Boxing in Pipework – Plasterboard, Plywood or MDF?

paperclap

Hi all,

I’ve got some vertical central heating pipework to box in, none of which are in the bathroom or kitchen.

Is it best to use plasterboard, plywood or MDF?

Depending on the above, what is the best batten size to use?

The skirting board will of course need to be attached to this, too.

Thank you in advance.

pmartin86

Are you hiding it in the wall? or is it "proud"? Whenever I've had to "hide" pipes that sit proud of the wall I've always used 5/7mm plyboard. It gives a certain level of rigidity while still being easy to paint 

grumbler

MDF - no way for anything with edges/corners.

Plasterboard is easier to skim and make looking like the surrounding walls.

Timber thickness - just enough to accommodate the pipes.

That said, there are various plastic products for this, e.g.

Bendy_House

I'm guessing pipework running down a corner? And this will be done for aesthetic reasons mostly - you'll want the finish to be painted to match your walls?

If so, that narrows it down to MDF or p'board.

It IS possible to smooth and paint MDF to blend in and be fully acceptable. And it's stronger. And the boxing can be assembled first and even GLUED into place if you like. This wouldn't even need battens in many cases.

Or, you can run two battens on the wall and screw p'board to it, edge-taping or beading the ext corner and then filling/skimming it.

I know what I would rather do. And have done.

For the MDF option, cut your two strips of board - you could get away with 9mm, but 12mm would be better - and PVA glue them to make the L-shaped boxing, and drive in a few panel pins for good measure (these could be temporary, driven half-home, just to hold them whilst the glue dries, ), and then plane and sand the joint to make it perfectly smooth. IE, if anything, have the board edge stick out fractionally more than the other board's face, and then plane the edge to meet the face. Yes?

Fix to the wall using solvent-free adhesive (no-nails type stuff) and support it in place until set. First remove excess adhesive that's extruded, and run a damp cloth up the join corners - this could well be enough to give a neat seam that won't even need more filling.
Once set, apply 2 or 3 thick coats of emulsion paint, and sand smooth using 120 grit. This should take care of the MDF board 'edge' which will have been more obvious, and be ready for the final, wall, colour.

Bendy_House

You COULD even use 6mm MDF, which would be even easier to handle.
This would really need additional strips - 15mm-wide strips of the MDF would do - to be added to the 'joining' edges to double the thickness where it's required.
So, the two board edges to be glued to the walls would have these strips added (just PVA'd) to their insides to double the glued area thickness, and a further strip to the ext corner on one panel to ditto there. Make sense?
6mm MDF can even be cut - just about - with a Stanley knife, carefully, and with repeated cuts going through no more than a half-mm at a time. Count your fingers before and after... 

Eldi_Dos

If you do opt for the plastic trunking,which is a very quick and easy solution, I find a better appearance can be achieved if lid is secured to wall,with quite big washers to improve rigidity then base part of trunking pressed onto lid. Nice and easy to wipe down if need be and can be rubbed down and painted to match wall.

badger09

I really wish I'd consulted the experts here a few days ago. 

We're having a defunct toilet & hand basin reinstated in tiny space in our integral garage. Plumber has spent many hours trying to box in all the pipework, (complicated because previous owners used some existing pipework to install en suite on the other side of the wall). He's done his best but it doesn't look great. Those plastic covers would have been a much cheaper option.

maisie_cat

I once boxed in a section of water pipe that might need access with a magnetic box section of painted whitewood with pine skirting attached. All painted the same colour as the skirting and wall and using those really strong magnets against fat screwheads, it never fell away but could be levered off with a thin blade.