Please help! plastered over artex ceiling.

[gam]

I have just plastered over a artexed ceiling, i PVA'd it twice and then plastered it it looked fine when i left it but now it has dryed then a low points and some holes.

Can anybody please tell me what i did wrong and what to do next time to get a better finish.

Many thanks in advance

Gareth

 

[roughcaster]

Hi,
Welcome.I don't think anybody could tell you what you have done wrong while plastering your ceiling with just the info you have given.You say you PVA'd it twice and then plastered it.When you left it ,everything looked fine,and now it has dried,there are low points and some holes.Sounds to me with all due respect,that maybe it is inexperience that is the problem,and the only way you will get a better finish is to keep trying as often as you can.

Roughcaster.

 

[makitaman]

Did you put 2 coats of plaster on? May explain the holes you mentioned.

 

[Richard C]

It’s almost certainly down to inexperience; you don’t say how much plastering you’ve done up till now but before attempting a ceiling, let alone one covered in Artex, you should be confident you’ve mastered the basics first or the result is always going to be less than satisfactory. Watching someone work (or even a training video) & asking questions can help you avoid making the classic mistakes but achieving a high standard takes a great deal of practice & experience, usually measured in years.

Without seeing your efforts it’s impossible to say what went wrong; probably a combination of several factors but mostly, I suspect, poor technique. Any flaws will also be more noticeable once it’s all dried out! I’ve been plastering for 3 years now & although I’m not up to the speed some can work at (I'm no spring chicken!), the finished results I achieve are as good as anyone’s; but ceiling’s still make me a little nervous & are not for the inexperienced.

 

[gam]

Thanks for that guys,

I am a Painter and decorator/Tiler, and i have just completed a plastering course, these ceiling are a friends but really wanted to make a good job of it,

Method I used,

I took the edges off the thick artex and then used PVA with a 1 to 1 mix, i waited for this to dry then applied another coat, while this was on i mixed my plaster and started fro the corner furthest away from the window,

I then started to pull the plaster out it was fairly dry but not dried out,

i then waited started my second coat in the other direction from the first trying to fill out the low spots,

I then wet trowel with spray water and then dry troweled,

I have only just started and understand practice helps, i am now going to do my own bedrooms and ceilings,

Any tips and methods to help would be so appreciated.

Many thanks for your time.

Gareth

 

[roughcaster]

Thanks for the update Gareth,
I think you more or less know the basics of plastering,so it really is practice as often as possible,and each job you do should be better than the previous one.One thing I would say is,don't get pva mixed into your finish as you put it on,that can cause it to drag.Try it out,if you pour some pva into a little multi-finish or bonding coat,it will tighten it up and will not spread the same,but drag.

Roughcaster.