Evening all,
I've had a nightmare on my last two jobs.
The job earlier in the week was the worst. Walls in room covered in what can only be an oil based paint. The reason I say this is becaue I've skimmed silk and eggshell emulsioned walls without problem on more than my fair share of occasions albeit with a bit of a longr drying time. This week though I knew I was in trouble when the PVA just wouldn't dry. Seriously, I PVA'd the room and went off to do another room. Returned to freshly PVA'd room six hours later to find PVA still wet in places!
Quickly threw on a stronger coat as I figured that there's no way I could do this the next morning and skim anytime within 4 or 5 hours.
So next day turned up and PVA was dry. Yes, I know you should skim when tacky but there was no way I was gonna stick more PVA on and wait for most of the day for it to go tacky. Besides, I figured the water in the plaster would re-activate the tackyness of the PVA.
So, started spreading, finished first coat on one wall and moved across room to do first coat on another wall. Looked back and was horrified to see my wall was like a womans legs - all full of cellulite. The first coat had slumped down the wall, so much so that in places there were horizontal cracks / splits in the plaster.
Tried re-working the plaster but it just pushed around the wall. In the end I just had to carry on with the other wall and leave both to more or less go off fully before doing the second coat and finishing. Finish was OK in the end.
What a ballache it was though. I've got mates who would normally give it all a good scratch with a nailed poly float to key it but in my experience this does nothing other than cause blisters in the skim as moisture gets beneath the paint as you're skimming.
Don't know what I was thinking to be honest. On the odd accasion I've come across such a surface in the past where I've thought there'd be a problem with the key I've used Bond It or Wickes Bonding Agent bu on this occasion I dodn't have any and thought I'd see what happened. Well what happened was extra work so don't do it.
Then, my last job of the week the same thing happens. Better surface though. Seemed more porous, PVA went tacky reasonably quickly, first coat on, cellulite! Aaaaarrrrggghhh!
Guess I'm just off form this week. In the years I've been plastering I've never made such mistakes and errors of judgement. We've all done it. What's the worst you've done?
Bizarre.
I've had a nightmare on my last two jobs.
The job earlier in the week was the worst. Walls in room covered in what can only be an oil based paint. The reason I say this is becaue I've skimmed silk and eggshell emulsioned walls without problem on more than my fair share of occasions albeit with a bit of a longr drying time. This week though I knew I was in trouble when the PVA just wouldn't dry. Seriously, I PVA'd the room and went off to do another room. Returned to freshly PVA'd room six hours later to find PVA still wet in places!
Quickly threw on a stronger coat as I figured that there's no way I could do this the next morning and skim anytime within 4 or 5 hours.
So next day turned up and PVA was dry. Yes, I know you should skim when tacky but there was no way I was gonna stick more PVA on and wait for most of the day for it to go tacky. Besides, I figured the water in the plaster would re-activate the tackyness of the PVA.
So, started spreading, finished first coat on one wall and moved across room to do first coat on another wall. Looked back and was horrified to see my wall was like a womans legs - all full of cellulite. The first coat had slumped down the wall, so much so that in places there were horizontal cracks / splits in the plaster.
Tried re-working the plaster but it just pushed around the wall. In the end I just had to carry on with the other wall and leave both to more or less go off fully before doing the second coat and finishing. Finish was OK in the end.
What a ballache it was though. I've got mates who would normally give it all a good scratch with a nailed poly float to key it but in my experience this does nothing other than cause blisters in the skim as moisture gets beneath the paint as you're skimming.
Don't know what I was thinking to be honest. On the odd accasion I've come across such a surface in the past where I've thought there'd be a problem with the key I've used Bond It or Wickes Bonding Agent bu on this occasion I dodn't have any and thought I'd see what happened. Well what happened was extra work so don't do it.
Then, my last job of the week the same thing happens. Better surface though. Seemed more porous, PVA went tacky reasonably quickly, first coat on, cellulite! Aaaaarrrrggghhh!
Guess I'm just off form this week. In the years I've been plastering I've never made such mistakes and errors of judgement. We've all done it. What's the worst you've done?
Bizarre.
