Plasterboard as a surface help.

[Phil Cook 82]

Hi,

I'm building a media wall with a friend who's in the trade and it will feature shelving/cubby holes roughly 900m long and 400mm deep. They'll just be the stud framework with plasterboard on top.

My concern is that the boards on their own won't be strong enough and he says they will as he's built media walls before.

I was thinking to build an actual shelf out of 8mm ply then cover that with the board, but if its unneeded i'd rather not put his nose out as he's the man who'll be plastering it at the end haha.

Has anyone else an opinion?

 

[Tigercubrider]

Not enough information. However I am not a plasterer or chippy.

When building stud walls, there are normally timbers every 16"/600mm and noggins to run horizontally.
Plasterboard has little structural integrity

as it's a media wall, add something ill a plastic pipe as a conduit, big enough for the cables to run free.
The conduit isn't necessary but saves a whole lot of hassle.

Don't forget something like the support for face plates

IMHO he's wrong

 

[Phil Cook 82]

Thanks, the framework itself i believe is sound, its just the longterm strength of the plasterboard shelves that concerned me.

I'll pick up some ply on my way home tonight.

The only pic i have is when i was showing off setting my lights up but they show wher the shelving/cubby holes will be, 3 on each side.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I'd also be concerned about their upkeep, electrical items seem to attract a lot of dust/fluff etc and maintaining painted plasterboard shelves without them getting a bit grubby pretty quick seems a bit of a challenge.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Plasterboard is a completely unsuitable material for any form of furnishing or shelving IMHO. It just gets damaged far too easily. If you want a smooth surface then the best material is actually MDF, which unlike plywood has no grain that needs to be filled. When you use the correct thickness (12 to 18mm) with the right design MDF can be self-supporting without the need for any sort of framework

 

[Tigercubrider]

are you expecting Anne Franke to pop by?
Someone could live in that hidden area!

do think about maintenance - what happens if an LED pops.
You'll need access.
Forget my TUBE comment as you have tons of room behind for cables, although bits of string left in situ will help.

given the cupboards? at the bottom left and right, I'd be tempted to visit Ikea and look to see what they offer that you could make part of the build, even if you paint it.

 

[Phil Cook 82]

are you expecting Anne Franke to pop by?
Someone could live in that hidden area!

They are getting turned to pull out storage, shoe racks on one side and just general storage on the other. Its all a bonus as the doorway to the left was a double door previously so you couldn't use that space at all

 

[Tigercubrider]

if you are adding a back to the storage, make the back removable (or a side)

 

[Phil Cook 82]

Thanks everyone. MDF shelving was added this morning