Plaster-boarding

Our next holiday was planned to end of July 2019 and this set the timelines for works that needed to be done for plasterer to be able to complete everything on time. Some levelling and ground preparations had been carried out by my older brother over winter/early spring. End of May we all joined forces and started work immediately to get all done and ready for beginning of July. In that dusty house we all worked late into night to put up large and heavy plaster boards on upstairs sloping ceilings. Well it was fun for me to watch whilst my dear husband and brother were aiming to work together - I think they make a good team with 2 completely opposite minds but a common goal. Unfortunately no photos were taken from this collaboration.

My husband always says: "Work smarter, not harder!" I think my little brother has taken it literally. Not all sites are providing comfortable working conditions.

Areas above stairs were somewhat hard to reach.

And yes, we did use child labour.

Instructions had been clear - plasterboards up, all joints taped, filled and sanded. Any gaps in corners filled. Simple task right? Until you have sloping ceilings and exposed irregular beams and rafters that are so wonky that levelling differences were more than 7 cm in places! The exposed beams proved to be more difficult in practice than in theory below that I put together. Use shape tracer tool on beams to minimize filler use, where needed use flexible filler and directly against beam use acrylic sealant to avoid future cracks when the house naturally moves with temperature and other elements. Beams must be covered in masking tape. Keep the nozzle of sealant always in the crack that you are working on.

The reality was that the tracer tool pins got stuck in the racks of the wood, bent and broke away making it basically useless. The space above the beams is limited. Working at angle and knobbly beams caused some breakages and final shaping cuts were ragged. Our final hopes were on my little brother who would do the final filling and sanding. They had some fun on the way though and seeing this video always makes me happy. Hopefully it is as infectious to everyone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFPRKFycbJQ .

Despite my stressing and constant checks (which drove my brothers mad) they hit the target and all walls and upstairs ceilings were completed on time for beginning of July. I want to thank my brothers here for putting up with my complaining and nagging. (And yes, you could have started earlier and not on the last minute :) .