bid Report post Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) It looks as though we should be moving into our new house at the end of this month, so long as no hitches with the last bits of paperwork, etc. Now, we need to put up a stud wall to divide the long downstairs room into two (we need 4 bedrooms, but never in a million years could afford a 4 bed house, so buying this 3 bed with long downstairs room with a window at each end so we can divide it into two). Anyway, I have decided I am going to tackle this myself to save money, and in theory it looks quite straightforward! But, I have some questions for anyone who knows about such things... 1. Plasterboard: do you cut it with a jigsaw? 2. There is coving around the ceiling. Do I need to cut out a section of this to accommodate the upright supports for the wall frame, and if so, how do I do this without the rest of the coving coming away too? 3. How do I find the position of the ceiling beams so that I can attach the top frame support? Also, what do I do if they run across the room instead of down its length, and one isn't in the correct position for the wall? Cheers in advance!! Boho P.S. I would be happy to accept anyone else's Handy Hubby in lieu of advice!! Edited October 2, 2007 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagpuss Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Pass Good luck Bid. We had a stud wall built in our first home, to turn it from a two bed, into a three bed. It took the builders no time, and did seem really straight forward. Hope the move goes well for you all! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) 1 - Better off cutting with a standard handsaw... a jigsaw is likely to break the plaster/rip the edges even at low speed... 2 - depends how fussy you are about the finish, and whether you can exactly match the coving for the stud wall run... If you can live with a corner join that 'abutts' rather than being at a forty five degree angle, and the coving isn't extremely deep it's probably easier to run your support battens just to the edge of the coving and cut the plasterboard around (or cut into the coving and 'slot' the plasterboard into position)... any small gaps would be covered when you put the coving up on the new wall. (you could try carefully marking and cutting an angle with a stanley knife, or adding 'feature' corners in all corners when you've finished - the downside to that is if you bodge one and can't match the coving you have to start again from scratch anyway) 3 - Ceiling beams are usually even spaced (usually at eighteen inches, I think) so if you find one you should be able to find the rest... you could look under the ceiling rose fixing, and this will probably provide enough info to work out which direction the beams are running... if you measure from the centre of that beam and find another joist eighteen inches away, it should be a safe bet you have eighteen inch spacings across the whole ceiling. You can also buy infra red locators quite cheaply now (some double as cable and pipe detectors too, which could help at the fixing stage), so that might be a worthwhile investment if the house has lots of other doey-uppy bits. If the joists run the 'wrong' way, it doesn't really matter, as you'll still have good fixings for the ceiling batten at 18" intervals. If you have access from above (loft or bedroom floor) you could put a 'noggin' between the joists where you plan to have the door frame, but it shouldn't really be necessary... A further tip - watch out when fixing battens to the ceiling/floor... putting fixings into the centre of a joist will avoid electic cables/water pipes running with the joists, but water pipes especially may have to go through them at some point... There's no reason why you should be unlucky enough to find that exact point, but sods law often predicts that you will Hope that helps, and congratulations on the house L&P BD Edited October 2, 2007 by baddad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks for the tips BD Boho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kazzen161 Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Is it plasterboard that you can score/cut with a stanley knife and then "snap" over an edge (like cutting glass), or is that something else? Definitely check which way the joists run (I wondered why I couldn't find any joists but I thought they ran one way and they ran the other . You can usually see which way they go in the loft). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Or you could buy one of those little machines that you run along the wall - and they bleep at you if they find something - the posher ones even tell you what it is! I know all this because my son became so enamoured with one an estate agent brought along to our old house. He begged grandad to get him one (grandad's a carpenter...). I now know where ALL the beams, electric, etc, is - in every house i go anywhere near.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
palgem Report post Posted October 2, 2007 hi just mark line and run stanley knife down put your knee in opposite side to cut will break to line then run stanley knife down creaseand you will be there .noggins {timbers} usually at 600 mm centres door frame kits you can get at most diy stores. most do handy diy leaflets as well these will explain everthing step by step bye for know paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted October 2, 2007 Thank you one and all Boho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siadwell Report post Posted October 3, 2007 Have a lookie at this site Stud Wall it shows you in good detail, and don't for get that plasterboard have two sides one side for plastering ( if you're going to plaster the wall) and the other side for just painting on, oh and use plasterboard screws not nails personally I think you get a stronger hold... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
