Ames taping - DIY or pro job?

nikki2804

Hi, I'm looking for a bit of advice.

The previous owners of our house had put in an internal porch door, originally it was an open plan hall so they have put up the timber frame then plasterboarded etc.

However, on either side of the door (where the plasterboard joins would be) it is cracking. I was going to just fill with builders caulk as I thought it was settlement but my joiner cousin says that it hasn't been ames taped and any filler will just crack over time etc.

Now he suggested a plasterer but its two little bits so I'm wondering if its possible to do it myself or is this a job that is strictly for professionals?

Anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks

jenfa

I agree with your cousin; in some places in our house we have managed to get away with just filling but where it has cracked more than once my husband bought that tape and skimmed over it. Where he did it on our kitchen ceiling it wasn't skimmed thick enough and you can see the tape but we sort of thought that would happen and he will be skimming again before we have the kitchen done.

The husband is a keen diyer (that doesn't do him justice really) but anyway he tried his hand at it, and the more he has done the better he has got, however, a professional plasterer would def do it quicker. It's always that problem when it is a small job will they bother to come out, could your cousin recommend someone, if it is a small job maybe an apprentice that could do it a bit cheaper?

uk_messer

Where the plasterboard joins the door or plasterboard to plasterboard? A bit confused.

nikki2804

http://s34.photobucket.com/user/xglitter_bugx/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1401385198635_zpsd6de2e6b.jpg.html?filters[user]=140389371&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

I've added a pic.

Hmm I'm quite a perfectionist so if I do it and don't get it right it would really annoy me. I'm a moderate diy-er but it's my first house so first time I've really had the chance to do any.

southcoastrgi

pic doesn't work

uk_messer

Looks easy enough if it is just down to not taping. You'd only need to feather away from the door architrave.Though surprised someone would not use tape. Could be that tape was used but the studs were not secured properly allowing for movement or someone tried to bash the door. Most cracks I've come across like that were simply down to too much flexing.

uk_messer

southcoastrgi wrote: »

pic doesn't work

copy and paste it and remove all the stuff 'filters' onwards.

nikki2804

uk_messer wrote: »

Looks easy enough if it is just down to not taping. You'd only need to feather away from the door architrave.Though surprised someone would not use tape. Could be that tape was used but the studs were not secured properly allowing for movement or someone tried to bash the door. Most cracks I've come across like that were simply down to too much flexing.

If they did it themselves then it wouldn't surprise me if its held up by mastic. Everything else was.

How would I be able to tell if tape had been used?

Is it simple enough for a novice?

uk_messer

Simply by poking around the crack with a knife and/or screwdriver you should see if it was used.

Is it simple enough.....hmm. With a wide blade scraper and some readymix plasterboard joint filler it shouldn't be too hard. I don't know your level of skill to say certainly.

I would scrape out the crack with an old screwdriver, put the joint filler in to the gap and drag some down over the face wider than the tape. Apply the tape over the top pushing it well down into the filler with the scraper . Let that set off so the tape is set in and then apply any more to make good and sand.

But do use plasterboard joint filler as that will sand to a feather edge, standard polyfilla will not.