Mansard plasterboard finish

Most owners of private houses, as a rule, think about how to make the attic located under the roof suitable for living, which will allow them to significantly expand their usable area. As an option for a quick and not very costly solution of the task, the cladding of the inner parts of the roof can be considered with some facing material, the choice of which is usually determined by the preferences of the contractor.

According to professionals, for these purposes it is most convenient to use drywall, which falls into the category of fairly practical and relatively inexpensive building materials.

Advantages and disadvantages of the material

In addition to the fact that drywall has a reasonable price, it is available to almost anyone who wants it - it has a number of unique properties, which are described in detail below:

1. First of all, the natural gypsum contained in this material contributes to the normalization of the climate in the room, absorbing excess moisture from the air and releasing it in case of deficiency. The specified property of drywall makes it indispensable when carrying out interior decorating.
2. This property of this material attracts attention as its fire resistance, thanks to which, when exposed to high temperatures, the gypsum cardboard does not burn, but only smolders, without emitting substances harmful to the human body.
3. The decoration of the premises using this lightweight and practical building material is carried out fairly quickly. The time spent on finishing work is incomparably less than when using facing materials of any other class. In this case, the construction of a metal frame with its subsequent plating with sheets of drywall, you will need no more than 1-2 days; the same amount will go to the finish surface.

In a room such as an attic, it is recommended to use a special kind of this material, namely, moisture-resistant drywall (HWL), which is not deformed in conditions of high humidity.

Significant disadvantages of the material we are considering include its low strength and tendency to break even under small loads.

Finishing the attic with drywall is carried out in stages, taking into account the mandatory preparatory procedures (including inspection and repair of the roof). Consider each of these steps in more detail.

Preparatory stage

Preparation for finishing includes two mandatory points, the success of the whole event depends on the correct execution of them.

First of all, before starting the main works, you should make sure that the roof of your building is in perfect condition and that there is not even a hint of any leaks. If you want the attic being built to please you with its coziness and comfort - you need to worry about it in advance, because after plastering the walls with plasterboard it will be impossible to correct the situation.

In this case, you may encounter such an unpleasant phenomenon as the appearance of stains on drywall sheets, which most often manifest themselves in the spring and autumn period (especially during periods of heavy rains). In the event that your roof needs a partial repair, it is best to postpone the venture with finishing the attic with your own hands until better times.

In this case, it is advisable to wait for the rainy season, which will allow you to detect all damaged areas of roofing. Only after the final elimination of these damages will it be possible to proceed to the implementation of the second paragraph.

The second part of the preparatory work includes an examination of the supporting elements of the roofing structure, namely its beams and rafters, the strength and reliability of which should not cause any doubts. During their direct inspection, make sure that dampness does not accumulate on these parts of the structure, as well as in the absence of traces of mold and rot on their surface.

Wood elements of the used frame base must be dried well before installation. Such forethought eliminates the possibility of deformation of the structure during its operation, which may cause displacement of the sheets of finishing material and the subsequent destruction of the entire decoration.

Material and tool preparation

To carry out finishing work you will need to purchase the following building materials:

• drywall blanks;
• wooden bars or metal profiles (for the manufacture of the frame);
• a set of fasteners (including special suspensions and screws).

From the tool you will need:

• screwdriver - it will be required for the construction of the frame and fixing cladding sheets;
• the construction level, with the help of which the horizontal mounting on the walls of bars or profiles is controlled;
• Bulgarian for cutting metal blanks of the required length or special metal shears;
• tape measure and pencil;
• a sharp knife used for cutting drywall blanks (or a wood saw).

Frame assembly

When the attic space is small, it is allowed to fasten the facing material on a wooden frame, which is made by stuffing thin beams and slats on beams and rafters, then sheathed with drywall sheets.

Preparation of a solid metal frame may be required in the following cases:

• in a situation when fixing sheets of facing material on the inner lining of the roof is impossible;
• at the considerable sizes of an attic room;
• if you want to give the interior of the finished room an unusual and original look, for which you need to make a frame of complex configuration.

Installation of a metal base for attic plating, in its essence, is no different from similar operations performed during the finishing of other rooms. In this case, first, also along the perimeter, guides are mounted, into which so-called rack profiles are then installed with a step of 60 cm. During their installation, special attention should be paid to the location of window and door openings. In these areas, the profile installation step is chosen so that the planes of the cladding repeat the contours of the existing windows and doors.

When arranging the metal frame, you may encounter certain difficulties, which consist in the fact that during its preparation it is required to repeat exactly the contours of the roof structure, which, as a rule, has a complicated configuration. In the case when the owners seek to maximize the use of living space in the future premises, they have no choice but to prepare a frame structure that exactly follows the contours of the existing roof.

Attic insulation

In order for your attic to be warm and cozy - between the roofing structure and cladding (in the niches of the frame) you should put a layer of insulation, which is best used as a material formed in the form of mats or plates.

Placement of material in places of laying can be made in one of the following ways:

• free styling;
• fixing with a special adhesive composition;
• fastening of mats or plates with profile sections.

The first method is preferable when the material fits into niches very tightly, without a gap and is independently fixed in them due to compression. The second method allows you to securely fix the insulation on the surface treated with special glue. Well, in the latter case, which is considered to be the most effective, the plates of the insulating material are reliably pressed to the plane by sections of the profile left after the installation of the frame.

Frame casing

Frame casing гипсокартоном чаще всего производится в один слой; правда, иногда, с целью повышения прочности формируемого покрытия, этот материал укладывается в два слоя. При однослойной облицовке вы можете сэкономить на материале и на возможном ремонте отделочного покрытия, но стены при этом получаются недостаточно прочными. Второй вариант предполагает больший расход сил и средств, но вместе с тем его использование позволяет повысить прочность сооружаемой конструкции.

The procedure of a single-layer plating of the attic with drywall is relatively simple and reduces, as a rule, to two simple operations. When they are executed, the finishing sheet is first applied to the surface of the skin (to the crate), after which it is fixed to the frame base using self-tapping screws (with a step of about 20 cm).

In the case of two-layer plating, one layer of sheet material is first formed, after which the second row is placed on it with a slight offset.

On this, perhaps, recommendations for finishing the attic with drywall end. Maybe you had questions while reading this article? Then ask them to our specialist consultant. He will provide you with additional information.

Video

You can find out how to sheathe the attic ceiling with plasterboard from the video: