Learning to Plaster by Plastering
When it comes to the plaster in the house it’s a mess, near enough all the ceilings are failing (the old lathe and plaster ceilings) and many of the walls that are plaster, not plasterboard have problems due to years of neglect.
I’ve never plastered before, closest to plastering is filling the odd hole with polyfilla, so I had no idea how hard/easy plastering could/would be. So we prepared a small wall, bought some one coat plaster from Wikes (10KG bag) and I tried to plaster a 4 foot square test area.
I’ve read about plastering, but reading and doing are two different things. Mixing the plaster was easy, getting it on the walls was easy, but getting it smooth was hard. Turns out I made the plaster to wet, so when going for a smooth surface it left ridges on the edge. I also fell into the trap of not leaving the plaster to set a little, just couldn’t leave it alone so over worked it!
Not one to give up after one try, bought some more plaster (multi-finish from Thistle) and tried again, this time adding less water. Again I did a small unimportant test area and again I made the plaster too wet (not as wet as before though). It was easier this time, but it was still too wet to get a good finish (quickly learning though :-).
I mix up another batch of plaster, this time Cameron (eldest son, whose 14) thinks he can do better (kids hey :-)). So we make the plaster not as wet and we split the bucket between us. The plaster goes on better this time, even Cameron did a better job than my first two tries (I was so proud or was it irritated :-)).
At that point I could see we had the basic skills to do this, since even with the wrong type of mix (too wet) the finish wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t happy with the finish, but I could see we could with practice get the house plastered to a high standard. What we’d learned though was the most important factor seems to be getting the mix right and not spending too much time on an area (you end up over working it).
That was a few days ago.
Yesterday we went to he house with the aim to only plaster. We decided on one of the attic rooms, theory being they should have the best finish for us to work with since they are a relatively new addition to the house (I was wrong).
First we checked the stability of the current plaster, on one of the walls the plaster skim that was probably 20 years old was very easy to remove from the wall. Using a basic wallpaper type scraper we could scrape of large areas of plaster in seconds. The image to the right (it’s the left wall we scrapped) is how it looked before we started scraping.
In one area behind a wash basin we’d removed earlier there was unstable plaster, we took the loose bits back to the wall. So there were no unstable areas of plaster. This left us with a fair sized hole (see right).
What we found beneath was the original plaster with the remains of a blue paint (possibly emulsion) that had degraded over time (it was powdery). When we scraped the plaster skim off some of the blue paint stuck to the wall, the rest on the falling plaster (image right). So the failure was due to the paint layer. I’m guessing the professional plasterer who did that wall didn’t PVA it prior to adding the skim (there are other walls in the house like this, so we have a big task ahead of us!).
So we scraped off the loose layer, removed anything that wasn’t secure (to the brick work if needed), gave it a good brush to remove dust etc.. and PVA’d (4:1 ratio) to improve adhesion of the plaster.
The first bucket of plaster we mixed we again made it a little wet, but it was very close to what we have now found to be the right amount of water. It went on easily, but because it was still a little wet we had the ridge/lines problem, though as the plaster dried on the walls we could remove most of those.
I have to admit Cameron’s finish at this stage was better than mine (I hate him now :-))
Next bucket was spot on, went on easily, spread easily and it didn’t leave lots of ridges/lines. Our finish still wasn’t brilliant, but I’ve seen much worse at the house we live in now that was a new build 5 years ago with professional plasterers etc… I’m very much a perfectionist, so I’ll never be completely happy with anything like this where perfection through out a project is practically impossible, but can grit my teeth and move on (just).
We decided to make a bucket of plaster each for the next batch, Cameron’s was spot on so he got to work plastering. I added too much water to the bucket, so had a full bucket of plaster that was really difficult to mix. We had been using a mixer attached to a cordless screwdriver/drill, but the batteries ran out on the last batch, so it was down to manual mixing (that is hard work!!). I eventually got the plaster mixed and started to work.
Cameron was working on a sloping area and was having problems (not sure why), he didn’t get to use the whole batch, so wasted about half a bucket (I’ll take it out of his wages, well I would if I was paying him :-)). He did quite a good job with that section (see right). I managed to use around 90% of my plaster and learned another valuable lesson. The easiest way to plaster is slap it on quickly, give it a very quick smooth and move to the next bit. 10 to 15 minutes later go back to the first bit plastered and finish it off (it’s much easier then). This technique worked a treat as in no time at all I’d finished the rest of the wall and was smoothing out any problem areas.
This is the first wall we’ve completed and I’m 90% happy with it, will probably touch up any problems next time when we are doing another wall.
Now we need to learn to plaster quickly, so we don’t take 9 months to plaster the house 
Update on this, we are finding the dried plaster isn’t quite flat (very close though), having to sand down areas, so still need more practice.
