Plastering Noob, do i take this on my self?

[Ritzuk]

Hi all,

So, last room to decorate in the house and I've saved the worse for last. Its a medium sized bedroom in a 120 year old house. Wallpaper was in a sorry state so i decided to rip it all off and see what lies beneath. I've had a guy come round to quote on plastering the whole room. I am trying to learn as many things as possible on my first home so before i call this guy in and spend £400 i wondered if this is something i could do my self. I've done some reading and the usual YouTubing but the issue i'm coming up against is that the room has about 4 different surfaces from what i can see and i'm not sure which surface requires which method, which type of plaster or if i'm being pedantic and some sort of one coat type of plaster can cover it all.

Any advice on the below would be gratefully received. If you think i'm being too ambitious and should just stump up the money to have the pro do it that is fine... numbers below refer to the pics in this album: http://imgur.com/a/4dL01

Bedroom1) Plasterboard (internal wall) - after taking off the paper i have a smooth shiny surface which seems to be in good condition.

Bedroom2 - Internal Wall again but this isn't plasterboard, more a grey hard sponge?

Bedroom3 - Looks like thin plaster over mortar. 75% of the wall in decent condition.

Bedroom4 - External wall and parts of other two walls. This just seems to be mainly rough plaster, quite porous and crumbly in places, damage here and there where old fittings have been attached.

I really do want to learn how to plaster but is this too complicated for a first timer?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

All the surfaces will require to have all wallpaper, loose unstable plaster and flaky paint, debris, tile adhesive and greasy products removed. The walls will also require to be primed prior to plaster application.
Some areas look like it would be best to do some minor repair work prior to over skim.
Don't use one coat as the finishing coat, use multi-finish instead.

£400.00 for quality job sounds fair.

 

[Ritzuk]

Thanks for the reply. £400 does sound fair i know but i'm keen to learn so would like to at least have a good idea of how to do it my self. When you say primed you mean PVA solution or undercoat Plaster? I see about 5 different undercoats at Wicks for different wall types and as i have plaster board, plastered painted wall and bare old crumbly plaster does that mean using different first coats on all the different surfaces before applying the multi-finish? Can you use the undercoat plaster to do the repair work as well?

 

[geraldthehamster]

I do most things myself, but always get a skilled trademan in for plastering. It's the kind of thing that is very easy to do poorly, through lack of experience. A good plasterer will be in and out in a day or two, and your job's done.

Cheers
Richard

 

[chappers]

the problem with plastering is you won't know if you've got the knack until you try and it's not really a trade you can just take your time with to get it right, the process has a time of it's own, maybe start with a small area and see if you can get the hang of it, but as Gerald says it's easy to get a poor finish.
That said unless you really cock it up you could always hack it off and get your guy in to go over it again

 

[geraldthehamster]

Even if you do it yourself and get it something like, that's still not the same as a really good job, and you'll be forever persuading yourself that it's good enough. I've just, happily, found another reliable plasterer, after the chap I used to go to retired, and the job he's just done for me is absolutely spot on - a pleasure to look at.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Ritzuk]

Ok, i'm convinced. I'll leave this one to the pros!

Thanks for the advice all....