Gyproc Ceiling Problem

JS2006

I bought a new light fitting to replace the old fitting in my bedroom (20-odd years old!) Only to find that the person who fitted the last one had chipped away at the gyproc and the old fitting was barely hanging on by the wires connecting it (the screws weren't even screwed in properly :eek:

So, after moving the fitting a little and finding a position where both screws would have a bit of ceiling to fit into I tried to screw it in and it went right through the ceiling and made the hole even bigger!

I've tried building it up with polyfilla (fingers crossed this works) but does anyone have any tips/suggestions? I'd really rather avoid having to pay for the hole to be filled in/cut out again.

Thanks

bryanb

Try sliding a piece of fairly bendy wood above the plasterboard, and screw into that. Polyfilla to tidy up after.

DickDastardly_2

If you have made a hole in the plasterboard, make it into a neat square. Get another bit of plasterboard and cut out another square the same siz along its sides as the hole is across two corners. Put some glue round the edges and then put the new square bit up into the hole corner to corner obviously, turn it and let it flop down. Being bigger than the hole in the ceiling it wont fall through. You can put a screw (big one) through this patch to give you some grip to pull it down and bond it tight.

Once it has gone off, you now have a firm back base to skim some filler (light patch repair plaster, ready mixed is easiest) over the area.

Did you get the light fitting up? If not, sort that first and use the hole to see where the joists are to screw into. Normally most houses have 18 or 16 inches between the centre of the joists, so find one and you roughly know where the next is.