Would you recommend foil backed plaster board

[Arnold9801]

I’m just calculating costs for ceiling plaster boards for upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms on our new build. The foil backed plaster boards are way more expensive compared to normal plaster boards.

 

Would it be ok to fit normal instead of the foil backed?

 

Arnold9801

[Mr Punter]

Foil backed gives you a vapour barrier and can be useful for ceilings underneath cold or "hybrid" flat roof where condensation may be an issue.  Mostly I don't use it.  You can paint normal plasterboard with paint that has low vapour permeability.

[MortarThePoint]

On 18/07/2022 at 23:56, Arnold9801 said:

The foil backed plaster boards are way more expensive compared to normal plaster boards.

 

I don't know what prices you are seeing, but foil backed plasterboard seems to cost about 60% more than standard so adds something like £1.75/m2. The common alternative is to put up polythene sheeting vapour barrier (green 500ga, not cheap dust sheet) which is around £0.40/m2.It's extra work to do the vapour barrier poly sheeting, but at leas you can see what you've got before adding the plasterboard as you can never inspect the back of the plasterboard once it's up.

 

I don't know how often the foil is damaged when you receive the sheet as I have had plasterboard with torn paper.

 

On 19/07/2022 at 12:58, Mr Punter said:

You can paint normal plasterboard with paint that has low vapour permeability.

 

That's interesting. Can you recommend any brands? I suppose one tricky bit is how you get continuity with any poly vapour barrier you might be using. I guess one option is to overlap by a good 300mm or something.