power and remove any light fixtures.
- Don’t try to span holes larger than 15cm with your plasterboard; your screws will pop through the hollow space above the plasterboard.
- Take your time to locate and mark the centres of joists accurately. Getting this right will make the rest of the job much easier.
1. Finding/Installing Joists
Locate joists with an electronic stud finder or probe for joists by driving a nail through the plasterboard.
All the joists should be either 40cm or 60cm apart, but double-check with a nail. For rooms upstairs, you can measure the joist gaps in the loft.
Mark each joist with a chalk line on the ceiling and tape stuck to the wall (see Fig. 1 below).
2. Add Noggins (if required)
The plasterboard must be well supported by a timber frame made of joists and noggins.
Use 50mm x 50mm sawn timber battens and follow the points below to ensure you have sufficient support for your plasterboard:
- Wall Noggins (royal blue coloured noggins in Fig 2) — If there is no perpendicular support where the joists meet with the wall, screw in some ‘wall noggins’
- Support Noggins (sky blue coloured noggins in Fig 2) — screw in some support noggins between the joists, where the long edges of the plasterboard will fall (as shown in Fig 2).
Note: You can see below that the end of the plasterboard sits halfway across the joist to allow the next board to butt up to it.
3. Measure
- Simply measure the ceiling by measuring the room’s floor area. I.e. multiply the length of the room by its width to produce the area in m²
- Plasterboard is typically available in 1.2 x .9m (1.08m²), 1.8 x 1.2m (2.1m²), and 2.4 x 1.2m (2.8m²) at DIY stores and builder’s merchants.
- Using the chalk lines and tape as a guide, measure and mark the sheets so that the ends will fall on the centres of the joists (as shown in Fig 2 above)
4. Cut Plasterboard
Most of your ceiling should be covered by full-length boards that require no cutting. However, there will be some areas where a board must be cut to a custom size. The steps below guide you through the cutting process:
- Lay the sheet flat on the floor and then mark your measured dimensions on it
- Using a knife against a straight guide (e.g. steel ruler or spirit level), cut through the paper layer, but no deeper. You may find that you need to run the knife over two or three times to achieve this, so don’t try to force it on the first attempt.
- Lift the sheet off the floor and firmly push one side of the cut. You should find that it snaps cleanly along the line you cut.
- Cut through the other side’s paper layer.
- If necessary, use a plasterboard rasp to smooth out any rough edges.
5. Fix Plasterboard
- Start from one corner of the room. Slowly raise and place the first sheet using a plasterboard lifter. Line up the plasterboard with the chalk lines that mark the centre of the joists (see Fig 4 below)
- Using 38mm plasterboard screws, fix the board to the joists
- Fit screws every 150mm, but remember to keep them at least 12mm away from the cut edges and 10mm away from manufactured edges
- Fasten the sheet before removing the lift and moving on to the next sheet. For now, drive enough screws in so that they safely hold the sheet in place
- When all the sheets are up, add a new set of chalk lines over the sheets (use the tape on the wall as a guide) and add the remaining screws
For more information on how to overboard artex ceilings with plasterboard, please watch the video below:
6. Taping and Jointing
To produce a nice finish for painting & decorating, tape, joint and sand the ceiling so it’s smooth.
1. When all the plasterboards are in place, tape over the joints with perforated plasterboard tape.
2. Mix up some joint compound by following the instructions on the bag
3. Using a taping knife, lightly spread the jointing compound over the taped joints. A wide-bladed taping knife will feather out the compound, leaving only a tiny ridge to be rubbed down once it’s dry.
4. Leave the ceiling to dry for 24 hours and then sand it down using 120-grit sandpaper.
Pro Tip: When sanded, the jointing compound creates a fine dust that irritates our skin when showering. To help avoid this, open all doors and windows before you start sanding. Also, remember to wear goggles, gloves and a good dust mask.
7. Finishing Along Wall-Ceiling Join
To get a neat finish where your wall meets your ceiling, use a paper-faced metal angle bead stuck in place with jointing compound.
1. Measure the width of your wall
2. Cut the angle bead 12.5mm less than the width of your wall
3. Mix the jointing compound in a bucket and spread it on the wall-ceiling joint with a filling knife, covering just beyond where the angle bead will fit.
4. Press the angle bead into the wall-ceiling join
5. Cover the angle bead with a top coat of jointing compound
6. Smooth the top layer of jointing compound with an internal corner trowel
For more info on taping and jointing, please watch the video below from Silver at Siniat:
Don’t fancy doing this job yourself? Find top-rated plasterers in your area by clicking the button below:
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this guide helpful and feel confident enough to plasterboard a ceiling yourself.
Pro Tip: If you’re planning to plasterboard over a very old ceiling, watch how Charlie and Gerard do it in the video below :
Check out our guide to Plasterboarding a Brick Wall for more information about using plasterboard.