skimming living room

[scob]

Hello

I'm thinking of skimming my living room. I have previously painted the room but it doesn't hide the poor plastering finish. Above the fire place appears to be some hair line marks and the plaster feels loose in places. I can't remove the radiators. Thought about using a pipe trowel.

I've been doing plastering at college this year, I'm not bad but never done a room before. Thought my own living room would be a good place to start. Can anybody give us any advice?

 

[Richard C]

First have a good read thorough the forum archive posts, there are several “where do I start” type threads which give details of remedial work, materials & prep. which I won’t try & replicate here; by all means come back with specific questions.

If the plaster’s blown above the fire & on the chimney breast in general, then it’ll have to come off. The mistake that is usually made is to use Gypsum plaster around a fire during renovation but it won’t stand heat much above 50 degrees & will inevitably crack & blow off the wall.

 

[scob]

First have a good read thorough the forum archive posts, there are several “where do I start” type threads which give details of remedial work, materials & prep. which I won’t try & replicate here; by all means come back with specific questions.

If the plaster’s blown above the fire & on the chimney breast in general, then it’ll have to come off. The mistake that is usually made is to use Gypsum plaster around a fire during renovation but it won’t stand heat much above 50 degrees & will inevitably crack & blow off the wall.

The plaster is loose around and above the gas fire. I remember you saying something about some inexperienced plasterers using normal plaster around high heat areas. When I stripped the wall paper off the old electrical socket holes where covered in electrical tape, not very good really.Thanks richard

 

[Micilin]

Folowing on Richard's advice - if you are not rushed for time, then don't worry about it being a full room - it's just one ceiling and a few walls.

You can take one bit at a time, and make a nice job of each , improving as you go.

Good Luck!

 

[Seasider53]

Hi Scob,

I did a college course just before Xmas and was a bit overrawed at first but I'd say get stuck in!

Just remember all you were taught and take it from there. These guys on the forum are great for answering any questions.

I've done about 10 jobs for friends & family now and you'll be amazed at how much you learn from your own inevitable mistakes but it's a good learning curve and it's a lot to do with confidence.

Good luck!

Matt

 

[scob]

Hi Scob,

I did a college course just before Xmas and was a bit overrawed at first but I'd say get stuck in!

Just remember all you were taught and take it from there. These guys on the forum are great for answering any questions.

I've done about 10 jobs for friends & family now and you'll be amazed at how much you learn from your own inevitable mistakes but it's a good learning curve and it's a lot to do with confidence.

Good luck!

Matt

Thanks matt/Micilin. I suppose you got to make mistakes to learn. I bet you learn when its costing you money.

Did you do a college course or was it with a private company, matt, if you don't mind me asking. What did you cover (besides walls and plasterboard.) Mark

 

[1john]

You can do it, just make sure you are fully prepared and properly prepped, I watched people and then tried and i can skim to a reasonable standard (it is not 100% perfect but is as good as most plastering i have seen which people have paid for so I am happy with it) and with advice from here have learn alot of neat little tricks and about what backing plasters to use where, read through the forum, if you are interested in plastering you will find it very useful.

I think the best tip I can give you to start with apart prom preperation and being fully prepared is to ensure that whatever you are plastering is as flat, plumb and true as possible before you skim it, there are loads of products and methods of acheiving this but for ease I think bonding is a good starter if it is suitable for the background and if there is no damp, I find bonding a pleasure to work with.

Remember, if you ain't happy with it you can PVA it once it has dried and have a second crack at it

Oooh, and for larger ceiling I find it useful to have a mate, he can run about after you, clean the mixing tools and load you up as you go too so you are purely getting the muck on as soon as it is mixed.

 

[Seasider53]

It was a college course Mark (12 weeks) cost £295 and worth every penny. It was just walls & plasterboard but they showed you about suction,different backgrounds & different types of plaster etc. A good introduction.

Best thing I did was to knock up a practice plasterboard wall & ceiling in the garage. Did about 4 wall skims & 3 ceiling ones before going for real. If you can do that I'd recommend that idea! [/quote]

 

[Micilin]

Yes, practice is the key. Be honest with yourself - critical , but not overly so. Give yourself a pat on tee back when needed! Don't be afraid to give it a go and make mistakes, there's no one that made anything worthwhile that didn't make a mistake.

I firmly believe that in any walk of life, attitude is the key - (you need ability, luck and motivation to make it)

 

[scob]

[quote=".Best thing I did was to knock up a practice plasterboard wall & ceiling in the garage. Did about 4 wall skims & 3 ceiling ones before going for real. If you can do that I'd recommend that idea! [/quote][/quote]

Good idea. I've got a couple of frames and was thinking of nailing a couple of pallets together. Then I could get an angle then.