Bob Mannix wrote:
When I were young, I assumed that one plastered the dark side of
plasterboard and used the ivory side if you weren't skimming (note I
said "assumed", 'assumption is the mother of all cock-ups' etc...).
As I matured I came to the conclusion you could skim either side but
used to skim the dark side still.

I note now that manufacturers carefully stamp "plaster other side
only" on the dark side (ie you must use the ivory side).

Don't really want a huge flame of indignation (but it is uk.d-i-y,
that's kind of a given ) ). Two questions:

1. Have I been wrong all this time?
2. What is the *manufacturer's* reason for insisting you plaster the
ivory side?

One side of the board is completely wrapped in paper, that is to say, two
sheets of paper are used to make the board and one of them (the one that
should be plastered) is wider than the other, so that it covers one side
completely and goes around each edge and onto the opposite side by about an
inch.
Then the backing paper is stuck on after, to form the other side of the
board, and also to cover the edges of the paper that we've just mentioned.

In theory, if you plastered the backing paper, it /could/ peel away from the
body of the plasterboard because it's only held in place by the plaster
within the board, in reality this is probably never going to happen, unless
it gets *really* steamy, perhaps in a bathroom or kitchen that is in use
almost constantly.