Plaster not gone off right

[gcol]

I needed to patch plaster the bathroom wall where i'd removed tiles - it was down to the brick in places. I wasn't sure what plaster to use so i got a bag of browning. i didn't see the need to apply a finish coat as i was going to put tiles back on. But, the plaster has dried very powdery and hasn't hardened properly. it's crumbly and dusty. i don't know what happened - i mixed it well (just to whipped cream consistency).

My mate's a plasterer and he said he's never had that and he suggested I use "bonding" instead as he reckons browning is "sh**e".

Any ideas as to what went wrong?

Thanks,
Gcol

 

[jbonding]

it sounds like there was too much suction in the background, did you soak the background?did you you rub it up with a float afterwards, browning doesnt really set that hard.

 

[burkey]

you should have used hardwall or bonding and soaked the wall prior to 1st coat, perhaps add a little pva to the water

 

[gcol]

I pulled the dodgy plaster off and got my mate to come round and sort it. 2 coats of PVA then 2 layers of bonding. He uses a little drywall adhesive in the mix too.
He reckons it went wrong because:
1. I only applied one (thick) layer
2. I used browning instead of bonding
3. I tried to rub it up whilst it was still wet.

Oh well, we live and learn!
Thanks for the replies.
Gcol