Any spreads want to impart some plastering knowledge?

[AdamW]

After telling several people on this forum "don't do your own plastering, it's too hard", I have decided to give it a go and learn a new skill.

Now, I have bought a plasterers hawk, a plasterers trowel and a plastic float. As I understand it, if I have new plasterboard to start with, I don't need to PVA coat it first. Would a PVA coat make it easier though?

Do I trowel on the multifinish plaster, then go over it with the float? I had a plasterer in before but he was too fast to figure out what he was doing! Protecting his trade through being faster than the human eye I guess

I will be plastering a ceiling. Now, working at that height is no problem as I am quite tall. Plus I have plenty of sturdy things to bring into the room to stand on. How hard are ceilings? Am I going to have my first attempt slop off and make a nice "splat" on the floor?

Should I just give in and tape, fill and paint?

 

[masona]

After telling several people on this forum "don't do your own plastering, it's too hard", I have decided to give it a go and learn a new skill.

It 's tricky specially upside down on the ceiling,why not practise on a sheet of board & upside down until you feel confident !!

 

[Antwerpman]

I am pretty handy at most things and in my last house I attempted plastering. I did a reasonable job, and people never knew I had done it.

However, I knew that it was there and it certainly was not as good as the rest of the plaster, and in the end it bugged me so much that now I would never do it again.

So I guess it depends, if you are an absolute perfectionist you probably wont be happy with the result, but if you don't want a prefect finish or want a 'rustic' look, then go for it.

The hardest thing I found was getting a mix that worked well, and yet did not fall off the wall. I also found that in the begining I overworked the plaster, creating 'hard' spots which were then difficult to get rid of. I have since heard that it is good to get the plaster on and approximately flat before leaving it and coming back to it later

 

[AdamW]

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys!

Luckily it is a bathroom I am doing so I will practice with the walls. They are being tiled so just as long as the finish is flat it should be OK, tile adhesive usually takes care of a couple of mm imperfections.

If that goes well I might try the ceiling, but it seems I might just tape and fill now. Do I use ordinary jointing tape (the self-adhesive mesh) or do I use special stuff?

 

[plasterer]

Mix the finish in a bucket, dont leave it in the bucket to long as it will set get it out onto a board. Stick it on walls or ceiling at will ,wash everything off wait about 15 20 mins,and start to flattern, if you go near it to soon you will never get shut of lines and marks.after that have a cup of tea and do same again ,u need yo keep going over it every 15 mins Untill it turns black.After that it will either b right or to hard to do any thing else with anyway. Good luck m8

 

[renovator]

if you intend to tile the whole wall and have sound plasterboard why plaster?

 

[markf]

Wickes do a plastering kit at a reasonable price for the DIYer. It is a series of plaster battens fixed to the wall with the idea being you plaster netween the battens and remove the excess material before giving the final polish.

However, I do agree with the post above - if you are tiling the entire wall why plaster.

 

[AdamW]

Well, it is like this. The room will have four walls: two are breezeblock with somekind of sand-render then skimmed with what appears to be standard gypsum plaster. This has been tiled at some point but I am currently ripping the tiles down (didn't want to tile over them.) When I have ripped it all out I am hoping to make good with gypsum plaster before tiling. Unless someone has a better idea (I have read gypsum isn't ideal!)

The other two walls are sound plasterboard with a skim, these will be tiled straight onto.

As this room is being made by knocking two smaller rooms together, I am going to end up with a big gap between two ceilings, each artexed back when the place was built in 1984/85. So, I was going to strap on all of my protective gear and CAREFULLY remove the existing ceiling, taking care not to damage the artex (I know, probably no asbestos in it but not taking the risk)

The plan was to then make a new ceiling from 12.5mm tapered edge plasterboard (originally going to be moisture check but realised the current one wasn't and has lasted this long without showing signs of age). Whilst I am confident to tape and fill the joins and screw holes, I was thinking a proper skim might look better and protect the board against moisture.

 

[masona]

Why not dot & dab using plasterboards instead for a perfect flat wall for tiling.

 

[AdamW]

I presume dot and dab is like dry lining, but without the battens? I.e. glue the plasterboard directly onto the wall?

Well, I could see a few problems with that. The wall this would be done to is masonry, and will need making good anyway. Not sure if that one is a problem.

The second problem is that the corner of the two masonry walls will be the ones that the bath is butted into, and thus the tiles will be showered on. Could I dot and dab with aquapanel in this case? I found it in Wickes, seems a lot cheaper than the bathroom specialists want for it! Just to make sure we are talking about the same stuff, the Wickes aquapanel is a cement board about 10mm thick.

 

[masona]

I presume dot and dab is like dry lining, but without the battens? I.e. glue the plasterboard directly onto the wall?

Yes.

Well, I could see a few problems with that. The wall this would be done to is masonry, and will need making good anyway. Not sure if that one is a problem.

No need to make goods to the walls !

Could I dot and dab with aquapanel in this case? I found it in Wickes, seems a lot cheaper than the bathroom specialists want for it! Just to make sure we are talking about the same stuff, the Wickes aquapanel is a cement board about 10mm thick.

I would use non-rust screws/rawlplug & no-nail at the same time.

 

[AdamW]

No need to make goods to the walls !

I would use non-rust screws/rawlplug & no-nail at the same time.

Brilliant on both counts! I am great at using screws (who invented the nail anyway?!) and rubbish at plastering. Well, not tried plastering yet but as far as I know there isn't some big conspiracy by by the Institute of Plasterers so I will believe it is hard. Cheers for that advice, makes my life a lot easier in the short and long-run. Plus means no pesky drying out time for render + plaster.

Off to change my plasterboard order for some aquapanel I think now. Screws + no-nails? I pity the fool who tries to remove that in 10 years! Well, better do a good job of the bathroom then, make sure they don't want it changed...

 

[spreadercraig]

Hi All

Please tell me if I'm not allowed to post this here, but....

 

[kruppe]

I did a little noddy 10 week course at a local college - 'plastering for the beginner' or somesuch title. This is part of the OCN (Open College Network) arrangement and so should be available most places. Anyway, for £55 you get instruction and a chance to play to your heart's content without mucking up your own stuff. Plus the chance to quiz an expert while you're doing it! I thought it was great and am just undertaking rendering/plastering my entire kitchen - with a lot more confidence than I would have had. Isn't plastering brilliant. And yes, it is harder than people make it look, until you've had a go that is.

 

[AdamW]

Bah, OCN seems to have stopped doing that course, just checked their website. Thanks for the tip though.

Ended up dotting and dabbing boards to the walls, aquapanel around wet areas. This evening I have been ringing around plasterers to do my 5' by 9' fresh plasterboard ceiling. Unfortunately it seems that the Yellow Pages has had a mix-up and switched the "plasterers" with "comedians".

Half a day's labour to do a small ceiling? £30 for materials? Fortunately I have had a plasterer in before: a good one, £40 an hour and I supplied materials (was in the plaster shortage of 2001). Unfortunately he doesn't seem to answer his phone now!

I fear the plasterers will be staying at home though, the job's too small. Well, no law forcing anyone to do it, and I don't know if I would go to work for just an hour. So, it appears I will be giving it a crack.