Afternoon all,
For anyone thinking about completing a plastering course, despite what some people may tell you, it's well worth a shot.
OK, so you shouldn't expect to become a world class plasterer overnight, or even in just a few months. It takes time to practice what you've learnt and it also takes a long time to learn other aspects of the trade but you gotta start somewhere.
Once you've completed the course you need to practice. And by practice I mean constantly. Start by practicing on an easy background - plasterboard. As you get more confident and become faster, increase the size of the area on which you practice. Once you've mastered it you will need to practice on different backgrounds, plain fresh bonding / browning / hardwall, existing painted plaster, textured ceilings etc. You could offer to do some work for friends and family for free, or for just the cost of materials.
Once you're confident with that, you can then start taking on small paid jobs. Only take on what you can handle though. If you don't think you can manage a particular job then turn it down in one way or another (although I have always found honesty to be the best policy).
I did an intensive plastering course myself. It was only a week long thing but I had the benefit of having plastererd before, although only smallish areas and in my own time with the knowlege that if I cocked it up I could simply re-do it. I decided to do the course because I was unhappy in my job and wanted to try something else so I figured I'd go for plastering and thought the course would teach me some additional techniques and enable me to plaster faster. It did. I'm still not the fastest and I'm still not the best but hey, it takes time and I'm doing pretty well.
Here are some pictures of a recent job I did. A living room, stairway and landing (no pictures of the landing). The plastering took me three and a half days and the finish is pretty good. I say pretty good rather than damn good because there are on or two little bits on a couple of the walls where I have left a slight hollow and didn't see it in time to fill it. However, I will be going back to fill these little bits, free of charge, once the mist coat has gone on.
I went there today because the customer had asked me to do more work because he was so pleased with the work I'd already carried out.
So, like I say, to anyone anting to do a course, go for it. Don't be put off by those who say you can't possibly be a plasterer and that you're nothing but a cowboy if you try to pass youself off as a plasterer after doing such a course. For a start, cowboys are not honest with their customers - I am, I will happily tell people I've only been plastering for a few months. Cowboys also don't do a job as good as the one you see below. Finally, cowboys don't get repeat work or work through word of mouth. I have had both.
Regards
Fred
For anyone thinking about completing a plastering course, despite what some people may tell you, it's well worth a shot.
OK, so you shouldn't expect to become a world class plasterer overnight, or even in just a few months. It takes time to practice what you've learnt and it also takes a long time to learn other aspects of the trade but you gotta start somewhere.
Once you've completed the course you need to practice. And by practice I mean constantly. Start by practicing on an easy background - plasterboard. As you get more confident and become faster, increase the size of the area on which you practice. Once you've mastered it you will need to practice on different backgrounds, plain fresh bonding / browning / hardwall, existing painted plaster, textured ceilings etc. You could offer to do some work for friends and family for free, or for just the cost of materials.
Once you're confident with that, you can then start taking on small paid jobs. Only take on what you can handle though. If you don't think you can manage a particular job then turn it down in one way or another (although I have always found honesty to be the best policy).
I did an intensive plastering course myself. It was only a week long thing but I had the benefit of having plastererd before, although only smallish areas and in my own time with the knowlege that if I cocked it up I could simply re-do it. I decided to do the course because I was unhappy in my job and wanted to try something else so I figured I'd go for plastering and thought the course would teach me some additional techniques and enable me to plaster faster. It did. I'm still not the fastest and I'm still not the best but hey, it takes time and I'm doing pretty well.
Here are some pictures of a recent job I did. A living room, stairway and landing (no pictures of the landing). The plastering took me three and a half days and the finish is pretty good. I say pretty good rather than damn good because there are on or two little bits on a couple of the walls where I have left a slight hollow and didn't see it in time to fill it. However, I will be going back to fill these little bits, free of charge, once the mist coat has gone on.
I went there today because the customer had asked me to do more work because he was so pleased with the work I'd already carried out.
So, like I say, to anyone anting to do a course, go for it. Don't be put off by those who say you can't possibly be a plasterer and that you're nothing but a cowboy if you try to pass youself off as a plasterer after doing such a course. For a start, cowboys are not honest with their customers - I am, I will happily tell people I've only been plastering for a few months. Cowboys also don't do a job as good as the one you see below. Finally, cowboys don't get repeat work or work through word of mouth. I have had both.
Regards
Fred
