Painting Partition Walls & Plasterboard in North London New Builds & Extensions

Plasterboard partitions are ubiquitous in North London new build properties, extensions, loft conversions, and basement conversions. They're a different substrate to traditional lath and plaster or lime plaster walls, and require a different treatment before painting begins. Getting this wrong produces a finish that fails early — particularly at the taped joints between boards.

Direct Versus Skim

Plasterboard can be decorated either direct (using a specialist plasterboard primer and then emulsion) or over a thin skim coat of finishing plaster. The skim coat approach produces a significantly superior visual result — it hides the board joins completely, eliminates the surface texture of the plasterboard itself, and provides the same smooth canvas as a full plastered wall. The direct approach is faster and cheaper but the joint tape can telegraph through the finished paintwork, particularly in raking light.

Joint Treatment

For taped joints on direct-decorated plasterboard, the correct process is to apply two or three very thin coats of jointing compound, feathering out well beyond the tape width and sanding smooth between coats. When done correctly, the joint becomes invisible through the paint finish. Rushing this process or applying too thick a coat produces a ridge or hollow at the joint that reads clearly in the finished surface.

Primer Selection

New skim-plastered plasterboard requires a mist coat and full primer before finish coats. For unplastered plasterboard being decorated direct, we specify Zinsser Gardz (a penetrating primer that consolidates the plasterboard facing and provides a consistent base) before jointing and finish coats.

Extension and new build decoration across NW3 and North London — call 020 7101 3168.