woodbloke
Established Member
Can someone please convince me that doing a decent job with one coat plaster onto brickwork isn't something out of a Harry Pothead book :evil:...the guys on DIY SOS make it look so easy - Rob
Plastering...Black Art or nae?
- Thread starter woodbloke
- Start date
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I'm sure its easy with years of practice!. I took the bull by the horns and had a go plastering my kitchen a short while ago. Various surfaces to deal with:- skimming old plaster with Thistle Multifinish, bare brick with Thistle Bonding + Multifinish, plasterboard (ceiling) with board finish. My (limited) experience is that (a) preparation is the key - getting the right adhesion and suction with the help of PVA, and (b) cleaniness of tools buckets, and using a power mixing dubree for the plaster is essential (any old power drill is OK).
Get those right and its not as difficult as the pros would have you believe, except that they can still do it a lot quicker and maybe a bit smoother.
Anyway, yes it's possible to get a perfectly acceptable result. Once dry, drywall mesh and the odd judicious spot of Polyfilla will smooth out the imperfections.
:wink:
Ike
Get those right and its not as difficult as the pros would have you believe, except that they can still do it a lot quicker and maybe a bit smoother.
Anyway, yes it's possible to get a perfectly acceptable result. Once dry, drywall mesh and the odd judicious spot of Polyfilla will smooth out the imperfections.
:wink:
Ike
woodbloke
Established Member
...and a couple of sheets of 60g and a cork block when it's all dry 
- Rob
- RobFecn
Established Member
Here's my quick guide to plastering.
1. All plastering jobs take 1/2 day to do properly - no matter how small.
2. If you try to get it done quicker it will go wrong
3. Plaster has to dry from the inside out - Slap a bit on, don't worry about the finish.. leave it to dry for 10-15 mins (fag break)
4. Spray the surface with water and smooth it off a bit... leave it to dry for 10-15 mins
5. repeat step 4 over and over again until it looks good.
6. As long as you keep the surface damp, it never dries and you can have as many attempts as you like to get it looking good.
People are scared of plastering because they try to get a good finish first-time - It doesn't work like that... the waiting and spraying with water is the important part - If you just slap it on and try for smooth you won't get it.
Hope that helps.
1. All plastering jobs take 1/2 day to do properly - no matter how small.
2. If you try to get it done quicker it will go wrong
3. Plaster has to dry from the inside out - Slap a bit on, don't worry about the finish.. leave it to dry for 10-15 mins (fag break)
4. Spray the surface with water and smooth it off a bit... leave it to dry for 10-15 mins
5. repeat step 4 over and over again until it looks good.
6. As long as you keep the surface damp, it never dries and you can have as many attempts as you like to get it looking good.
People are scared of plastering because they try to get a good finish first-time - It doesn't work like that... the waiting and spraying with water is the important part - If you just slap it on and try for smooth you won't get it.
Hope that helps.
andycktm
Established Member
Have you ever seen the ad on home and leisure with the bloke on the stilts,it takes years to become good.Plastering is an art.100%.
3 steps to plastering you must remember
1/ lay in on
2/ level
3/ polish
on bare brick hack out loose mortar from joints, lay on a scratch coat of sand and cement ( plasticer in the mix helps) to get a fairly flat and plumb surface.
when dry paint on a coat of PVA mix 6 parts water to 1 part PVA, then lay on another thin layer of sand and cement, when nearly dry lay on carlite bonding, then finish with a coat of carlite finish,
Thats the way I have been doing it for over 30 years in 2 houses.
My first attempt was an abortion , I then got a time served plasterer to show me how to do it properly
Remember practice makes perfect
1/ lay in on
2/ level
3/ polish
on bare brick hack out loose mortar from joints, lay on a scratch coat of sand and cement ( plasticer in the mix helps) to get a fairly flat and plumb surface.
when dry paint on a coat of PVA mix 6 parts water to 1 part PVA, then lay on another thin layer of sand and cement, when nearly dry lay on carlite bonding, then finish with a coat of carlite finish,
Thats the way I have been doing it for over 30 years in 2 houses.
My first attempt was an abortion , I then got a time served plasterer to show me how to do it properly
Remember practice makes perfect
Philly
Established Member
I've had great results using "dry lining cement" over a rough coat of plaster. Put on a coat of plaster and get it as good as you can (which probably won't be perfect). Let it go off then skim over with dry lining. It dries in 10 minutes and sands down real easy. Repeat until you get a perfect surface - shouldn't take more than three coats.
Hope this helps
Philly
Hope this helps
Philly
frugal
Established Member
We cheated an moved into an old cottage where the rough finish on the plasterwork is a feature and smooth plaster would look strange
tim
Established Member
Apart from 1the odd patching, its one of the few jobs that I wont do myself. Its messy, time consuming and irksome when it doesn't look as good as you want it to. We had a large room completely reskimmed not very long ago - three guys 1/2 a day £150. Why would you do it yourself?
Cheers
Tim
Cheers
Tim
I've done sush a job both in gypsum and lime bases plaster. (Never done loam based) I very much like lime based above to most commonly used gypsum based plaster. Its much easier to handle and has a longer 'open time'. Also it doesn't dry in the bucket. You can easily continue to job later. Its even better to mix the plaster a day or so ahead of time.
Dave S
Established Member
I used to post regularly on a UK-based DIY forum. There were some very accomplished DIYers there who were quite happy to rewire, plumb, do minor building work etc. but who were perfectly happy to pay for a plasterer.
I think that as DIYers we often make up for lack knowledge and experience by doing lots of research and taking things slowly and carefully. Unfortunately, plastering is one task where taking one's time is not possible.
