Filling advice

[completelyuseless]

Hi all, I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to DIY, so please be gentle...

The house I am living in is about 9 years old and there's a few cracks in the plaster due to movement, small knocks in the wall etc. Also there are a few spots where the plaster is coming off from where the plasterboard has been fixed to the batons.

I have difficulty getting a decent finish when using polyfilla and sometimes I find that more of the surrounding paint is coming off rather than the filler. I am using the filler you make up (after finding the premixed stuff is impossible to sand).

Any tips on getting better results? I generally use a Stanley filling knife (can't remember the size) I've tried wetting it down to get a smother finish.

I do see that Easi-fill plaster seems to be raved about. Would it be better / easier to use this rather than Polyfilla?

As a novice I'm not expecting to get a professional finish but trying to avoid having something which looks like Stevie Wonder put the filler on.

Cheers.

 

[TheDec]

I think a couple of pics would be handy.

Dec

 

[misterhelpful]

Fine cracks in plaster can usually be sorted with a fine surface filler but you may need to widen them slightly to accept it. This can be done by running a stanley blade through them.
Once done, press the filler into the cracks and remove the excess with your filling knife. Allow to dry and then add another light skim, again removing the excess. Once this is dry you can do any necessary sanding to achieve a smooth finish.
Powdered or ready mixed fillers can be used for larger cracks and nail/screw head holes. Easifill is a brilliant product that sands really well and is far more forgiving than ready mixed fillers, especially if you are someone who is likely to overfill the damaged areas. Just mix up a little at a time, otherwise, if you have loads of small filling jobs that are likely to take a while, it could start setting before you've finished.
A tip to stop the nail/screw holes re-appearing is to tap the nailheads/screw the screws in a bit tighter before filling over them.

 

[TheDec]

Well I would still prefer to see a few pics.

Dec