Plasterboard jack lift

[Northbeach]

Hi,

Been a while since I last posted here (my last posts seem to be mashed into the fabric of this forum and as such are hard to source).
I posted a while back that I was plasterboarding and skimming my ceiling.
Purchased all the necessary materials and was just awaiting the right time to start the job. Unfortunately this was somewhat delayed by various 21st century matters and the job still awaits!
It's fairly difficult for me to start this job due to children we have in the house (my girlfriend looks after other children for a living...wouldn't do much for her credit if several children complained of a ton of plasterboard landing upon their crowns!).

Tough arranging mates to help me lift the boards up (though they are the smaller variety 2200 x 1200...if I remember correctly). Girlfriend agreed to help me lift these whilst I screw in one end (getting a little into Frankie Howard territory here...). She is now declining to help, panicing somewhat.
So my other option is too hire a plasterboard jack lift...however I'm having a little trouble locating a local hire firm. My usual DIY hire store apparantly cannot stock these due to health and safety reasons...Jewsons need a credit account opening...any idea's folks? I'd like to get this completed before the end of summer.
Many thanks.

 

[NS215]

build yourself a timber tree a piece of 3x2 with a piece nailed to the top of it (to make a 'T' shape) then you lift the board up and get your lady to place the tree under thus holding the board something like right
you can then line it up properly and screw it in place

 

[keyplayer]

HSS do panel lifters for this purpose. 50ish quid for a day, less per day for longer. Manual or electric. See lift and shift catologue. And if your plasters been hanging around since turn of the century replace it. lol...

 

[Northbeach]

Thanks folks - sorry not replied sooner but I've been away.
It's not turn of the century really, though I bet it welcomed back the 'boys' from WWII! Actually it could be newer, it had been artexed really badly by a previous owner...adding insert spots (with the wires chiselled into the existing ceiling) didn't help it's looks!
I did start a thread purely dedicated to my ceiling a while back but it's way down the list now! Suffice to say I recieved some fine help from the posters on this board.

build yourself a timber tree a piece of 3x2 with a piece nailed to the top of it (to make a 'T' shape) then you lift the board up and get your lady to place the tree under thus holding the board something like right
you can then line it up properly and screw it in place

That sounds like a bloody good idea - I can see how this would work (and cheaply too!). Sorry to be a pain but could you possibly list a rough guide as to measurements...or should the horizontal line of the 'T' match the width of the plasterboard?

Many thanks.

 

[Thermo]

travis perkins do them. Theyre only about 40 for the weekend and make the job really easy.

 

[Swiss Tony]

Use the right tools for the job?

Not according to my dad you don't.

He used a broom stuck in a pogo stick to hold the board up.

Worked a treat, and I even got my pogo stick back when he had finished.

 

[keyplayer]

It's not turn of the century really, though I bet it welcomed back the 'boys' from WWII! Actually it could be newer, it had been artexed really badly by a previous owner...adding insert spots .

I was referring to your bags of fresh plaster actually - they don't have a very long shelf life.

 

[NS215]

hi northbeach

sorry for the delay

but the tree needs to be something like the height of the ceiling maybe an inch or 2 short to allow for discrepancies and width can be about 2/3 foot nothing hard and fast just an extra help when boarding

 

[chappers]

broom in a pogo stick thats pure quality and lateral thinking. On an almost seperate issue managed to stay pogoing on a pogo stick for 4 hours when i was about 12 in a vain attempt to break the world record...fell short by about 12 hours though

 

[keyplayer]

but the tree needs to be something like the height of the ceiling maybe an inch or 2 short to allow for discrepancies

Shouldn't that be an inch or two long. (as for deadmen?)

 

[Northbeach]

Ah, I see - I was thinking the 'tree' would be more like 3/4 foot high and your helper merely lifted it up in place whilst you nailed in the other end. So from floor to ceiling it's roughly 7 1/2 foot high - this (give or take an inch or two) should be the height of the 'trunk' then? The helper merely has to hold it slightly wedged in place....am I along the lines here eh?

btw - I used a beam tester but that was spurious at best - knocked away the existing plaster ceiling at the edges (revealing the beam after I'd knocked for the right sound). Chalked a bit of string - lined it up and 'thwacked' it against the ceiling giving me a straight beam line.

Oh - haven't purchased the plaster yet (for skimming over the boards) - I'll do that when I've fought with the tree and boards!

Many thanks.

 

[Northbeach]

but the tree needs to be something like the height of the ceiling maybe an inch or 2 short to allow for discrepancies

Shouldn't that be an inch or two long. (as for deadmen?)

I'd better check whether it's to be short or long...and what's 'deadmen'? Sounds like an Alan Moore graphic novel to me!
Cheers.

 

[NS215]

Ah, I see - I was thinking the 'tree' would be more like 3/4 foot high and your helper merely lifted it up in place whilst you nailed in the other end. So from floor to ceiling it's roughly 7 1/2 foot high - this (give or take an inch or two) should be the height of the 'trunk' then? The helper merely has to hold it slightly wedged in place....am I along the lines here eh?

yes just short of floor to ceiling height then your missus doesn't have to hold anything up for too long whilst you screw in place just makes the job easier for your missus (overall T piece should be just under floor to ceiling height)so it doesn't trap the board and you can move about till lined up properly

 

[Northbeach]

Thanks folks.
Might be a silly question but how would I connect the horizontal T bit to the vertical long piece (3" x 2" wood)? 4" screws? Some kind of bracket?
Many thanks!

 

[Richard C]

Thanks folks.
Might be a silly question but how would I connect the horizontal T bit to the vertical long piece (3" x 2" wood)? 4" screws? Some kind of bracket?
Many thanks!

Just re-boarded my flat roof extension at the weekend with my wife helping. I made up something similar out a scaffold board & a 2 foot long piece of 4 x 2 screwed directly to the top edge, the pair around 1 inch longer than the floor to ceiling height; we lifted the board into position, I placed said contraption under my end & kicked the bottom over to wedge the board against the ceiling, we then changed places & she supported the contraption while I wiggled other end of board into place & secured with a few screws. A couple more screws in the centre is enough to hold the whole lot up there allowing contraption to be taken down, fit rest of screws & move onto next board; we fitted 6, 2400 x 1200 x 12.5 foil backed boards in around 2 hours including some cutting to size. Contraption has now reverted to its previous existence as a scaffold board & lump of firewood!