A town built in layers
Arnold's housing has arrived in stages rather than all at once. Grove House was pulled down in the 1920s to make way for new homes, the grounds of Daybrook House became private housing after the Air Ministry began selling them in 1958, and outline permission was granted in 2019 for 148 homes east of the A60 Mansfield Road, north of Georgia Drive. Each era was built differently on the inside, and that changes how a plasterboarding job goes. Houses from between the wars may still have lath and plaster ceilings, or an early form of plasterboard with a thin finish. Post-war homes are more likely to have had plasterboard ceilings from the start, which can sag or crack along the joints once the nails loosen or a leak has soaked the paper face.
Picking the right board for each room
Gedling Borough Council's list of conservation areas does not include one in Arnold, so for most homes here the choices inside are yours, within building regulations. That leaves the practical question of which board goes where. A bathroom or utility room wants moisture-resistant board, though a tiled shower enclosure is better on a proper tile backer, because plasterboard of any colour is not waterproof. A garage ceiling with a bedroom above usually needs fire-rated board between the two. A bedroom that shares a wall with a busy landing or a neighbour can be lined with acoustic board, set on its own frame if the noise is a real problem.
Extensions and knock-throughs
Plenty of plasterboarding comes off the back of other work: a single-storey extension at the back, a garage turned into a playroom, or a kitchen opened up into the dining room. Once the builder has the frame up and building control has seen it, the walls and ceilings are boarded, each joint is scrimmed, and the whole lot is skimmed in one go so the new room matches the old. Where a wall has been taken out, the strip of ceiling where it stood is boarded and skimmed in with the rest so no line shows across the room.
Covering all of Arnold
We work right across Arnold, from Daybrook and Woodthorpe up to Redhill. Killisick borders Mapperley itself, so parts of Arnold are practically on our doorstep, and the town centre is only about two miles north of our base. To arrange a visit, call 07877 353120 or use the enquiry form with a couple of photos of the job. We take calls and work seven days a week, between 7am and 5pm.
