pro advise needed

[sheldon1982]

i have just been to a flat that is being renovated to an OK standard. they have shown me the plastering/patching up work that needs doing and the walls are in a right mess, there is polyfiller everywhere that has just been painted over i have only done a few small jobs that went well but this is much bigger, the bathroom has holes in the walls and ceiling and needs some hardwall where the holes up the wall( i have never used backing plaster before and dont know what to expect. they said it doesn't have to be perfect but i dont want to be known as a cowboy. am i bitting of more than i can chew, should i walk away from this or take it on and see how i get on. panicking a bit

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

That really depends on how confident you are of doing it,
does not sound too difficult of a job, but if you have never done that type of work before it could be.
We all start somewhere and could well be a learning curve for you, if you explain to the customer this is not the sort of work you are used to, but are willing to give it a go and charge accordingly. You could both be on a winner, I am sure you have the ability to plaster patch, if you can skim finish.

 

[sheldon1982]

What is the best thing to fill the holes with. Is patching plaster any good. Plus do I pva the blocks before applying hardwall. Never applied hardwall before any advise appreciated

 

[Richard C]

By choice, I do this type of renovation work all the time but it’s very important you can spot & take care of whatever problems exist with the brick/block work base; blown plaster & substantial cracks are common; if you don’t repair it properly, they will just re-appear in the newly finished wall. Your customer needs to be aware of what problems they have, your recommendation of what you should do, how much it will cost (which is likely to be substantially more than a quick skim) & what the likely consequences are if you don’t; it’s then their decision. If they ask you to go ahead regardless, the decision is yours but there is always a risk that you will still get blamed for a crap result with consequential damage to your reputation; personally if they don’t want to go with what I recommend, I find I can’t fit the job in.

I would not go near patching or one coat plaster; I tend to use sand/cement (sometimes with lime) render or Bonding for base coat repairs, depending on what’s there already & local circumstances; but, sometimes, (wash my mouth) dot/dab/skim on new boards can be the most effective solution. Getting render to stick can be difficult if you’re inexperienced & Bonding plaster needs good prep & care on high suction backgrounds; I tend to save Hardwall for new block walls. When you come to skim over patch work backgrounds, they will give varying absorbtion rates meaning the skim won’t all go off at the same rate which you will need to be aware & take account of to avoid lumps & rippling.

As PDB said, if you want to progress, you have to start somewhere but I would advise you do some serious boning up first & the forum archive is as good a place as any, then it’s your call. Personally I love this sort of work & much prefer it to skimming boards which I find a bit boring now.