Plastering advice please

[Shaun-UK]

Hello I am about to plasterboard a stud wall and plaster it and I am after some advice. I have worked with Gyproc multifinish plaster to patch holes but not to skim a wall. The walls I will skim are in a hallway and possibly a bathroom (depending on what PB or tile back board I can get) that will be completly tiled over.

So do I need to do 1 coat or 2 coats of plaster?

Do I need to fill in indents where the screw heads are before plastering?

Can I plaster straight onto plasterboard or do I pva first?

And as far as I know the process goes:

build stud wall
screw in plasterboard
tape the joins
knock up plaster and apply a coat of 2-3mm
Give it 10 minutes and level out coat
give it a further 20 minutes and splash with water and polish

Now I am pretty new to this so please tell me if this is wrong. I have patched up bits before and all seems ok but a wall is a whole new boat

1 last question. All my patch up jobs have been left slightly bumpy. This has been rectified with a slight filler/sand. Is this just my polishing technique not up to scratch yet?

Thanks for any feedback, you guys have helped me heaps already

 

[brist]

Two coats of multi finish ,no need to pva .

 

[roy c]

quote....

1 last question. All my patch up jobs have been left slightly bumpy. This has been rectified with a slight filler/sand. Is this just my polishing technique not up to scratch yet?

If this is the case I dont think your ready to take on the hallway and bathroom yet!!! I would get yourself some plaster-board and have a practice on that and when you can get a good finish that doesn't need l
"filling" or "sanding" then you might be ready.....I dont mean to sound negative, but give yourself a bit of time to get it so your happy with your finish... Good Luck...

 

[NickB_99]

Think the advice from Roy is good.

No mega expert myself but after practice for a day or two on a course I could get a reasonable finish on walls & ceiling. I think the advantage of board as a flat starting point makes it easier!

I would advise making sure the board is the right way round when you build the stud wall. I believe the absorbency is different on each side so only 1 side should be plastered.
Also, I think I've seen a bit on this forum about 'tanking' to ensure water resistance behind wet areas e.g. tiles behind shower. Prob best check it out.

Good luck.

 

[Shaun-UK]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The slight bumps on my patch work are not bad at all, as in you cant see them but feel them if you run your hand over. The bits I had to filler are the edges of the old plaster againsts my new plaster so I shouldn't have that problem this time round. I just wondered if there was anything obvious I was doing wrong to the pro's.

I have a carpet going down in the hallway very soon so I haven't got time to practise much unfortunately. A late change of plan has left it too late. I am pretty confident and think I am ready to have a crack at the small wall. I wouldn't try a ceiling yet though

Thanks for the concern chaps, I pretty much don't have a choice now so any advice on my questions would be appreciated. I can also be certain that any attempts I have will be miles better than it is at the moment. You wouldn't believe how bad it is without photo's

Shaun.

 

[NickB_99]

The bits I had to filler are the edges of the old plaster againsts my new plaster so I shouldn't have that problem this time round. I just wondered if there was anything obvious I was doing wrong to the pro's.

Well, I'm not a pro, but in my opinion, would have suggested to avoid any unevenness between new to old plaster, there are may be two possibles: (a) reskim whole wall
(b) if (a) too big or daunting, you could skim beyond the join (e.g 20cm) and feather in to bring the level down to the old plaster. To feather in, wet the join where the height is different and when trowelling/polishing across it will reduce to a gradient level that will not be obvious. You just need to be careful you don't overdo trowelling from old to new and build up a ridge!

I have a carpet going down in the hallway very soon so I haven't got time to practise much unfortunately

No need to practice in the hall - could just screw some test p/board to some wood and go out in the back yard (weather permitting of course!)

Your process sounds fine. The only bit I would add there is rather than just splash water, I was taught to polish from the top of the wall and work my way all the way across. I brush water across on a strip (just bit bigger than trowel height) across a good distance and then trowelling across. This pushes the water and plaster 'slip' into an area you are still to polish which helps when you get to it. Also remember gravity is your friend and will help! Then go back to the start point and drop down a bit and repeat across until whole wall done.

Good luck

 

[pek]

Hey this is all good advice and I am learning too, as Shaun. Will be doing my first 'wall' this week sometime too. Bathroom with fresh dot and dab boards.

Thanks on a very informative site guys

Rich

 

[Richard C]

GUYS IF YOU’RE BOARDING OUT BATHROOMS & ESPECIALLY WET AREAS MAKE SURE YOU READ THE RECENT ARCHIVE POSTS BOTH IN HERE & IN THE TILING SECTION & THE TILING STICKY IF YOU WANT YOUR TILES TO STAY ON THE WALL!

Sorry for shouting but it can get a bit boring having to repeat it at least once a week! Come back with specifics if you need to.

Shaun; don’t attempt to skim tile backer board without checking the manufacturers fact sheet; some won’t take conventional plaster & if your tiling over it, you don’t need to skim anyway. When patching into existing plaster can be difficult to achieve a smooth transition. It’s not impossible but, depending on the size of wall, even I prefer to level to the surrounding area & then skim the entire wall; it doesn’t take much more effort & will guarantee a perfect finish. Don’t use any water on the plaster until final trowelling up or you’re likely to end up with pools of mushy powder that will never set; I use a 1 litre kitchen spray bottle & one fill up will last me an entire room! & don't over polish it or the paint will never stick properly, it shouldn’t look like glass!

 

[Shaun-UK]

Shaun; don’t attempt to skim tile backer board without checking the manufacturers fact sheet;

No no this post is intended for advice on the hallway side. For the bathroom side I have put up moisture resistant plasterboard that I intend on tanking and then just tile staright on with a decent trade adhesive/grout.

I looked into tile backer board and the price was just too much. Though I would have bit the bullet and paid up if the wall was the shower/taps end of the bathroom.

Thanks guys for all the tips

P.S By the way pek, let us know how you get on with your first wall