How to estimate plasterboard quantity?

[shuff27]

My BM just told me that plasterboard price will be going up on 1st May.  I'm around 2 months from needing it but thinking about ordering now to avoid the increase.

 

So is there an easier method of estimating how much I'll need other than calculating each room wall area plus ceilings off the plans?

 

And how much extra should I allow for wastage?

 

P.S I will post a related query about how to finish the walls/ceilings when I've done some more research.

[SuperJohnG]

Just use large areas (I.e full.lengthnof wall and ceilings internally) and add 10%. 

 

You can do room by room.and work out all the wee areas (which to be fair shouldn't take that long) but justndo big areas and order a bunch of sheets.

[Conor]

Wastage is dependent on the complexity. Wastage from our first floor (vaulted ceilings, multiple angles and opening) was huge - basically a full skip. For the basement it was barely a small trailer load.

 

Simplest way is to measure the gross Wall area - including windows and doors and you should be pretty close.

 

If you are buying it now, make sure you have somewhere indoors to store it. We had 20 odd sheets outside on a pallet, covered in breather membrane, DPM etc for a couple months... Lost a few sheets to damp, negating any savings.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Conor

[PeterW]

@Conor I saw someone who left one stud wall just with one side boarded out and then when they had nearly finished went through and used cheap NoNails adhesive to stick all the offcuts into the cavities. It created a very solid feeling wall and the wastage was minimal into the skip. 

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, PeterW said:

@Conor I saw someone who left one stud wall just with one side boarded out and then when they had nearly finished went through and used cheap NoNails adhesive to stick all the offcuts into the cavities. It created a very solid feeling wall and the wastage was minimal into the skip. 

You wait until you are the sparky tasked with "add an extra light switch there please".  You carefully drill down into the wall from above, expecting as usual to just find it full of some kind of glass wool, only to find it stuffed solid with all the left over plasterboard offcuts.

[saveasteading]

If you fix the boards yourself and use previous cut pieces at corners then the wastage is negligible, but still exists.  2%to 5%? depending on room sizes.

 

If using a contractor, they are quite likely to take a new sheet every time and have a lot of cuts left. Either 10% wastage or 10% shortage.

 

If your ceilings are high, note that longer sheets are available but not always stocked.

 

A pile of boards gets in the way, so be sure that you have space to store it and some spare to protect the corners when people brush past it.

[saveasteading]

11 hours ago, ProDave said:

stuffed solid with all the left over plasterboard offcuts.

and the compulsory empty coke can and fag packet.

[Jenki]

On 28/04/2022 at 11:22, PeterW said:

@Conor I saw someone who left one stud wall just with one side boarded out and then when they had nearly finished went through and used cheap NoNails adhesive to stick all the offcuts into the cavities. It created a very solid feeling wall and the wastage was minimal into the skip. 

In parts of West Cumbria skip companies will not take plasterboard. So I've seen the above l method adopted frequently. I suppose it adds to the thermal mass.

[SteamyTea]

Ask a builder, then reduce by 20%, but buy them a tape measure and sharp knife.

[JohnMo]

I just measured internal walls and added 5%.  Worst case you some leftovers or you need an additional sheet or two.  Ended up with a mountain of offcuts and no full sheets left.

[saveasteading]

15 minutes ago, Jenki said:

skip companies will not take plasterboard.

They (or some) do take it but don't want it mixed in the skip. It is nasty in landfill so they have to separate it.

Then most of it goes to Germany to be recycled.  All very expensive.

Although I fear that rather a lot gets 'disappeared'. Not by people on BH obv.

 

[joe90]

Bung all off cuts in stud walls to absorb sound!

[ProDave]

I was surprised just how little I wasted.  ALL the offcuts were staked up in size order in an empty room, and when i needed less than a whole sheet, my first place to look was which offcuts can I use up first before starting a fresh sheet.  Some offcuts remained on site for many many weeks before getting used.

[saveasteading]

4 hours ago, ProDave said:

I was surprised just how little I wasted.

DIY  2% waste.

Contractor  5%

Labour only contractor 10%

[MJNewton]

Whether it's my tight Northern roots or an undiagnosed OCD I go to what normal people would likely regard as extreme lengths to maximise return and minimise waste on things like this... Here's the plasterboard plan for our family room ceiling and walls:

 

 

It was pretty successful and led to barely a handful (literally!) of offcuts! Even at minimum wage though I bet I spent more planning and 'solving the puzzle' than I saved on materials so I don't think I'd necessarily recommend it! It also meant I couldn't afford to screw any cuts up which, unusually for me, I somehow got away with. A great feeling when it all goes to plan though!

Edited June 8, 2022 by MJNewton