MOISTURE RESISTANT PLASTERBOARD

Moisture resistant plasterboard also called 'waterproof' is a specifically designed product to tolerate moist and humid conditions in places such as kitchens, bathrooms walls and ceiling, utility room construction and can be used externally as soffit in sheltered areas. MR plasterboard consists of an aerated gypsum core, with its water resistance coming from the water-repellent additives encased in the core and paper liners to retain their strength and integrity in wet areas.

Moisture panel is mainly used in rooms where the air humidity reaches 85% for 12 hours a day. Being water repellent, it absorbs less than 5% of water, stops humidity getting in to ward off mould and helps protect the structure of the building. Most of the plasterboards that are considered to be moisture resistant have special green face with grey colored on the reverse side paper. Moisture Resistant products are not recommended for use in saunas, swimming pool enclosures or areas continuously exposed to excessive high humidity. For a bathroom ceiling, you should choose a plasterboard with a thickness of either 12mm or 12.5mm. Moisture resistant plasterboard goes by many names such as moisture panel, tanking board, aqua board or moisture board. Sheets have a thermal conductivity of 0.24W/mK. In fact, boards are engineered for direct tiling application and need little or no surface preparation to install. Good quality moisture plasterboard should achieve H1 water absorption standard according to EN 520 and be able to provide a stable base for tiling or plastering. 

Moisture resistant plasterboard is expected to last the service life of a building (60 years). This assumes that the product will last in situ with no requirements for maintenance, repair, replacement or refurbishment throughout this period. To find out what are the plasterboard cutting techniques click here. 

MOISTURE RESISTANT PLASTERBOARD MANUFACTURERS

Our waterproof plasterboard is sourced from established manufacturers such as Knauf, Siniat, British Gypsum and Corex. Like Selco, Wickes, B&Q or Homebase we are the best places to buy moisture panels because products come to you direct from the manufacturer without involving middlemen.

MOISTURE PLASTERBOARD INSTALLATION METHODS

There are 2 main techniques of fixing moisture plasterboard to the wall. First one, and not recommended one is the standard timber or steel frame method. This technique requires plasterboard screws, plasterboard wall plugs or other fixings in order to be ready to finish. Other techniques called 'Dot and Dab' require nothing but plasterboard adhesive. There are no physical holes left after this installation. Therefore there is no chance of destroying the plasterboard waterproof barrier. Sheet stays originally flat with the waterproof paper coating intact. This method uses either British Gypsum Adhesive or Knauf Plasterboard Adhesive. Generally speaking, Dot & Dab methods tend to be 3 times faster to install as it takes between three and six hours to set, which means you could carry out jointing or skimming the same day. In contrast, plaster takes two to three days to dry. In order to calculate how much plasterboard adhesive you will need for the dot & dab method, it is important to note that dabs have to be 50mm and 75mm wide and around 250mm long and 10mm thick. For each board, three vertical rows are required where each dab should be 6 to 8 inches below the last one. For example, one 25kg bag of plasterboard adhesive will be enough for 1,5-2 boards. 

MOISTURE PLASTERBOARD SIZES

Boards are usually 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, however they can vary in height. Taller boards can be used for quicker and more seamless installation on higher walls. There are 4 available heights of moisture gypsum boards: 2.4m, 2.7m and 3m. Most UK ceilings are a standard height of 2.4m, so this shouldn’t be a problem for the majority of homes. Moisture plasterboards can be awkward to handle and depending on their type and thickness weigh between 10kg and 45kg. The thickness of the drywall boards also varies. From as thin as 9mm or 12.5mm up to 15mm. For bathrooms installation purposes, MR boards comes in size 1200 x 600mm. The average time needed to install board manually is 1minute and 24sec (considered 3 workers). The gypsum based boards come either square edge (SE) finish for direct plaster application or tapered edge (TE) for taping jointing finish. Tapered edge section usually measures 40-50mm on each side of the plasterboard. Last method is used to prepare a wall for decoration and is an alternative to skim coating, where the entire surface of the board is covered with a thin layer of plaster. Both types of plasterboard require jointing tape to be used to bridge the gaps between sheets of plasterboard. The plasterboard scrim tape is embedded in a jointing compound to strengthen the plasterboard joints and prevent cracks appearing later. Several coats of the compound may be applied to create a flawless appearance. The wall is then sanded smooth. It may also be textured with various techniques depending on the intended finish. 

MOISTURE PLASTERBOARD PRICES

Depending on your supplier location moisture plasterboard price may vary but generally speaking as of 2023 the average cost of a board is £15.85 per 8x4 size board which results in £5.50 per m2.

Related articles:

3 golden reasons why is worth use moisture resistant plasterboard

How to cut moisture resistant plasterboard

How to dot and dab plasterboard

How to install insulated plasterboard

Video credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCbnSARV-XE&t=580s