PBM speaks with Ted Elliot, Technical Product Manager at Artex, who outlines the practical benefits your trade customers can take advantage of on site by using the firm’s Gyproc Plasterboard Patches alongside its portfolio of powdered and ready-mixed fillers.
When you consider the products that should be a fixture in the back of your customers’ vans, a reliable filler would be an obvious contender. However, Artex would also argue that Gyproc Plasterboard Patches are an equally indispensable companion.
Launched in 2019 to complement the existing EasiFill powdered offering, the Gyproc EasiFiller range now provides a full complement of ready-mix products, and it is a choice that the trades have welcomed.
A ready-to-use solution clearly scores on convenience, whilst the beauty of a powdered option is that it can be mixed to a particular builder’s preferred consistency, and delivers more control.
“If you’ve got a slightly bigger or deeper hole to fill, then mixing up a thicker mix of a powdered product like Easifill 20 will provide a good finish, and reduce the drying times,” reveals Artex Technical Product Manager, Ted Elliot. “When used in conjunction with our Gyproc Plasterboard Patches, the time and hassle you’re saving yourself can be quite considerable.”
Indeed, many tradesmen will have experienced the sinking feeling when they’ve cut out the holes for downlighters only to find that the homeowner has changed their mind, but it is in just these scenarios that Gyproc Plasterboard Patches can be their saviour.
Ted explains: “They are a self-adhesive solution, so it’s just a matter of removing the backing, sticking them over the hole and covering. It’s really that simple, and if you use Gyproc EasiFill 20 over the top you can apply a second coat within around 30 minutes. Once that’s dried you might need a rub over with some fine sandpaper, but within an hour you’ve affected an invisible finish.
“Not only that but this is a compound that’s fine enough to fulfil the role of both filler and finish, which means it can be immediately painted over.”
Of course, as with any job, there’s a technique and degree of workmanship, and it’s important that the hole is free of any burrs, protrusions or loose material. The second coat is required in order to effectively disguise the hole, and the material should be adequately feathered out from the edge of the patch to provide that seamless finish.
If, for instance, the Gyproc Plasterboard Patch is 100mm x 100mm then trade users should be looking to cover an area of at least 50mm either side with the first coat, and at least 100mm either side on the second coat. The patch itself is metal reinforced, with an embedded fibreglass mesh, and decorators should ensure that metal is completely covering beyond the edge of the hole.
Each pack of 12 contains three sizes, depending on the extent of the repair — five 150 x 150mm for the likes of double sockets and larger holes, five 100 x 100mm for single sockets, and two 50 x 50mm for smaller areas or downlighters. The fast setting time of Gyproc EasiFill 20 makes it a suitable snagging solution, and is part of a range that includes Gyproc EasiFill 45, and Gyproc EasiFill 60, with the numerical value in each case relating to the available working time.
With a pedigree of more than thirty years, the portfolio is very well established in the market. Over the years, its set time, ease of use, consistency and smoothness would inspire a loyal following with decorators as a filler, as Ted concludes: “What the trades want is a solution that’s easy to mix, apply and sand, and Gyproc EasiFill has all those characteristics well and truly covered. It adheres to paint very well and, with a choice of working times, allows for larger areas and multiple rooms to be worked on. These are also chemically setting products, which makes them much less susceptible to seasonal atmospheric conditions, whist there’s reduced shrinkage.”
Indeed, with a choice of ready mixed and powdered solutions, the latter complemented by the ease of use and convenience of Gyproc Plasterboard Patches, the Gyproc range is a tradesman’s ace in the hole.
For further information on the Gyproc EasiFill range, go to https://www.artexltd.com/our-brands/gyproc
The manufacturer has also produced a video guide to the application of its Gyproc Plasterboard Patches and EasiFill 20 which can be viewed below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grxqekl5x2w&feature=emb_logo
Stockist support Artex says it offers a range of services to support the business needs of builders’ merchants. For example, its distribution service has evolved to include full and mixed pallet deliveries, so stockists can “easily mix and match to suit your customers’ needs”. Furthermore, its provision now includes the Gyproc Express 48 hour parcel delivery on a specially selected range of jointing and filling products which the supplier describes as a “great way to order small quantities quickly and often, keeping your shelves stocked up and your customers happy”. To help support sales in store, the Gyproc Have It Covered campaign was created to promote the wide range of Gyproc jointing and filling products available to your customers, incorporating a variety of point of sale and merchandising solutions. For further details, enter https://www.artexltd.com/stockist-support
