Plasterboard too dry

[MortarThePoint]

The plasterer is having a bit of a time with the plasterboards being really dry. They have been up for a while (12 months?) so haven't laid in a stack. He's wondered about PVAing them, but I thought a pump spray bottle could be a good way to go. As we are quite a slow and steady lot, I thought others would have experience to share here.

[Nickfromwales]

8 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

The plasterer is having a bit of a time with the plasterboards being really dry. They have been up for a while (12 months?) so haven't laid in a stack. He's wondered about PVAing them, but I thought a pump spray bottle could be a good way to go. As we are quite a slow and steady lot, I thought others would have experience to share here.

I've never heard this being an issue, but @nod is the master of plaster so wait until he chips in  

My spreads just add a little more water to the first set and crack on tbh.

[Marvin]

Perhaps the surface is slightly dusty??

[Carrerahill]

40 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

The plasterer is having a bit of a time with the plasterboards being really dry. They have been up for a while (12 months?) so haven't laid in a stack. He's wondered about PVAing them, but I thought a pump spray bottle could be a good way to go. As we are quite a slow and steady lot, I thought others would have experience to share here.

Every plaster skim over plasterboard, or any other substrate for that matter, I have had plastered across multiple projects and properties, be it renovation or new build, the plasterers have always PVAed the whole lot before plastering. Even on a new build with brand new plasterboard the team I usually use would always PVA it to lock up any dust on the board from the building process and ensure the surface was good to go. 

 

I assume by too dry he thinks the issue is going to be high-suction? In which case I am surprised, you would expect a plasterer to be familiar with plastering on all sorts of substrates from low to high suction and know how to deal with each appropriately? Even I would have a good idea how to plaster onto most materials as a DIYer. 

 

If you apply PVA/water mix with a roller it will be good to go. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Carrerahill

[MortarThePoint]

40 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Perhaps the surface is slightly dusty??

I wondered that too

 

39 minutes ago, Carrerahill said:

assume by too dry he thinks the issue is going to be high-suction?

Yes, and it's patchy with more suction between studs I think, though TE plasterboard will have more depth of plaster every other stud.

 

41 minutes ago, Carrerahill said:

Even on a new build with brand new plasterboard the team I usually use would always PVA

Is there any downside to PVAing them?

[nod]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

I've never heard this being an issue, but @nod is the master of plaster so wait until he chips in  

My spreads just add a little more water to the first set and crack on tbh.

Yep 

It can be a real issue 

We have to crane our boards in on some of the larger job So they are often there for months before we get near them with plaster 

Mainly sound block boards We normally use two coats of SBR 3-1 

One of the coats the day before if possible 

[MortarThePoint]

4 minutes ago, nod said:

Yep 

It can be a real issue 

We have to crane our boards in on some of the larger job So they are often there for months before we get near them with plaster 

Mainly sound block boards We normally use to coats of SBR 3-1 

One of the coats the day before if possible 

These are Soundbloc F and DuraLine. I'm not sure I have SBR on site. Is SBR better than PVA?

[Thorfun]

SBR? can't find it in the acronym thread

 

ignore that...it was on page 2! 🤦‍♂️

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Thorfun
me being an idiot

[Nickfromwales]

30 minutes ago, MortarThePoint said:

These are Soundbloc F and DuraLine. I'm not sure I have SBR on site. Is SBR better than PVA?

SBR retains a better 'tack' than PVA, and you're only supposed to skim over 'tacky' primer, and defo not dry / cured PVA.

[Nickfromwales]

7 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

SBR? can't find it in the acronym thread

 

ignore that...it was on page 2! 🤦‍♂️

 

 

What?!? There was a thread on here with more than 1 page? Give over  

[TonyT]

PVA once applied and dried  if it gets wet will start to loose adhesion, SBR doesn’t so it’s a better choice 

[Carrerahill]

14 hours ago, MortarThePoint said:

Is there any downside to PVAing them?

Messy work, that is about the only downside I can see.

 

PVA (or SBR but I see that used more externally only), as I see it is the secret step to towel trades getting stuff to stick. I know of a planned, temp bodge, of a tiled wall that was PVAed with plasterers sand in the mix, the skim was put onto tiles as a stop gap, it ended up on the wall for 30 years. You now get stuff called Blue Grit (IIRC) which is an out of the tub solution to this sort of thing. My plasterers reckon they can plaster anything that is solid enough. They usually spend day 1 tweaking everything, checking screws are down, taping, beading and then PVA the lot, then they go. Next morning bright and early they come and plaster. We had some odd walls in our house that someone had painted with bulletproof gloss paint, I was worried about them and I was going to overboard, the plasterers took one look at it and said no we can make that work,  8 years on things are still good.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Carrerahill

[joe90]

My spread always used SBR and never PVA https://www.toolstation.com/sikabond-sbr-waterproof-bonding-agent/p81169?store={store_code}&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=_dc&pcrid=&pkw=&pmt=&gclid=CjwKCAjwl6OiBhA2EiwAuUwWZToZT0ZVw4-mT00hFfHlA0aVyEHEgKJrzbNpl9K1CGKCOyvi7ypnsBoCmisQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds