Preparing cables and back boxes for plasterer

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

We have plasterers coming in to do the whole of pur downstairs in a few weeks. We've never used the guys before but they were working down the road so I got a chance to see their work and they gave me a good price. They seem like pretty experienced pros.

With this in mind, I've taken the opportunity to chase out the walls for speaker cables and they are terminated in architrave back boxes front and back and a double back box for the main wall plate.

What is the best way of protecting my cables and the back boxes from the plaster? The back box holes aren't the neatest so I want them to be able to plaster right up to the edges so I have nice neat sockets.

Also, what should I do about any mounting holes/rawl plugs that I don't want to lose? Things like my speaker wall mounting plates and the surface mounted BT socket. I'd rather not have to drill them again, drilling into these walls is a nightmare (soft crumbly plaster with hard bricks). Can I stick matchsticks in them so they don't get lost or will that make things difficult for them?

Finally, could somebody reassure me of how easy it is for a decent plasterer to deal with lots of missing plaster as loads of it was blown around the bottom of the walls and as a result of removing skirting board and channeling out for cables we have lost some pretty big chunks. I spoke to the plasterer who said its not a problem that bonding can't solve. I assume they should be trying to take off as much loose stuff as possible before making good and doing the skim coat?

Here's an example:

Untitled

• TheCyclingProgrammer
• 14 Apr 2015
• 1

Untitled

• TheCyclingProgrammer
• 14 Apr 2015
• 1

 

[noseall]

What is the best way of protecting my cables and the back boxes from the plaster? The back box holes aren't the neatest so I want them to be able to plaster right up to the edges so I have nice neat sockets.

You can't really. Plastering is not an exact science and will result in some material finding its way into the box. Best to carefully remove it after the plaster has set. Some spreads are more careful than others. Some spreads even clean out their boxes but this is rare.

Also, what should I do about any mounting holes/rawl plugs that I don't want to lose? Things like my speaker wall mounting plates and the surface mounted BT socket. I'd rather not have to drill them again, drilling into these walls is a nightmare (soft crumbly plaster with hard bricks). Can I stick matchsticks in them so they don't get lost or will that make things difficult for them?

Matchsticks won't last ten seconds. Put some screws back in and make sure you tell the plasterers. It will make the job more difficult and may result in a poorer finish around the screws. They won't be happy about this and they also run the risk of snicking their well worn Marshalltown on those pesky screws.

Finally, could somebody reassure me of how easy it is for a decent plasterer to deal with lots of missing plaster as loads of it was blown around the bottom of the walls and as a result of removing skirting board and channeling out for cables we have lost some pretty big chunks. I spoke to the plasterer who said its not a problem that bonding can't solve. I assume they should be trying to take off as much loose stuff as possible before making good and doing the skim coat?

The plasterers will deal with missing plaster with ease. However, they will only likely deal with the missing plaster and not necessarily go around your house searching for loose bits. That bit is up to you.