ok guys ,would
machines be benificial to my partner and i to use for skimming out houses. and how much would it cost for 1 for blowing on skim.any help would be appreciated.
You'll have to see someone using it to make up your mind but here is my view -
For floating (render, hardwall, one coat) you won't beat a machine.
For skimming
- you can still only trowel up a certain amount (ability/conditions/type of area).
- unlike floating, you only want to put on a 2-3mm even coat which is very hard to do spraying and you have to flatten the coat well (you know what I mean is you have sprayed before) before you can do anything with it
- to get a second coat on you have to do it all again, and it is hard to get a tight second coat on . If you go the one coat route, then a heavy coat of finish (because that is what you will get spraying) will give you a poor finish -poorer than a one coat applied by trowel.
- staple or sick scrims with a bit of fat here and there
The time spent cleaning and setting up vs your time to put on a set is something only you can work out.
I'd imagine a half hour per set to clean/set up at the very least. Unlike render or floating(where you can spray your full day's work in one go) you will have to do this twice/thrice a day.
I have seen it done, not impressed at all BUT like anything if you are switched on, prepared to adapt you will find a system.
The pros/cons for you depend a lot on how much you can skim at the moment, and how long it takes you to get a coat on.
eg if you can skim 30-40 m2 of flat work in 2-3 hours now look at how long each coat takes to apply , what time spent trowelling, mixing etc
If you struggle with a 30 m ceiling on your own, then a machine is not for you.