Can we DIY a wall or do we need a plasterer?

[iyanghian]

 

we are planning to renovate our kitchen and we need to wall up this part of the stairs - can we achieve this through DIY?

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @iyanghian,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

The basic process would be to remove the handrail, ballusters and the framing for the handrail, then frame the opening, sheet it with plasterboard, plaster it, then prime and paint.

While everything is achievable D.I.Y., I wouldn't call it a beginner job because you would have to frame out an irregular opening and then install irregularly shaped plasterboard and finish it against an existing surface. This is not a straightforward task, and if you don't have experience with this kind of construction, it isn't going to be an easy project to learn on.

Unless you were very confident in yourself, I'd suggest you contact a carpenter for their assistance with the framing and a plasterer for the finish work. Painting it yourself would be a way to reduce the cost, but the other tasks are likely best left to the professionals.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their thoughts.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @iyanghian 

This is a very doable project. However, as @JacobZ mentioned, we would class this as an advance one requiring both a carpenter and a plasterer or a skilled handyman in both skillsets. I would definitely recommend getting quotes on a professional service.

Nailbag

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @iyanghian 

I would put this project into a doable but with skills ++ Not extreme skill but probarly having done at least straight framing out before.

As @JacobZ and @Nailbag have mentioned if you havnt it would be a good idea to get a couple of quotes, even if you only get the carpentery done professionaly (tho I would recomend a plasterer if you havnt done any wall work before.)

@JacobZ's steps are what I woud be doing if you wante dto step through the job.

Dave

[iyanghian]

Thank you everyone for your input and advice. We'll go ahead and get some quotes to get this done professionally.