I have knocked out a lot of loose plaster from my living room walls, down to brick/block in places. Eventually I intend getting a finishing skim over the whole room once all work is complete. What is the best material to use for patching these areas prior to skimming? Also, what preparation needs to be done to the original walls prior to getting another finishing plaster coat on them?
Preparation for skimming?
- Thread starter davecooper
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Hi, the best thing to repair the wall onto the brick is Hardwall or Browning, or you could put on a sand and cement scrach coat and render it. you would then finish off the walls with multi-finish. For the original walls/plaster if its sound give it a pva to seal it in, then when your ready ,pva again and skim onto it while its still wet and tacky. Its much better, if you patch a wall, then skim over the whole wall, gives a much better job.
If it's a low suction like dense concrete blocks and engineering brick work.
I would use bonding as your base coat.
If medium suction walls with common brick or breeze blocks, use browning as base coat.
The wall needs to be free from dirt, grease and dust.
Then you can apply your base coat about 10-12mm thick or level with your current plaster work if you are re-skimming all the walls and give it a slight key. Leave this to dry.
You can then plaster the walls with multi finish. If you doing the whole walls, you need to prime with PVA dilute solution 3 or 4 water-1 PVA.
It will need two coats, let the first coat dry, then apply the second, let that go tacky. You can then start on a two coat multi-finish skim.
I would use bonding as your base coat.
If medium suction walls with common brick or breeze blocks, use browning as base coat.
The wall needs to be free from dirt, grease and dust.
Then you can apply your base coat about 10-12mm thick or level with your current plaster work if you are re-skimming all the walls and give it a slight key. Leave this to dry.
You can then plaster the walls with multi finish. If you doing the whole walls, you need to prime with PVA dilute solution 3 or 4 water-1 PVA.
It will need two coats, let the first coat dry, then apply the second, let that go tacky. You can then start on a two coat multi-finish skim.
Once all the work and patching are done in the room, I will be getting a complete skim done by a professional, this is not a job I would ever pretend I could do. Is it likely that he would want to apply the PVA primer himself?
Sponsored Links
Wont do any harm you giving it a coat of pva 1st, the plasterer will still need to give it another coat before skimming.
Re preparing the walls for reskimming. In many areas, there is a satin emulsion coat left once the paper has been removed. Should I strip back to bare plaster or will this be ok to skim over if it is sound? If it needs to come off, what is the best way to do this?
If all the paper is off and the emulsion below is sound, it can be skimmed over with the correct prep. No need to go any further.
I think you're planning for a pro to skim, so I suggest you let them prep it also.
Diluted PVA alone may be sufficient, or it may require something more (WBA, neat PVA with Bonding to give a better physical key etc). If you let the pro prep, it covers you better if there are any problems after the skim.
Thanks for that. The paint seems pretty sound so will just give it a good wash. I am getting a pro to do all the plaster work so will let him do all the prep work.
I will also be patching over areas of original base coat. Is it a case of priming this along with the bare brick and block areas?
Yes, you will likely need diluted PVA first.
Putting undercoat plaster straight onto bare brick/original base coat will likely lead to cracking if you don't.
In some areas where I have taken the wallpaper off, it has left a clear coat on the plaster beneath. These are newer areas of plasterwork legacy of an extension about 20 years ago. The wallpaper came off these areas in whole sheets by hand so does not appear to have adhered very well to the walls. There is no paint under the paper so my question is, is this clear coat a size coat or is it wallpaper paste? I have been trying to wash it off in preparation for a re-skim. However, if I do not need to, it would save a lot of effort.
P
peaps
If you are goingto patcha wall then you also need to be aware that browning is no good for medium to high moisture areas... Bathrooms, kitchens and toilets etc Same goes for PVA.
You can patch with a mix of 50/50 plaster and sand. Fill the area and rule off, then let the patch go off alittle then remove a couple of mm then scratch the area. When dry skim. When you skim you need to keep the edge wet with a brush and trowel it in. This way you will not have to worry about paint and it is the correct way to patch, You will also find you will have no need to skim the whole wall. Patching if done right will not be visable after painting.
Tip:
You can rule off the skim with a clean wet stright edge, leave it take for about 5/10 mins then trowel but don't go too mad as you can hollow the patch area.
Rule of thumb is to replace what you have removed ie: Lime render, put lime render back etc.
You can patch with a mix of 50/50 plaster and sand. Fill the area and rule off, then let the patch go off alittle then remove a couple of mm then scratch the area. When dry skim. When you skim you need to keep the edge wet with a brush and trowel it in. This way you will not have to worry about paint and it is the correct way to patch, You will also find you will have no need to skim the whole wall. Patching if done right will not be visable after painting.
Tip:
You can rule off the skim with a clean wet stright edge, leave it take for about 5/10 mins then trowel but don't go too mad as you can hollow the patch area.
Rule of thumb is to replace what you have removed ie: Lime render, put lime render back etc.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
