Any Plasterers About?

[DIYDaisy]

Hi. A bit of a long shot but just wondered if any Plasterers could give advice?
I had a loft conversion 10+ years ago and now the room is empty i have decided to decorate.
The problem is these screws all coming through the plaster board! What is the best way to deal with them please? There's loads of them!!
TIA

I would just get some polyfiller and use several thin layers of that and then sand it with fine sandpaper when it’s completely dry. And then paint.

But then I do everything myself. I won’t spend money on stuff like plastering unless I absolutely have to!

Hard to tell from the photos but the look like plaster board screws which hold the plasterboard either to a tin or wood framework.
Screw them in so they are below the board surface and fill over them with filler, the sand down the filler. For smallish holes filler is fine.

Yes they are screws holding the plaster board to the wooden frame. For some reason a circle of plaster has come off around every screw!😏 not sure why, I've never come across this before

If it's happening around every screw, I'd be worried about damp and water leaking pushing the screws out a bit and making the plaster crack.

Do you have a damp sensor or could borrow one?

It's because the screws are normally 'just' below the surface of the plaster, and when the plasterboard flexes a bit (people leaning against it for instance), then a micro thin layer of plaster over the screw can crack and ultimately fall away.

The plasterboard is normally 12.5mm thick (it can vary, but this is the norm). It might be 'double boarded' (2 layers thick, 25mm in total). You can tighten the screws in a LITTLE bit more, but not much, otherwise the screw ends up halfway through the plasterboard.

Personally I would filler over them. Go easy on the filler and try to get as smooth a finish as you can, leave to dry, then sand down. Once painted, you won't see the repair (if you sanded it down with fine sandpaper and got a nice finish).

It's not usual for this to happen.

I don't have a damp sensor but there doesn't appear to be any damp around. If anything it's all very dry

It can also happen as the plaster starts to shrink - the water evaporates and the plaster cracks - you will often see this around the corners / edges of a wall. Obviously where those screws are is a weak point for the plaster (not the wall itself) - because there would be a very thin skim of plaster at that point so it's vulnerable to cracks / breaks.

Torn do you mean it's not unusual? or it's not usual?🙂

puts on his best Tom Jones voice
oops my mistake - yes, it is not unusual.

Apologies.

Torn 😅

thanks

Right I will get some polyfilla. That's was my original plan but I didn't want it to happen again.

Give this a go:

www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-ready-mixed-plaster-white-10kg/23226?tc=NB3&ds_kid=92700034760687605&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249407&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249481&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlem0rYDI3wIVQkPTCh21Ww8JEAQYASABEgIcWvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It'll work out cheaper than tubes of Polyfilla.

Incidentally, Screwfix is owned by the same folks as B&Q only it's usually much cheaper. It's more like Argos (catalog and order slip). Anybody can use it, you don't have to be trade. There's usually a branch in most towns. Give them a go if you're into DIY and save yourself some money.

Thanks. I have a screwfix nearby. will do as you've suggested. Thanks for the tips everyone