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May 31, 2006at 2:20 pm
i must say you quite brave taking a job thats considered skilled ive been platering for a few years now ,you didnt mention applying two coats of plaster wich is the norm ,i put the first coat on leave until it firms slightly and before the second coat is ready i smooth it over with the trowel no rush nice n easy i find by doing this the second coat goes on a lot smoother and you can see where your missing with the second coat .i leave the second coat firm up a lil then smooth it over filling in any holes and hollows ,i then leave it for a lil longer about 10-12 muinets before the final trowel applying a small ammount of water to the trowel
ive found it depends on the background ,high suction backgrounds need more care and set a lot quicker ,low suction sometimes takes for ever to get to the final trowel
theres a real skill to getting a smooth flat wall and im learning all the time ,good luck to you
jay
June 13, 2006at 3:58 pm
Thanks for the advice Jay. Where plaster has fell off the wall (leaving bare wall) we are using browning followed by multi-finish, so yes where needed two layers. If it’s just a reskim that’s needed then just the multi-finish.
I’m finding the high suction backgrounds a problem, some set so quickly you barely have time to scratch your nose before it’s almost off!!
Also having problems with old skim where whoever reskimed didn’t prepare the walls correctly (no PVA). We have whole rooms where someone has resmimmed over paint and now the paint has come loose from the original plaster, this means the newish skim layer comes away really easy with a nice layer of paint underneath it
We are having to remove all of this before reskimming with correct preparation.
David
July 4, 2006at 2:07 pm
Another solution. I am assuming that you have a brick, cinderblock or some other type of masonary wall. Just extend the walls via 3/8 inch drywall sheets. No one will notice. Remove all molding from walls or room. Sand and plaster the wall just enough to get out the main irregularities. Don’t worry about trying to get it exact. Just as long it basically smooth. Correct of all flaking areas Then prime it with a good paint that will take an adhesive. Then get some sheets of 3/8 inch drywall and paste it on top with a good adhesive. Screw in a couple of flathead masonary screws for extra holding. Problem solved and your wall is much smoother than you could ever get it via plastering. This solution is especially useful if you want to get rid of textured or stuccoed walls.
Or a better solution depending on room
Get some good qaulity 1×3’s or 2×4′ s and build a frame separately. Then lay frame up against wall. Shim the irregular areas and attach to wall via masonary screws.. Throw up your 1/2 inch sheet rock. Done deal!. This solution will also permit you to run wiring behind walls.
The Stanley Complete Drywall book is also useful to have.
Only a few bucks via Amazon.
Nate
July 5, 2006at 2:51 pm
hi good luck to you, i’ve just plastered my new extension, and are still looking for tips, i used the thistle multi finish and found it better a little wetter, to creamy and i found it sticky and went of to quickly for smoothing so out with the sander, largest wall was 12 by 10,
steve
August 14, 2006at 3:30 pm
Hi to all,
I have been a traditional plasterer for well over 20 years now and must say that I have to take my hat off to you for starting such a project!
I run a forum where you are welcome to pop-in and ask any questions you might like answers to.
I also have done some DVD’s regarding how to plaster various things, just in case you might be interested..
Bigbud
August 28, 2006at 5:29 pm
say there buddy…ive just started this plastering lark myself….i ve worked for a damp proofer for 2 years so i picked up the basic skills whilst with him.ive just completed my first 2 walls and i must say ,i think my skimming is better than my old gaffas.
two coats of multi finish is the trick as mentioned before…the browing is just to fill holles or make walls even so that your not putting on so thick a layer in places.
so first coat …let it go off for about 15 mins then throw on your second.you will notice with the second coat that it gos on more smothly as its gripping the layer below and is starting to push in.the ridge marks you may be talking about might be from bouncing your trowel along when polishing up….goto keep your trowel pretty flat or it will bounce and leave lines in the final finish.
well i hope your project is/has gone well…..sure dose save a few bob huh.
all the best
chris
September 28, 2006at 4:51 pm
Hi,
I did some plastering not long back and when it had dried, i rang my fingers over the wall i could feel ripples, so i troweled on easy fill to the whole wall. I let the easyfill dry for a couple of days. I then went over it a little with sand paper and I could tell it hadn’t dried so i left it longer.
Will the wall be smooth if i wait till its fully dry and use an electric sander to sand the whole lot down?????
September 28, 2006at 9:47 pm
Hey Craig,
Not tried sanding a large area with an electric sander, but have tried it on a small area and it came out fine. Does create a LOT of dust so take that into account. Also found the sand paper got clogged quite quickly with plaster dust, so guess for a large area it’s going to mean a lot of sand paper.
When I was sanding that way I thought a belt sander or even a orbital sander might be better suited to the job (used the move up/down type sander) as I think it will get less clogged and smooth out faster (not tried it though).
