Lafarge Megadeco boards & Deco Jointing system

[TonyM]

I'm thinking about going over to this system as some of the normal plasterboards i've had lately have had a really bad finish on them. As I always seal my work, by using the Deco boards and jointing materials, it states that this no longer requires sealing. The extra pound a metre spent on the board will balance out with the cost of not applying sealer. The board is supposed to have superior impact, sound and fire resistance too.
Have any of you boys had experience of this system, and what do you reckon to it?

[jase hag]

just done some reading up on the deco system,looks very good,but will the customer pay the extra?

[Captain perfect]

Hi Tony

We have used this system many times on private hospitals with good results & profit

Had a few probs with the jointers not being able to see the joints & screws When lit with fluro tube lamps.

The board is a lot more resistant to impact, both in construction & final use.

[TonyM]

I'm just looking for a better final result than with the boards i've been using, without having to go down the level 5 finish avenue. As said previously Jason, I won't have to seal so the cost of that will offset the extra board cost. At the moment, I pay £1.26 a square m for normal TE board. The Megadeco is £2.39 a square m, so the client won't have to pay more for a superior end product.
Captain, I take it the board is denser and therefore heavier than standard board?

[Andy]

Hi Guys,

the mega deco board is heavier than normal board (about 13kg per m2) but in terms of performance is a lot better for fire, acoustic's and impact.
the finish will be better due to a smooth white and thicker paper and as the board and compounds are white this eliminates the need for a sealer also if the boards are kept clean you can also get away with no miss coat.

As the board is of high performance you can reduce things like adding insulation (can be another cost saving)

one thing to remember is that you need to use deco compounds for jointing due to the smooth finish of the paper, these compounds have a small amount of blue dye added to make it easier to see the joints against the white finish of the board.

hope this help Tony.

[TonyM]

Spoke to Lafarge Technical yesterday, and they reckon that the jointing compound has the same absorption rate as the board, hence no sealer required.

[TonyM]

Picked up some boards and jointing products today for 6 ceilings I have to do next week. The finish on the board is loads better than standard.

[jase hag]

Picked up some boards and jointing products today for 6 ceilings I have to do next week. The finish on the board is loads better than standard.

will pop around and have a look mate.still waiting to hear about that job in fowey,will ring you when scott rings.

[TonyM]

Here's the job i'm trying this system out on. To start with, I have 6 ceilings to board and tape on a house that is being built in a wooded plot. It's a bit like something you'd see on Grand Designs.




All the ceilings are in between glulam beams and are tapered on both long sides and curved at the wide end. The client has tacked a 10mm spacer which I am setting a No-Coat L-Trim up against to form a margin once the spacer is removed. I have so far, boarded the 4 lower ceilings and 1st coated with the Deco joint filler and set the L-Trim with the Deco cement. It's a bit of a twat as the 2 higher ceilings are about 4m high and my plasterboard lift only lifts to 3.4m.





The board has a much higher quality finish than normal board, is a lot harder and heavier. The joint filler is typical Lafarge with a few gummy bits in, but i'll tolerate that as it's part of the system, and the readymixed cement seems to have more guts than other tubbed materials.

[Goodmanatee]

Nice one Tony.

[TonyM]

I quite like this system. The cement is really fine and goes through the pump and boxes nicely. See how the boards are naturally shiny.




It's a job to see the difference between the board and the compound though.

[turrican_007]

[crack filler]

mmmm fun work, nice job mate

[Goodmanatee]

Is the readymix a special megadeco or is it the smartmix extra?

[TonyM]

Is the readymix a special megadeco or is it the smartmix extra?

It's branded GTEC Deco

[Goodmanatee]

What do you think of it? And how does it compare in cost to BG?

[TonyM]

What do you think of it? And how does it compare in cost to BG?

Fast set is 5 or 6 pounds a bag. The cement is £16 a tub, both plus vat. The finish is very fine. Going to leave it a couple of days before I sand it as the cement is softer than mix up products.

[Goodmanatee]

Sounds similar to the Lafarge smartmix extra. Get a finer grit sanding pad to rub it down the 100g tears into it. Find the 120g better. So much quicker to rub down that BG gear.

[dryfix]

Hi Tony,let me us know how you go on sanding down with it,some times it can be like sanding glass if it's left to stand a few days,Did you tape up with fiba or paper?

[TonyM]

Sanded today with a worn 120 grit pad and it's come up really smooth. I was surprised how hard the finish was, as I thought it was going to be soft like the USG blue top. I reckon that a worn 100 grit would have done it a bit quicker but was wary of scratching it. Got a large bungalow to do with this system next month, board & tape. I used fiba tape.