IS IT EASY TO PLASTER YOURSELF??

[JOHNBOY42]

Renovating a old house and had all over plastered last year excet the kitchen which I have left until last, I have just removed all the old units and tiles but before I get the new units in place I would like all the walls to be skimmed,the walls are straight and in fair condition but need some life into them ,now I have never plastered before but when the plasterer does the rest of the house he did a excellent job and on the walls like these he put some green stuff on and just skimmed over it ( he did make it look easy ,but he is a pro) but I would like to have a go myself so my questions are ..
What is the green stuff
What is the best plaster
and any tips/info would be helpful.......... I am not trying to save money but would like to see if I can do it

 

[Nige F]

greenstuff ..Thistle bond-it (or similar)...........plaster type multi finish...good luck , you`ll need it

 

[Aqua]

Green stuff...was the bag it came in green ? or the stuff went on the walls green ?

If the walls are in good condition, not dusty/flakey or crumbling a couple of coats of PVA and two coats of multi finish will do your job.

You could have a go yourself, start with a small area and see how it goes.

Or you might get your plaster in and ask him if you can have a go under his guidance, i have let a few punters have a go when they wanted to

 

[OhGranny]

Hi Johnboy
Not easy !! In my experience - but it is possible to do a reasonable job if you avoid the classic beginners mistake of thinking you can walk up to a wall slap the plaster on and walk away 5 minutes later with it all smooth, flat and level. Takes at least 2 to 3 visits. Here is what has worked (reasonably) for me.
First get it off the board and onto the wall - don't worry too much about getting it too smooth or flat just get it on the wall and not in a heap on the floor!
Then leave it until it starts to stiffen up a bit (exactly when is where the experience comes in) so that you can work it again without the float digging in and lifting it off again, splash lightly with water then smooth off with the float nearly flat to the wall but not flat or it sucks it off the wall again - pushing down the high spots - have some plaster ready if needed to fill in the hollows.
Leave it for another 10 - 20 mins or so and then splash with water and polish off.
It is not easy and if the plasterer has done such a good job you might want to think seriously because it could show your work up big time!
G.

 

[JohnD]

Like lots of things, you can do a good job after you've done it a few dozen times. It needs dexterity, speed and skill.

If you do it yourself, you will not be very happy with the result and will probably spend a lot of time trying to smooth it over.

I have had a fair bit of practice doing patches and chases, and get a reasonable finish, but would not want to do a wall.

If you liked your previous plasterer, ask him back.

 

[Aqua]

Here is a rough guide i wrote on another post.

Plastering for the beginner, it is skim onto a good surface like plaster board or browning etc.


When mixing plaster everything has to be properly clean !!

Put some water in a bucket 3-6 inch to start with, slowly add the plaster powder and mix, we use a piece of latt cut to a usable length.

As you add plaster it will become harder to mix, when the bucket starts turning while you are mixing you are getting close.

Clean round the inside of the bucket with a clean trowel so any dry bits drop into the bottom of the bucket.

Having previously bought a plaster whisk which fits into a good corded drill (not cordless), whisk the plaster so it becomes smooth with no lumps etc.

Now, it doesn't want to be really wet and runny nor does it want to be like bulls liver. If in doubt keep it a bit wetter.

When you apply the plaster go once over covering the full surface as required, don't worry to much about lines etc however keep the edges tidy, when that skim becomes tacky give it maybe 5 minutes and put a second skim on.

Again don't worry to much about lines, just get it on making sure you cover all of the previous skim.

Once both skims are on carefully tidy lines, edges etc. As the plaster goes off you will find you can apply more pressure.

Use a wide brush with water on it to wet up the area you are polishing, don't drag plaster off to much, just level and flatten as required.

As the plaster hardens you will find less comes off on the float, until eventually you are just polishing with water and nothing comes off onto the float.

By that stage you should have made a good job of it

Start off with a small area and see how you go, remember.....

Plaster waits for no man, it goes off when it goes off.

Leave plenty of time to make a good job of it

 

[Richard C]

I’m multi-skilled & can turn my hand to anything but plastering is one of the most difficult skills I’ve had the pleasure to master. Have a go if you’re inclined but don’t expect your first attempts to look very good; best start with the wall that’s going to have the most kitchen units hung on it! Lots of advice on this forum so it’s worth looking back at the archive posts but after your first few attempts you will come to the conclusion that you can either do it or you can’t & many that pass themselves of as plasterers can’t; it’s a cross between skill & black art!

 

[IJWS15]

Another one to watch for is the use by date on the plaster - as it gets older it goes off faster.

 

[fastJedi]

From the experiences I have had ......

It's much easier to "plaster yourself" than to "plaster the walls"

Even easier to get plastered

 

[JOHNBOY42]

Well guys just a update.....bought all the materials yesterday and took all the advice off everybody I could......... got up this morning and called my wife "guvner" and even asked for a cup or rosy lee,lit up my fag even though i dont smoke and made headway about 09.00
started on my first bit and by 13.00 had completed about 2 metres and it looked as though I had plastered over pizzas and the wall looked worse than when I first started .
Anyhow it is now all off and I will give a pro a call and I will retire from plastering......some guys have the knack but I am not one of those

 

[markie]

Well guys just a update.....bought all the materials yesterday and took all the advice off everybody I could......... got up this morning and called my wife "guvner" and even asked for a cup or rosy lee,lit up my fag even though i dont smoke and made headway about 09.00
started on my first bit and by 13.00 had completed about 2 metres and it looked as though I had plastered over pizzas and the wall looked worse than when I first started .
Anyhow it is now all off and I will give a pro a call and I will retire from plastering......some guys have the knack but I am not one of those

thats the best laugh I've had all year and last year I tried it a few years ago ( only 2 foot x2 foot ) and you would think I plarstered over a cammel

 

[keyplayer]

Well guys just a update.....bought all the materials yesterday

You did remember to buy a trowel ??

 

[2scoops0406]

You ought to have a go at plastering a ceiling, now that is fun

 

[Aqua]

Well guys just a update.....bought all the materials yesterday and took all the advice off everybody I could......... got up this morning and called my wife "guvner" and even asked for a cup or rosy lee,lit up my fag even though i dont smoke and made headway about 09.00
started on my first bit and by 13.00 had completed about 2 metres and it looked as though I had plastered over pizzas and the wall looked worse than when I first started .
Anyhow it is now all off and I will give a pro a call and I will retire from plastering......some guys have the knack but I am not one of those

Well done for giving it a try however it shows how difficult the job can be for a beginner.

This is why a lot of people here advise getting a pro in to plaster large areas

 

[Richard C]

made headway about 09.00
started on my first bit and by 13.00 had completed about 2 metres

That's almost certainly your problem; the whole wall should have been up & completed in less than an hour! Gives you some idea of the speed at which you have to get the stuff on let alone getting it flat & fair. I wouldn’t’ be too disheartened, at least you had a go; the first time I tried it years ago was a similar disaster. Take the opportunity watch what your pro does & bend his ear (if he’s obliging) & you will realise immediately where you went wrong.