Did a search online and there are electric dry wall sanders ($500 in the US apparently) it looked like an orbital sander on a pole
David
January 16, 2007at 6:03 am
Has a female plasterer of two years my best advice is to do a quick college course which is fun and you will save yourself a lot of heartache. Best of luck.
February 11, 2007at 11:23 am
can any one tell me what the typewriter method of plastering is?
April 3, 2007at 4:14 pm
Championed by Gold Trowel, although I’m sure they wouldn’t of invented it, the typewriter method is when for example you start at the top left of a wall, cover the the top half/third towards the right side of the wall, then start back at the left, laying on the bottom/middle etc. It is just a more structured technique for laying the plaster on. Of course it goes the same for ceilings, start at one corner, complete a ‘line’ then start back at the same side you began.
June 15, 2007at 2:59 pm
hi what is the minimum wage doing a plastering apprentiship????????
June 29, 2007at 2:22 pm
been plastering for about a year and half .
ggot told it takes 10 years to become a great plasterer.
my meathod is
start at top of the wall going across the wall till you have come down to were you can reach with the upwards strokes.
after 1st coat go over it keeping the trowel as flat as possible this will prevent bumps .let this firm up then stick second coat on.let this start setting then flat trowel filling any misses .if it still has marks let it set a bit more then trowel it up again .then once its set a bit more polish it up.if you keep on top of it without messing with it to much you wont need alot of water to polish it up
the bumpy stripes you get can be
not holding trowel flat enough
going over same place to often causing plaster to run
or putting plaster on when its to thick .
and a good broken in trowel makes a hell of a lot of differance
July 4, 2007at 2:10 pm
Please could someone give me information on any Colleges for Plastering courses
Kind Regards
Peter Robson
July 16, 2007at 10:59 am
Hello, very interesting thread. Can anybody (the pro plasterers?) tell me if the diluted pva layer is porus? Will it let a wall breath or is it an impermeable barrier? Many thanks, Roger.
August 12, 2007at 4:01 pm
i have plastered a few walls in the past, with great results however today i was plastering a large wall and when i was smoothing the second coat out ,wet trowel, i noticed a load of cracks appearing in one part of the wall only , am i right in thinking my water was to dirty and setting to quick or had i missed that area with pva and it was sucking the moisture out off the plaster faster than the surrounding areas
September 7, 2007at 2:06 am
Hi can anyone tell me why my newly plastered walls crack when drying. I’m, using hardwall for inside.
October 23, 2007at 7:45 pm
hi i’m new to plastering, and am looking to completely plaster a kitchen approximately 8 x 4m. i will be skimming onto new plasterboard, but am concerned that with such a large ceiling area, how large an area i plaster before stoping and then troweling up. and would i complete the whole ceiling before applying the second coat or would i start to apply the second coat early if the first part of my work is starting to go off.
thanks andy
January 9, 2008at 2:50 pm
Hi great thread and very inforamtive— I want to plaster my kitchen ceiling- it is flakey and needs some tlc- any tips for ceilings-think I could do a wall after reading this but not alot of mention about ceilings-is it the same process– oh and how much prep to ceiling before plastering???
Cheers
Jinny
February 5, 2008at 9:15 am
I am A lecturer at Newcatle college for plastering A little advice if you are planning to plaster for the first time.Always wear PPE Goggles a must if you are doing ceilings, A right handed person shouls start in a left hand corner and work along in rows and a left handed person , start in the right and work left, If you are plastering over artex cielings do a test with pva scrape a small area and apply 50/50 PVA leave for a while to see if there is any reaction (bubbling etc) if this happens you may get a reaction when you apply plaster. 1 bucket of water will mix aprox 1 bag of plaster or just under 25kg.Always apply 2 coats of plaster the first coat apply roughly smooth, dont spend too much time trying to trowel flat, apply the second coat , this is usually a thiner coat and start to fill in hollows starting from the beguinning Use a sash brush dipped in water to seal the edges and give a nice finish for the edges. I use a spray to wet the cieling down a little, if its too dry, some people prefer a large brush. At this stage aprox 20 minuites after starting or when the plasters nearly off, start trowling up have a slight angle on your trowel but never flat and build up a glut this is pure plaster that comes to the surface that builds up when trowling, use the glut to fill in the small imperfections. Dont over polish the surface as emulsion paints will start to peel. Always keep your trowel clean throughout plastering .A clean trowel with no build up makes the job easier and better. Hope this is any help to you. Allan Smith
February 6, 2008at 6:43 pm
why do you have to give the plaster two coats
March 15, 2008at 2:17 pm
i have been an pro plasterer for five years and i must say congratulations on trying to complete your own plastering work.I have plasterers working for me that wont even try some stuff. Imust say though if Cam ever wants a job get in touch lol.
March 15, 2008at 2:22 pm
REPLY TO TED. The reason why a part of the wall started to crack was that you have missed p.v.a on that part of the wall.Silly billy.