Multi-coat, prepare 1st coat before applying the second?

[00db]

So.. Ive watched the Plastering DVD I bought off eBAY (dear god I hear you say..) It tells me to follow a 6 stage process..

1. Apply first coat of Multi-Coat Plaster
2. Apply second coat of Multi-Coat Plaster
3. Dry Trowel
4. Wet Trowel
5. Wet Trowel
6. Dry Trowel

I have plastered onto a mixed surface of old plaster, new bonding plaster and painted wall. So I PVA'd the wall first. unfortunately I didn't let it dry enough and the 1st coat went off at different times. So I left it to dry overnight.

Now I am ready to apply the second coat, I am wondering if I need to PVA it before applying the second coat?

Also, the DVD makes no mention of times between stages. As a rough estimate, how long should you leave between stages?

 

[kingandy2nd]

Hello from ebay DVD trained plasterer to another!

I would PVA the whole wall and leave it to dry completely, then PVA again just before doing another skim.

As for the time to wait, there’s no specific time. It will vary with the conditions and the background. Generally you should wait for the plaster to start to go off (get firm) – finger the plaster gently and when it doesn’t sick to your finger then it’s ready to go.

For me, being an amateur plasterer, as soon as I’ve got to the end of the wall with the first coat, the area I started from is ready for the second coat.

 

[00db]

great, thanks for the tips!

i read somewhere that a professional plasterer can almost plaster a wall with the carpet still down. im having trouble keeping the plaster from splatting on the floor in a 3 ft radius..! definately the right consistancy, im just not very good at transfering from the hawk to the trowel. practise makes perfect I suppose!

 

[kingandy2nd]

No carpets would survive my plastering efforts either! Although I don’t drop much plaster, I find it’s when I’m flicking water onto the wall for the first wet trowel which causes the mess.

When I started plastering, I was shovelling a load of plaster straight out of the bucket onto my hawk and then doing the plastering. Often I lost loads of plaster off the side of the hawk before even reaching the wall!

Then I bought myself a plastering stand off ebay and cut a bit of MDF to the right size to put on it.

Now I find that only taking as much plaster onto my hawk as I’m going to apply in one go with the trowel keeps the mess down, but also because all the plaster is on the stand/board it’s much quicker than having to stop continually and shovel plaster directly onto the hawk.

 

[diyisfree]

Second coat should be applied while the first coat is still wet The purpose of this is to give a final troweling coat in order to achieve a nice flat blemish free finish.

 

[00db]

hi. how wet exactly? is there a way to test or an approximate amount of time to wait?

 

[diyisfree]

What i mean is that the first coat is firm enough to accept the second coat without dragging it of.

Usually by the time you have skimmed all the walls in a typical size room, its time to lay on the second coat starting with the first wall you plastered. I would say about 20 to 30 mins after first coat but it all depends on conditions and how fast the first coat goes off.

All comes down to experience I'm affraid If you are plastering all day everyday you get to know when its time to do the next stage.

 

[00db]

thats helpful thanks, I will try leaving it for 20 mins or so and give it a go! the walls are all behind kitchen cupboards anyway, so i can't make that much of a mess of it! the one wall thats exposed I am doing last once I have mastered it! (hopefully!)

 

[andy2306]

What i mean is that the first coat is firm enough to accept the second coat without dragging it of.

Usually by the time you have skimmed all the walls in a typical size room, its time to lay on the second coat starting with the first wall you plastered. I would say about 20 to 30 mins after first coat but it all depends on conditions and how fast the first coat goes off.

All comes down to experience I'm affraid If you are plastering all day everyday you get to know when its time to do the next stage.

Are you saying you can lay plaster on a typical room in 20 minutes? on all 5 walls? id like to see that!!! you can come to my house, charge me a days labour and replaster the lot, ill provide materials!!!

 

[dave1953]

Hi Kingandy2nd,
Tip: Do'nt throw water over the walls with a brush, use either a hand held spray gun or a bigger garden sprayer, it's a lot more controlable, loads of different criteria as to plaster starting to go but as the darker spots appear it's ready for final trowelling but you can't hang about

 

[skinters]

just started using a spray bottle,i get the **** taken out of me coz it says dettol on the side haha. the difference with using a spray is you dont apply dirty water back on the wall like you would a brush.

 

[noseall]

a brush is far more versatile than a spray bottle can ever be.

 

[roughcaster]

a brush is far more versatile than a spray bottle can ever be.

Spot on mucker. Countless generations of plasterers have used the waterbrush,,,,, and it's not a problem putting clean water into a bucket for trowling up either.

Roughcaster.

 

[skinters]

a brush is far more versatile than a spray bottle can ever be.

would you care to elaborate on that absurd assumption

i still use a brush for corners,ceiling lines etc,also for cleaning the fat of your trowel. a mate of mine uses a brush always has. do you use the brush to flick water on the wall ? i know some who brush the wall with a bit of water when troweling .i havestarted to use a hose for cleaning the trowel most houses got a outside tap setup,find it a lot quicker and stops build up on the trowel .

 

[noseall]

the water in the bucket is no less concentrated with plaster products as the wall it is being flicked onto.