Work involved in skimming 6mx4m ceiling?

[punchbag]

Hi Ian,

Is the finish on both ceilings the same, i.e smooth, artex, stippled ????

If you are only intending to 'patch' the gap then you are correct in what you are saying by leaving a small gap in between the existing boards & your screw gap lenght.

I would add flexible gap sealant inbetween the gaps of your cut edges (just to minimise the threat of cracking) then scrim tape, PVA the mating edges of the existing ceilings then plaster over blending into nothing about 6 - 12 inches into your existing ceilings.

If you required the complete ceiling to be re-plastered it should only take a half decent plaster half a day with a ceiling of that size.

 

[iwilson16]

Well, the plastering is now complete.

Initially I was very pleased with it. In daylight the finish looks excellent.

However I got a bit of a shock after putting on the mist coat, then shining
a torch over the surface. It looks really rough:

Is this to be expected?

I now face the prospect of sanding 80 sq metres of plaster

Ian

 

[Richard C]

Shining a light on it at an angle like that will always show up any unevenness & the slightest of blemishes but that doesn’t look too brilliant an effort to me! Sometimes you will have to do a little local filling if you’re planning to use up lighters or kitchen down lighters but there are some rather pronounced lumps & bumps in there & I would have expected much better.

 

[iwilson16]

Oh well, I guess I've got a lot of sanding to do.

I've got myself a 1/2 sheet orbital sander, and some of that drywall
weave stuff for sanding plaster. Hopefully that will make the
sanding go a bit quicker.

I do plan to use uplighters, and table lamps around the space, so any
uneveness will show.

I'll post a pic of the same bit of wall once I'm finished, and the second
mist coat has gone on.

Ian

 

[roughcaster]

To be honest,and I admire your willingness to show your plastering to the world,and at least you had a go,but I think you will need a bit more than a sander in places. It is a pity as well that you didn't spot it all before you gave it a mist coat,it will make the sanding/local filling more difficult.Don't let it put you off.Better luck next time.

Roughcaster.

 

[Richard C]

To be honest,and I admire your willingness to show your plastering to the world,and at least you had a go,but I think you will need a bit more than a sander in places. It is a pity as well that you didn't spot it all before you gave it a mist coat,it will make the sanding/local filling more difficult.Don't let it put you off.Better luck next time.

Roughcaster.

Er hang on a minute; last time I posted on this topic I asked how the job was going the OP said he doing the repairs & looking for a plasterer to finish skim!

So, Ian, is this the result of a ‘Pro’ or is it your first attempt at plastering? If it is your first effort on what look to be fairly large walls (you don’t say anything about that large ceiling!), don’t loose heart cos it isn’t that bad! For a pro taking your hard earned cash though, its carp.

 

[iwilson16]

Yes, this was a 'professional' who did the work.

I had seen some plastering he had done at a friends house, and it looked
great. I suspect he didnt spend the required time 'polishing' the semi dried skim coat. It took him 2 days.

To put it in context, here's info on what the job was, and the quote I
got:

Its a 6x4x3 room, with a lot of holes in the wall for sockets. Two of the
walls (one long and one short) were new plasterboard. The other walls
and ceiling were painted plasterboard (but with holes where I'd run wiring).

The job was to skim all the walls and ceiling, and supply and fit new coving
to 3/4 of the room. This is the plasterers quote:

Supply and fit cove: £150
paint glue on walls an ceiling: £550
skim: £265
Total: £965

Bear in mind this is Edinburgh prices, where trades folk arent cheap.

The 'glue' was some pink german stuff that dried to a gritty surface,


Yesterday I got my hands on a 1/2 sheet orbital sander, and sanded one
of the small walls with a medium grade sheet of special plaster 'sandpaper'. This was hard work, but it has smoothed the wall (I'll post
a pick when I get home tonight.) Because it had a coat of paint on it then you can really see where the bumps have been levelled.

However, it has made the remaining painted bits shiny smooth, which will need a light sanding before emulsioning again.

Tonight I'll try the other small wall with a 120 grade sandpaper, to see if thats better. But the dust this produced is awful! The sander has a dust collector, but it only works so far. I am wearing a B&Q disposable face mask, but will likely but a proper one with filters.

If all this doesnt work, then I guess I'll have to get the walls lined with lining paper ...

Thanks,
Ian

 

[iwilson16]

Here's two photo's after I've done a bit of sanding ....

Trying to hold a sanding machine above your head is such hard work!!!

I know I dont really need to sand the ceiling that much, but I'm a bit of a
perfectionist.

Ian

 

[joe-90]

Stud walls often support the ceiling. Did you check that reinforcing wasn't required? Bigger spans need heftier timbers.

Although it is always worth checking, as whoever did the last alteration may not have known what they were doing, I'd be very surprised if a stud wall was load bearing.

You haven't seen many ceilings then.

 

[joe-90]

That work just isn't even close to pro standard. Not even close. Job for Trading Standards if you ask me. The quickest and easiest way to get the thing right is to get it skimmed by a real plasterer. Sanding is a waste of time.

 

[iwilson16]

That work just isn't even close to pro standard. Not even close. Job for Trading Standards if you ask me. The quickest and easiest way to get the thing right is to get it skimmed by a real plasterer. Sanding is a waste of time.

Yes, you are probably right. But I think at this stage sanding is going to
be the quickest and cheapest way to fix the problem. And, I've started
so I may as well finish.

Ian

 

[joe-90]

And, I've started so I may as well finish.

Ian

Are you a Mastermind fan too?

 

[noseall]

when a plasterer is trowelling up a wall, he is actually compressing and tightening up the grain, within the surface of the plaster.

this tight smooth surface, allows a decent paint finish.

sanding the plaster, effectively ruptures the surface, killing any chance of a decent surface onto which to paint.

 

[roughcaster]

Your dead right noseall,you'll see it a mile away.Similar to sanding wood across the grain,it changes the texture of the finished surface.

Roughcaster.

 

[iwilson16]

when a plasterer is trowelling up a wall, he is actually compressing and tightening up the grain, within the surface of the plaster.

this tight smooth surface, allows a decent paint finish.

sanding the plaster, effectively ruptures the surface, killing any chance of a decent surface onto which to paint.

So basically I've no other option than to put up lining paper ... ?

Ian