Attic finishing with drywall - features of work

Most of the owners of private houses, as a rule, think about making the attic located under the roof suitable for living, which will allow them to significantly expand the 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 a 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 quite practical and relatively inexpensive building materials.

Advantages and disadvantages of the material

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

1. First of all, the natural gypsum contained in this material helps to normalize 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. The property of this material, as its fire resistance, due to which the gypsum cardboard does not burn when exposed to high temperatures, but only smolders, without releasing substances harmful to the human body, draws attention to itself.
3. The decoration of the premises using this lightweight and practical building material is carried out fairly quickly. The time spent on finishing works 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 need no more than 1-2 days; the same amount will go to the finish surface.

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

Calculation of the batten

Significant disadvantages of the material under consideration include its low strength and tendency to destruction even with low loads.

Attic finishing 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 correctness of its execution.

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 in it. 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.

At the same time, 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.

Mounting frame

In this case, it is advisable to wait for the rainy season, which will allow you to discover everything damaged areas of roofing. Only after the final repair 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 bearing 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 mold and rot on the 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.

Preparation of materials and tools

Preparation of tools and materials

For finishing you will need to purchase the following building materials:

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

From the tool you will need:

• a screwdriver - you will need it when building the framework and fixing the cladding sheets;
• the building level, by means of which horizontal mounting is controlled
• Bulgarian for cutting metal blanks of the required length or special scissors for metal;
• tape measure and pencil;
• a sharp knife used to cut plasterboard blanks ( or hacksaw for wood).

Assembly of the frame

For small dimensions of the attic room, it is allowed to fasten the facing material on a wooden frame made by stuffing on beams and rafters thin bars and battens, then sheathed with sheets of drywall.

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

• in a situation where fixing sheets of cladding material on the inner lathing of the roof is impossible;
• with significant dimensions of the attic room;
• if you wish to give the interior of the finished room an unusual and original look, for which you will need to make a frame of a complex configuration.

The installation of the metal base under the attic plating, in essence, is no different from similar operations performed when finishing 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 installation step of the profiles 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 follow 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.

Warming of the attic room

In order for your attic to be warm and cozy, a layer of insulation must be placed between the roofing structure and the skin (in the niches of the frame) for which it is most convenient to use material formed in the form of mats or plates.

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

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

The first method is preferable when the material fits in 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 the most effective, the plates of the insulating material are reliably pressed to the plane with sections of the profile left after the installation of the frame.

Cladding of the frame

The covering of the frame with drywall is most often produced in one layer; however, sometimes, in order to increase the strength of the formed coating, this material is placed in two layers. With a single-layer cladding, you can save on the material and on the possible repair of the finishing coating, but the walls are not strong enough. The second option involves a greater expenditure of forces and means, but at the same time its use allows to increase the strength of the constructed structure.

The procedure of single-layer attic plasterboard plasterboard is relatively simple and reduces, as a rule, to two simplest 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 with 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 displacement.

This, perhaps, recommendations for finishing the attic with plasterboard 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: