Have I cocked up?

[mk2phil]

Hi,

I've just had the dwarf walls and house wall plastered in my new conservatory. It's the first time I've ever had any plastering work done as its our first place, and after looking on here I'm wondering if I've done something wrong.

I've been lightly filling any imperfections in the plaster as I'm not sure how effective the paint will be in masking them - mainly the areas around sockets. Once dried I've been sanding them down with 180 grit sandpaper so as not to gouge/mark the plaster - and it's lovely and smooth now like the rest of the plaster. I also gave the rest of the plaster a very light sand with the 180 so it's all ultra smooth - I though this would give the best finish when painted.

However, I haven't applied a 'mist coat' yet - is this a problem? To be honest, the only difference is that the walls are now smoother than they were when the plasterer had finished.

Thanks in advance

 

[cjam24]

Hi

There shouldn't be a problem ,however you shouldnt have to sand or fill anything on a newly plastered wall it should be flat and smooth.

 

[JohnD]

rather than sanding, you can use a broad metal scraper. If you do it before the filler is fully dry it will flat off easily and make little dust. It is also fast and takes little effort.

after you have given it a mist coat or perhaps a first coat, any blemishes will catch your eye more. I sometimes do the first coat in white supermatt for this purpose (also to equalise the colour of the wall) As a DIYer like me you have the luxury of time to correct these little blemishes. You will have to patch paint any later fillings

 

[roy c]

Don't let them "plasterers " do any more work for you!!!!! If they can't get the dwarf walls flat what would they be like on a ceiling or normal walls

 

[Richard C]

You should NEVER have to sand bare plaster; it’s really only a last resort for DIY efforts or when the cowboy’s have been about; & scraping is better than sanding! Sanding can also affect the grain &, when first painted, it can give an effect that looks a bit like brushing your fingers on suede the wrong way! Several coats of paint will cover it but you really shouldn’t be doing it!

 

[breezer]

i was watching a plaster a couple of weeks ago, he used a hose (very fine spray) to damp the plaster he had just done before he float trowled it again.

If it had been green and on legs you would have thought it was a snooker table, it was that perfect.

 

[mk2phil]

cheers boys. On reflection I reckon I'm just being too fussy and the paint would have covered anything I've looked at. Still, as JohnD says, its a bit of a luxury being a DIYer as you have the time to do it.

Thanks again