Tape and jointing
Tape and jointing contractors for new-build homes
JMC Drywall Ltd is a tape and jointing contractor for new-build housing, working from Tiptree across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. Our tapers fill, tape and finish the plasterboard joints so each plot is ready for your decorator. Tape and jointing is on six of our current schemes, including 450 homes at Westcombe Park in Heybridge.
What the package covers
- Taping and filling to board joints on walls and ceilings
- Corner tape or angle bead to external angles
- Internal angles taped and finished
- Screw heads spotted and filled
- Filling around back boxes and service penetrations
- Sanding to a surface ready for decoration
Where tape and jointing goes wrong on a housing site
Most jointing faults show up after the decorator has been in. A joint that looks flat under a site lamp shows as a stripe once low sun crosses the wall. By then the plot is painted, and the repair means filling, sanding and repainting the whole wall.
The other common fault is a crack along a ceiling joint. It usually follows movement in the board behind, from loose fixings or timber drying out.
- Joint lines showing through paint in raking light
- Cracks along ceiling joints where the board moves
- Screw heads left standing or unfilled
- Knocked angles left for the decorator to find
- Compound sanded before it has dried through
Tape and jointing or a skim finish
On new-build homes the choice between jointing and a skim is made in the specification, usually on cost, programme and the finish the developer wants buyers to see. Tape and jointing is a dry trade that leaves the board face exposed. A skim puts a thin coat of plaster over the whole wall.
We carry out both. Tape and jointing is on six of our current schemes and plastering on five, so the price follows your specification either way.
| Point | Tape and jointing | Skim finish |
|---|---|---|
| Board | Tapered edge board, so the joint fills flush | Square or tapered edge. The skim covers the whole face |
| Water into the plot | Little. The compound goes on in thin coats | More. Wet plaster adds drying time before decoration |
| Surface under the paint | Board face and filled joints, which take paint differently | One even plaster surface |
| Knocks and dents | The paper face marks more easily | A harder surface |
| Repairs after handover | Filled, sanded and painted by a taper or decorator | A larger repair needs a plasterer |
| Trade on the plot | Tapers | Plasterers |
How jointing fits your plot programme
Tapers follow the boarders through a block, plot by plot. Each coat of compound has to dry before the next goes on, so a cold, unventilated plot slows the trade down. Heat and air in the plot decide how fast the tapers can move.
Second fix joinery and the decorator come in behind the finished joints. Board knocked or cut by later trades goes back on the snagging list, so agree in the sub-contract who makes it good.
What we need to price tape and jointing
With the tender enquiry, send the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. We return the price by the deadline your tender sets.
Beyond the square metres, three points move a jointing price. The standard of finish the specification asks for, whether external angles are beaded or taped, and who makes good after the other trades. Put them in the tender pack and they are in the price from the start.
The record
Schemes where we carried out tape and jointing
The client, the place, the number of homes and the contract value.
| Scheme | Client | Homes | Tenure | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westcombe ParkHeybridge, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 450 | Mixed tenure150 affordable | £3.5m | On site |
| Victoria GardensGreat Plumstead, Norfolk | Orbit Homes | 272 | Mixed tenure136 affordableHalf social housing | £2m | On site |
| Samphire MeadowsFrinton, Essex | Taylor Wimpey | 231 | Mixed tenure42 affordable | £1.7m | On site |
| Harolds GateHarleston, Norfolk | Orbit Homes | 162 | All affordable73 social rent, 89 shared ownership | £1.2m | On site |
| Castleton GrangeEye, Suffolk | Persimmon Homes | 127 | Mixed tenure25 affordable | £930k | On site |
| Beaulieu ParkChelmsford, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 66 | Mixed tenure26 affordable | £500k | Handed over |
- Westcombe Park
Heybridge, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 450
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 150 affordable
- Value
- £3.5m
- Victoria Gardens
Great Plumstead, Norfolk
- Client
- Orbit Homes
- Homes
- 272
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 136 affordable
- Value
- £2m
- Samphire Meadows
Frinton, Essex
- Client
- Taylor Wimpey
- Homes
- 231
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 42 affordable
- Value
- £1.7m
- Harolds Gate
Harleston, Norfolk
- Client
- Orbit Homes
- Homes
- 162
- Tenure
- All affordable
- Value
- £1.2m
- Castleton Grange
Eye, Suffolk
- Client
- Persimmon Homes
- Homes
- 127
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 25 affordable
- Value
- £930k
- Beaulieu Park
Chelmsford, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 66
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 26 affordable
- Value
- £500k
Questions
What buyers ask us
- Who does tape and jointing on new-build housing in Essex and Norfolk?
- JMC Drywall Ltd, based in Tiptree, Essex, carries out tape and jointing on new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. It is on six current schemes, including Westcombe Park in Heybridge for Countryside Partnerships, 450 homes, and Harolds Gate in Harleston for Orbit Homes, 162 homes. The company has traded since 1998.
- Do you price tape and jointing together with the dry lining?
- Yes. On all six of our current schemes with tape and jointing, we also carry out the dry lining, so one contracts manager answers for the board and the finish on it. At Samphire Meadows in Frinton, 231 homes for Taylor Wimpey, the package is dry lining, metal stud partitions and tape and jointing.
- Why do plasterboard joints show through the paint?
- Usually because a joint was left raised or hollow and raking light picks it up, or because the board face and the filled joint absorb paint at different rates. A wide final coat, feathered out and sanded flat, and a first coat of paint that evens out the suction are the usual cures.
- When can the decorator start after tape and jointing?
- Once the final coat is dry right through and sanded, and not before. Drying time depends on the compound, the depth of fill and the conditions in the plot. A cold, unventilated plot can add days. Painting over damp compound is a common cause of joints showing later, so the plot should wait for it.
- How is jointing checked before the plot goes to the decorator?
- In the trade, a strong side light is the test, as it shows raised joints, hollows and unfilled screw heads the way low sun will once the plot is painted. JMC Drywall Ltd photographs each plot on a cloud-based quality system, and the named contracts manager signs it off before it is offered to the client. The photographs are held in Site Audit Pro and shared on request.
Trades
Priced and managed as one sub-contract
- Dry liningDry lining for new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. Walls and ceilings boarded plot by plot, on 21 live sites.
- PlasteringSkim and traditional plastering for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On five current schemes, four for Orbit Homes.
- Metal stud partitionsMetal stud partitions for new-build housing in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On four current schemes, including 450 homes at Westcombe Park.
- CeilingsMF and suspended ceilings for new-build apartment blocks and communal areas in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London, from a base in Tiptree.
Tender enquiries
Pricing your next scheme?
Send us the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. You will get a fully compliant price by your tender deadline, and a straight answer on whether we have the labour to meet your programme.
- Ring
- 01621 810293
- Email the estimating team
- estimating@jmcdrywallltd.co.uk