The time has come for some advice. I have seen people plasterering on TV. Tommy Walsh makes it look so easy. I need a bedroom skimming. I am thinking about having a go myself, I mean, how hard can it be??? But I would need to buy the tools etc. Is it worth me having a go? Or should I just call a man that can? I'm in Doncaster, and need a room about 4m x 4m skimming (and the base is not very even in places). How long would it take a pro? And what sort of cost are we looking at?
Plastering
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
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crafty1289 said:
It’s not something you can pick up that easily, it’s a bit of a cross between skill & black art! You need to either watch & ask loads of questions (as I did) or get hold of one of those videos you can buy. Inevitably, some will take to it like fish to water & if you’re good with your hands & have an understanding how the various materials behave you may stand a chance. But it’s likely to be one of the most difficult things your ever likely to attempt & like most skills, practice makes perfect so your first attempts will need remedial work!
Frankly if you’ve only got one room I would seriously consider getting a pro in but be careful, small jobs tend to attract those still learning so even some of these guys are not very good. A builder doing a new, small extension for me had 2 different plasterers in & I had to get rid of both of them after seeing their efforts on 1 wall; eventually he offered me a full refund + extra for the plastering element of the work & I added that to my list of DIY jobs. Plaster is only around £3.50 a bag so material costs are nothing compared to the labour; plastering is a skill that doesn’t come easy or cheap - £130 - £160/day; & to skim a room that size would take me 2 very full days on my own; a good pro could probably do it in a day but would almost certainly have a laborer to knock up so that’s another £100+ per day.
The plaster in my old rural property is a disaster along with some of the most gruesome Artex work you’ve ever seen. Due to budget restrictions, it had to be DIY for me but I can turn my hand to anything & seemed to have a knack for it from the start. I am now at the stage where I can confidently go at it but I still get the jitters before I start. I’ve completed the walls in 5 rooms now & have just done my first new ceiling (even harder!). It’s very satisfying when you see the finished result but it’s bl**dy hard work!
Crafty,
You replied to one of my posts regarding the Jacuzi bath
Are you a spark ? If you are i will do you a deal.
You come and wire up my bath and while you are doing that, I will be at yours skimming your walls. Will be able to see your reflection in them mate
Hope that doesnt break RULE 9 No ones asking for money
You replied to one of my posts regarding the Jacuzi bath
Are you a spark ? If you are i will do you a deal. You come and wire up my bath and while you are doing that, I will be at yours skimming your walls. Will be able to see your reflection in them mate
Hope that doesnt break RULE 9
No ones asking for money Sponsored Links
Oh well
Was worth a try. Good luck with the plastering. from the dimensions you gave it's roughly a days work
2 if you DIY. Do apposing walls one day then the others the following. That way you wont struggle with your corners.
"Sigh" Looks like im going to have to open my wallet
Was worth a try. Good luck with the plastering. from the dimensions you gave it's roughly a days work
2 if you DIY. Do apposing walls one day then the others the following. That way you wont struggle with your corners.
"Sigh" Looks like im going to have to open my wallet
My thoughts exactly.
So any sparks need a room palstering in exchange for wiring in a Jacuzi bath please dont hesitate to contact me
So any sparks need a room palstering in exchange for wiring in a Jacuzi bath please dont hesitate to contact me
I am an electrician by trade,,, but I have built a extention at my house. I took to brick laying very quickly, Rendering was not too bad, But plastering " I got an expert in " I did have a go myself but it looked very DIY ish...
Don't bother get some one in...
I hope that helps
Martin
Don't bother get some one in...
I hope that helps
Martin
martinsfhb,
Did you dryline your extension then skim over?
Did you dryline your extension then skim over?
Go for it ! Crafty, that's what i say.
Worst case scenario, you've wasted £20 on plaster and a cheap trowel and hawk, and made one 'ell of a mess. You can always call in the pros to tidy it up, if your finish isn't as good as you hoped.
This pretty much how I started, I plastered two rooms in my house, they turned out ok, but this inspired me to do an intensive course, which was not only very informative but great fun too. I might re-do those two rooms one day, because to be honest they look pretty rough to me now,but then again I quite like the rustic look, and reminds me how far I've come.
