Any tips?
- Thread starter cjam24
- Start date
Sponsored Links
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 2,373
- Reaction score
- 430
- Country
HI cjam24...
When your skimming and you have put your second coat on and its ready to start trowelling, try not to "throw" water on the wall just keep your trowel wet, the least water the better the finish. Also get your self a selection of "margin trowels" as they will come in handy over the years.
I have been using a parcel tape machine to hold and cut my scrim tape.
I had to adapt the spool to take the scrim tape, when they changed the size of the scrim tapes spool, but have used it for 20 years now. It will save you a lot of time when taping up.
Also all my sponges (for wiping down and rendering work) come from old chairs or car-seats. I usually cut them to the size I need with a hand saw, and then if they are too thick I cut them thru the middle with the saw so they have one good side. Make sure you keep a few of these with you in your kit.
They also come in handy if you get a tiling job(need a few sponges when wiping the grout off, specially if it is coloured grout). All the trowels I have got are stainless,and I have always used Marshalltowns, but I have recently bought a tyzack 13" ready to go trowel which they were selling cheap at B&Qs.
Like all trowels you still have to "Break them in".Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas and you will find short-cuts...
Good Luck
When your skimming and you have put your second coat on and its ready to start trowelling, try not to "throw" water on the wall just keep your trowel wet, the least water the better the finish. Also get your self a selection of "margin trowels" as they will come in handy over the years.
I have been using a parcel tape machine to hold and cut my scrim tape.
I had to adapt the spool to take the scrim tape, when they changed the size of the scrim tapes spool, but have used it for 20 years now. It will save you a lot of time when taping up.
Also all my sponges (for wiping down and rendering work) come from old chairs or car-seats. I usually cut them to the size I need with a hand saw, and then if they are too thick I cut them thru the middle with the saw so they have one good side. Make sure you keep a few of these with you in your kit.
They also come in handy if you get a tiling job(need a few sponges when wiping the grout off, specially if it is coloured grout). All the trowels I have got are stainless,and I have always used Marshalltowns, but I have recently bought a tyzack 13" ready to go trowel which they were selling cheap at B&Qs.
Like all trowels you still have to "Break them in".Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas and you will find short-cuts...
Good Luck
Sponsored Links
Hi cjam24. As Roy c says, always use as little water as possible throughout; I use an old ½ litre kitchen cleaner spray bottle, one fill is all I need to skim a whole room. I get all my plaster from a B&Q trade outlet; the use by dates are sometimes shorter but they sell so much of the stuff, it’s always fresh & the storage conditions are so much better than the local BM’s damp tin shed. £4.38 a bag or just £3.85 for 5+ bags; never had a duff one from them yet whereas I have from BM’s! 
Re doing one in 2 hits; I had to skim a conservatory wall 3.5m high & 6m wide on my own & after some “oh Christ” thoughts, I staple gunned a length of stop edge beading to the wall & skimmed up to the outside of that - don’t plaster over the steel bit obviously! Remove the bead just as it starts to go off or it will crack the plaster edge badly. I did this huge wall in 3 hits, cleaning off the stop bead, moving it across & then skimming between the plaster edge & the stop bead. It took me practically a whole day to do the one wall but it only needed very minor filling here & there, you can’t see the join &, most importantly, it hasn’t cracked.
I’ve since used the same trick on a wall that needed to be part finished & then totally finished off later. Even though the original skim was left for 3 weeks, the new bit matched up perfectly with, again, only minimal filling here & there & no cracks; not tried it on a ceiling yet, haven’t yet had one big enough to need it!
Re doing one in 2 hits; I had to skim a conservatory wall 3.5m high & 6m wide on my own & after some “oh Christ” thoughts, I staple gunned a length of stop edge beading to the wall & skimmed up to the outside of that - don’t plaster over the steel bit obviously! Remove the bead just as it starts to go off or it will crack the plaster edge badly. I did this huge wall in 3 hits, cleaning off the stop bead, moving it across & then skimming between the plaster edge & the stop bead. It took me practically a whole day to do the one wall but it only needed very minor filling here & there, you can’t see the join &, most importantly, it hasn’t cracked.
I’ve since used the same trick on a wall that needed to be part finished & then totally finished off later. Even though the original skim was left for 3 weeks, the new bit matched up perfectly with, again, only minimal filling here & there & no cracks; not tried it on a ceiling yet, haven’t yet had one big enough to need it!
Iye qite ageree wiff Dunghorse. Ef peepol downt riyte un speyll propprely, iye fiynd ut diffocolt tu reid und unsterdand.
Catrousghre.
Catrousghre.
Good luck to you with your plastering cjam, but in your tool kit, always carry a sense of humour with you.
Roughcaster.
Roughcaster.
cjam; having just joined you won't know yet but Rough's actually one of the good guysRoughcaster and rabbit poo(or something) may pay you 2 to get out more lads?
Anything you're stuck on in the future cjam, again, just ask and someone on here will help you out.
Roughcaster.
Roughcaster.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
