7th Dec 2022 -

After completing any type of dry lining project, you will need to decide how you want it finished. For suspended ceilings, the finishing materials are just the tiles and lights you use, but for finishing plasterboard there are a wide range of options available.

Effectively, a dry lined wall is the same as any other type of wall and all the standard decorating options are available. This means the boards can be painted, tiled or wallpapered. However, before you get to this stage, the boards will need to be ‘joined’. 

After fixing your plasterboard to a ceiling or wall, you will need to tape and plaster the gaps and edges. If you don’t this will cause cracking within the plaster and uneven corners.

There are several different products used for joining plasterboards together, scrim tape and jointing tape for gaps, and angle beads for corners. Edge beads are also used for edges where a plasterboard wall meets a different material. These products are essential to finish a professionally plastered wall.

man holding plasterboard

Why Do You Need To Join Plasterboards?

A plasterboard wall will have small gaps between the boards, whether you have fixed the boards to an existing wall, or built an entire new stud wall. If you were to plaster directly over the wall without taping the joints together, this can cause hairline cracks almost immediately. These cracks cannot simply be painted over or filled with plaster or wall filler, as they will continue to appear.

For outside corners of the wall, angle beads are essential. Without it, the corner will be unprotected and not straight. For joining plasterboards to non-plasterboard materials like wood or brick, edge beads are available to finish the end of your panel.

What Jointing Materials Are Available?

For gaps between plasterboard panels, you will have two options available, scrim tape and jointing tape. Scrim tape is an adhesive mesh tape that can be laid over gaps between panels and internal corners. It is then sealed to the boards when a jointing compound is applied. Jointing tape is applied to gaps between boards with jointing compound, then sealed with an additional coat. Both of these options will allow you to smoothly plaster your plasterboard wall, avoiding cracks. 

For external corner joints angle beads are available, these long strips of metal or plastic secure the edges of two plasterboards whilst providing a consistent corner to be plastered over.

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Decorating to Finish

Once your joints and corners are secured through tape or angle beads, you will be able to decorate your walls. A base layer of plaster can be used to flatten your wall and cover the seams and screws, however, this isn’t always necessary. Plasterboards are designed to be smooth and painted on directly. This means you can use wall filler to cover screws and jointing tape and then paint the wall in whatever colour you choose.

You can also tile directly onto the wall, which is common in bathrooms and kitchens. However, with tiles, there are weight considerations, due to the limited strength of the plasterboard. Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines or speak to an expert before tiling a plasterboard wall, as this can be a costly process that you want to get right.

Supercharge Your Dry Lining Projects

All dry-lining projects need finishing materials and the options are wide and varied. Decorating with paint is the most common type of finish, but patterned wallpaper is common for commercial projects. Whatever method you use, however, in most cases your plasterboard will need to be joined before you can apply your finish.

Building Materials Nationwide stocks a huge range of plasterboards and dry-lining finishing products. Browse our shop today or unlock amazing benefits through a trade account.

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