Good luck.
Worst case scenario, you've wasted £20 on plaster and a cheap trowel and hawk, and made one 'ell of a mess. You can always call in the pros to tidy it up, if your finish isn't as good as you hoped.
This pretty much how I started, I plastered two rooms in my house, they turned out ok, but this inspired me to do an intensive course, which was not only very informative but great fun too. I might re-do those two rooms one day, because to be honest they look pretty rough to me now,but then again I quite like the rustic look, and reminds me how far I've come.
Good luck.
I'm a plasterer and belive me you dont want to be skimming out a room that you want to live with if youve not done it before. You might just get away with the walls (spanish villa effect) but You'll get into a right mess with the ceiling. My advise to you mate is save yourself a lot of time and potentialy wasted effort and get the pro's in. It looks easy watching a plasterer slapping it on, but that only comes with time. If you go for it my advise is to you is PVA or use Gyproc bondit(recommended) all the walls if you are skimming over existing plaster. If you are skimming on board, scrim all the joints and angles. Plaster the ceiling first (you can scrape all you dropped plaster off the walls before you skim them). Skim the walls one at a time, dont be a hero and tackle more than one. spread one even coat 2-3mm, leave for five minutes and give it a flattener (take out all those major ridges you made with your troul putting it on dont try and make it look like a mill pond at this stage), leave for 15 mins to let it set slightly (if you try to put on you second coat on too early you'll be dragging off your first. Now lay it down with another coat not as thick as the first (don't worry too much about marks and little holes). Now leave the wall and have a cup of tea (dont fall asleep but if you try to make it flat before its had time to set more you'll just be scrapping it off rather than making it flat. As it is setting harder use a plant squirter and mist water onto the wall it will make your troul glide. When plastering walls always start in the top left hand corner and work across (don't keep going back to get that little bit that isn't quite flat you can get that on your next pass). If you havent plastered before always use Gyproc Multifinish wether you overskimming or skimming boards(it will give you more time than gyproc thistle) Dont panic or you'll loose it, be methodical, and keep your tools clean. Good luck matey.
May as well try it yourself I say
I've had 3 plasteres say they are coming out to price up my house in Chelmsford, the first two didn't show at all, no phone call, nothing
We'll see if no. 3 shows tonight
I work in publishing, to behave so unprofessionally would be criminal
Fills me with dread for when someone actually starts the work
I've had 3 plasteres say they are coming out to price up my house in Chelmsford, the first two didn't show at all, no phone call, nothing
We'll see if no. 3 shows tonight
I work in publishing, to behave so unprofessionally would be criminal
Fills me with dread for when someone actually starts the work
BOBAFETT said:
Spot on advice & a great detail description too boot; watching someone who knows exactly what’s going is an experience & a joy, I’m merely an amateur trying but getting there slowly!
It's just so time critical that it still racks my nerves something terrible but you’re absolutely right, the mistake everyone makes is trying to get it flat & looking good too early on! Only advice I would add if you’re an amateur is to PVA everything in sight just to be safe & don’t use that plant squirter too much; once it's gone beyond the point of no return it wont help; just resign yourself to a little remedial work the next day once it's gone off.
I'm seriously considering doing one of these 5 or 10 day intensive plastering courses, has anyone on here done one? i would be interested to know if they are any good. I know it all depends on the individual.
As someone on here said, some people take to it better than others.
I have tried it a few times repairs etc. but large areas i'm not very good at, and would love to learn the skill, not to make a living out it but to be able to work on my own house as there is a lot to do.
I've got a lot of respect for good plasterers, their worth their weight in gold, but have also come across some right dodgy ones.
As someone on here said, some people take to it better than others.
I have tried it a few times repairs etc. but large areas i'm not very good at, and would love to learn the skill, not to make a living out it but to be able to work on my own house as there is a lot to do.
I've got a lot of respect for good plasterers, their worth their weight in gold, but have also come across some right dodgy ones.
ronnieboy said:
I went on a 5 day bricklaying course (which was excellent). They also had a Plastering course running at the same time so I had a look at the work the guys were doing. It was very good and most had never done it before. They (the students) recommended I take the course when ready.
This is who I went with.
http://www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/
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