Thread: fake timber panel walls

This forum is just amazing,, so many well informed people usually come up with ideas that would have been overlooked.

Thank you all.
Besser block walls are 30 years old. they are hollow,
gyprock, has been considered, however inside dormitory rooms at a youth camp, I err on the side of wariness and caution.
wallpaper I just hate the stuff, the number of times I helped my dad repaper wall after wall of different houses. nah.
slurry render hadnt thought about the tint mixing, however, slap bagging coat on, making it appear rough cast (to hide mistakes & blemishes) then spray paint it.
the walls were painted bright pick & baby poo girls dorms & baby blue & soft cream = boys dorms, these were done many years ago,

Originally Posted by Tonyz

gyprock, has been considered, however inside dormitory rooms at a youth camp, I err on the side of wariness and caution.

Gyprock might actually be the cautious way to go. Yes it is easily damaged, but that also means it has a bit of cushioning should someone accidentally/on purpose have a close encounter with the wall. It's also pretty easy to repair, especially since it won't be on a hollow stud wall; the worst you'll get is dents, not gaping holes.

If you don’t think Gyprock will stand up to the abuse you could direct fix villaboard instead and set it

I am doing a Gyprock over bedder block glad next week converting a garage into a bedroom

Silly question but what's on the other side of the wall? Will moisture travel through the blocks and damage the lining? If that is the case then some sort of moisture barrier will be needed. Even core=filled block walls can be a pain to waterproof.

outside air, been there for 30+ years, looking at cosmetic rejuvenation, also other dorm rooms

How about plasterboard glued directly to the blocks? I've done this (nearly 20 years ago) and it is still standing up and looking just fine. Though it was to bricks in my case.

I am having the same thoughts about my current house which has lots of exposed internal brick. It is a cavity brick house, though they used that horrid chocolate brown brick. I want to avoid putting in studs etc because the house is not that large as it is.

Hi Tony. Plasterboard is cheap, easy to cut to size and light enough to stick to block work.. Stopping up and sanding can be trickier. If rooms are heated moisture will be travelling to outside. Painting is probably even easier if you have access to spray equipment.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Why not Gyprock? .... Then you can just paint it.

Common way of hiding those horrible 1970's "feature brick walls", or blockwork, is to cover them with plasterboard. Quick and cheap, and also makes the room look bigger.