Maybe a daft question to the afficionados among you... but I've stripped my bathroom walls back to the brick now and am wondering about the best way to get them plastered? The big issue is depth (as i think i mentioned in my last plastering post). I would happily just strap and sheet but on one wall the depth has to be kept to a minimum, ideally no more than a 35-40mm raise from the current brick level. My dear old dad suggested that leveling the wall with a browning coat then skimming the top of this might be the best way to keep the thickness minimal? I don't know much about this method and would not attempt it myself but does this sound reasonable?
What depth is a scratch/browning coat usually?
- Thread starter doogyscoot
- Start date
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sand and cement render and tile straight onto it, or dot and dab backer boards?
The general rule for plastering is that you put on as thin a coat as you can get away with- you are governed by how much you need to put on to get the wall flat and true, and other factors such as whether you need to finish flush with door frames, or square up for a worktop etc
If you have ever hacked off old plaster or render, you'll know that a thin coat is harder to get off than a thin coat. Indeed if you go over a certain thickness (say 30mm IIRC for hardwall) BG say that you must mechanically fix eml to hold it . This shows that the plaster becomes weaker with heavier coats - this is logical as you have the same bond over the same area but an increasing weight on the wall. In practice I've seen 40 -50 mm put on walls but in several scratch coats.
People who want extra thickness (the wall being good otherwise) when you can get away with 6-8 mm on a wall are talking out of their bottom.
Usually by the time you put a coat on , rule it off and fill it etc, you will have 10mm on - but this can vary . BG spec is 11 mm for hardwall . The rule of thumb was always half inch but up to 15mm before you were into 'dubbing out' and getting extra money.
Finish 2mm - you don't need more. On boards, some bad tacking might need a heavier coat but it says 2mm on the bag!
SO after all that - there is no 'right' amount to put on - do what it takes to get the wall right
If you have ever hacked off old plaster or render, you'll know that a thin coat is harder to get off than a thin coat. Indeed if you go over a certain thickness (say 30mm IIRC for hardwall) BG say that you must mechanically fix eml to hold it . This shows that the plaster becomes weaker with heavier coats - this is logical as you have the same bond over the same area but an increasing weight on the wall. In practice I've seen 40 -50 mm put on walls but in several scratch coats.
People who want extra thickness (the wall being good otherwise) when you can get away with 6-8 mm on a wall are talking out of their bottom.
Usually by the time you put a coat on , rule it off and fill it etc, you will have 10mm on - but this can vary . BG spec is 11 mm for hardwall . The rule of thumb was always half inch but up to 15mm before you were into 'dubbing out' and getting extra money.
Finish 2mm - you don't need more. On boards, some bad tacking might need a heavier coat but it says 2mm on the bag!
SO after all that - there is no 'right' amount to put on - do what it takes to get the wall right
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as above as tight as you can to level and line ,a few mill over the highest spot to even out suction.
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