I did a lot of plastering in my last house, but wouldn't bother again.
Dave
I think that as DIYers we often make up for lack knowledge and experience by doing lots of research and taking things slowly and carefully. Unfortunately, plastering is one task where taking one's time is not possible.
I did a lot of plastering in my last house, but wouldn't bother again.
Dave
tenpin
Established Member
Platering is not an art.......
You don't need to spend years learning the skill....
IT'S PURE MAGIC :lol: :lol:
plasterers are prevaers of a black art...iv'e tried it and failed....have had most if not all my lower ground floor walls and ceilings skimmed or replatered and spent hours just watching the guy do his thing......
and my conclusion.....
unless a small patch job....pay the magician,,,,,,,,,,
You don't need to spend years learning the skill....
IT'S PURE MAGIC :lol: :lol:
plasterers are prevaers of a black art...iv'e tried it and failed....have had most if not all my lower ground floor walls and ceilings skimmed or replatered and spent hours just watching the guy do his thing......
and my conclusion.....
unless a small patch job....pay the magician,,,,,,,,,,
as one of them magicians who make plastering look like child's play, leave that one coat rubbish in the shop,
if your walls are solid brick use sand and cement backing render, if cavity walls and you are only doing a small area then use bonding,
wet up the brick work first and the edges, lay on thin coat over all the area, lay on the second coat and rule off to finish height,
as the backing coat sets float it fill in small holes, this should leave it a little low on a patch area,
on a patch, cut back your edge with your trowel to leave a little step 2-3 mm, wash existing plaster clean with your water brush,
keep these edges clean as you skim your patch.
sand and cement skim next day,
bonding, what you lay on in the morning skim in the afternoon.
what I call polishing is only done to p-off the decorator :twisted: , a polished wall won't take paint.
if your walls are solid brick use sand and cement backing render, if cavity walls and you are only doing a small area then use bonding,
wet up the brick work first and the edges, lay on thin coat over all the area, lay on the second coat and rule off to finish height,
as the backing coat sets float it fill in small holes, this should leave it a little low on a patch area,
on a patch, cut back your edge with your trowel to leave a little step 2-3 mm, wash existing plaster clean with your water brush,
keep these edges clean as you skim your patch.
sand and cement skim next day,
bonding, what you lay on in the morning skim in the afternoon.
what I call polishing is only done to p-off the decorator :twisted: , a polished wall won't take paint.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Rob
I plastered a few walls in the old house and it is not too difficult, but takes ages to do well.
Eventually I got a couple of guys in for the remaining 6 walls for a couple of hundred quid for the day and they did in 8 hours what would take me over a week - and they did it better :roll:
I plastered a few walls in the old house and it is not too difficult, but takes ages to do well.
Eventually I got a couple of guys in for the remaining 6 walls for a couple of hundred quid for the day and they did in 8 hours what would take me over a week - and they did it better :roll:
RogerS
Established Member
Dead easy. In three stages.
1) Pick up Yellow Pages
2) Select plasterer
3) Pay plasterer
A good plasterer is worth their weight in gold. I am told that this is one of the few trades where a Polish plasterer will almost guarantee you a good job because the way they work in Poland, any fiddling about making good by the decorator/painter, is automatically deducted from the plasterers wages.
An extremely good plasterer is needed if you are thinking of using downlights or uplights on the wall as they will show up every blemish.
1) Pick up Yellow Pages
2) Select plasterer
3) Pay plasterer
A good plasterer is worth their weight in gold. I am told that this is one of the few trades where a Polish plasterer will almost guarantee you a good job because the way they work in Poland, any fiddling about making good by the decorator/painter, is automatically deducted from the plasterers wages.
An extremely good plasterer is needed if you are thinking of using downlights or uplights on the wall as they will show up every blemish.
Petiegolfer
Established Member
Ive tried plastering two rooms now...one because I had too and the other because I wanted to see if I could do better!
Ist time was a nightmare which we lived with. 2nd time was better I did one wall and thought I want it better than that and I want it done now so got someone in to do the rest of the room.
It is very much a practised art and suction of the back ground is a huge factor on the time that you have. Even with Pva etc some backgrounds just pull the water out of the plaster and leave you with a race on your hands...no good if you are a novice!
Piers
Ist time was a nightmare which we lived with. 2nd time was better I did one wall and thought I want it better than that and I want it done now so got someone in to do the rest of the room.
It is very much a practised art and suction of the back ground is a huge factor on the time that you have. Even with Pva etc some backgrounds just pull the water out of the plaster and leave you with a race on your hands...no good if you are a novice!
Piers
momo
Established Member
first time I did that job I was walking around on 4" plaster stilts and wondering where all the footprints came from and thinking how the OH was going to kill me.
Then the second time I plastered the living room wall till it shone (took me all day as well), went to bed only to be woken by the wife laughing her head of at the huge mound of plaster at the bottom of the skirting.
I got her the third time though, when my mate Peter a plasterer showed me how to use PVA on all the walls etc first, its amazing for plastering is that stuff, I have a nice Derby and ss trowel etc to prove I can now do it, as well as nice ceilings and walls. I also now wear a hat, its a sod getting 1" dried plaster out of the hair :lol: .
Then the second time I plastered the living room wall till it shone (took me all day as well), went to bed only to be woken by the wife laughing her head of at the huge mound of plaster at the bottom of the skirting.
I got her the third time though, when my mate Peter a plasterer showed me how to use PVA on all the walls etc first, its amazing for plastering is that stuff, I have a nice Derby and ss trowel etc to prove I can now do it, as well as nice ceilings and walls. I also now wear a hat, its a sod getting 1" dried plaster out of the hair :lol: .
