Plaster Air vents

[NaeNae]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has any idea of how to attach plaster air vents to internal weather boards?

I suggested liquid nails to hubby but he doesn't seem to think that will hold long term ... He wants to drill and nail them in place but I am not sure how well that will hold as there are no studs behind that section of board.

An ideas/thoughts are appreciated

[rod@plasterbrok]

He is right I would not use liquid nails. Or nailing, nailing into a springy weather board is asking to damage the vent.

They really need to be screwed rather than adhesive fixed.

Because they are so fragile, you will need to pre drill the screw holes and counter sink the heads, so they can then be patched up.

When you nip the screw up tight take extreme care otherwise they will crack. Just take it up so it is firm.

Then I would seal around the edges with a good quality paintable sealant.

Cheers

Rod

[NaeNae]

Thanks Rod,

The vent seem heavy and the boards are thinish (they are 110yrs afterall) so how many would you use?

2 top and bottom and 1 either side??

Also would you hand screw them in as opposed to using a drill because they are so fragile?

Sorry to ask so many questions - this is my first ever room ro renovate so I feel a tad clueless I think I have attached a picture I found of the vent we are going with ... may not have worked

[rat52]

NaeNae,
use a drill only for the holes then screw into the timber by hand. That way you have more control.

Perhaps even put a bead of no more gaps on the back then screw until it starts to squeeze out.

As an aside, have you considered blocking the hole behind the vent to help with the heating and cooling of the house.

Modern houses don't have internal vents and when I blocked all of mine it made a noticeable difference

[rod@plasterbrok]

If you do block it paint the background black and it will look like a hole.

Cheers.

[NaeNae]

NaeNae,
As an aside, have you considered blocking the hole behind the vent to help with the heating and cooling of the house.

Modern houses don't have internal vents and when I blocked all of mine it made a noticeable difference

Originally i wanted to do that but as we are on bottled gas and the fixture for the gas heater is directly in line (vertically) with the vents hubby thinks we ought to keep the vents. Not that we'll be sleeping etc with the heating running but as a just in case.

I have no more gapped the entire room (14 tubes later) roof boards included and this has made a considerable difference already. The house will always be fairly cold no matter what we do.

Great tip with the black paint too!!

[echnidna]

or use plastic snap in vents, easy to fit and come in various sizes