Plastering guides...
You can count on MR Quincey Plastering to provide an excellent service
and a very high standard of workmanship.
Below are just some of the considerations we give when plastering.
This small guide was put together to help DIY enthusiasts. We hope
to have helped !
A simple guide to plastering
Plastering is a very difficult process and plasterers train for a long while to get a good, smooth flat Finish. Books are a great way to learn "plastering rules" but there is no better way, in fact there is no other way, to learn to plaster properly than by actually doing it. Plastering is about timing and "feel". A wall can look flat, but a plasterer can run a trowel over it and know exactly where the imperfections are, and, more to the point, put them right. Make no mistake, plastering is a skill equal to an electricians or a plumbers and if it is not done correctly the first time, can be difficult to put right.
Remember
When working out how much plaster to buy, you need to know that, at 12mm thick (approximately ½ an inch), 25kg of browning, bonding, or one coat plaster (scratch or base coat plasters) will cover just over 3 square meters. Top coat, or skim plaster should be applied at about 3mm thick and you should get about 13 square meters from a 25kg bag. Do not buy any more than you need and do not store it for long before you use it. Plaster in all its forms, does not have a very long shelf life.
For those who want a go themselves the basic rules are.
The first thing is to have a practice before you start spreading plaster over your walls. Plaster goes off very quickly. You do not get a lot of time to work with it and get it smooth. If you do not have the back of an old shed wall to practice on, buy a sheet of hardboard from your local builders merchants. Paint this with an undiluted coat of PVA adhesive Let this dry for 10 minutes and stand the board up against a wall, tacking a couple of nails in to hold it upright. You can practice spreading on this surface and getting the hang of transferring plaster from the hawk to the board.
Goodluck!
Goodluck on all your plastering challenges for the
future. Remember that if everything goes wrong, you can alway call Mister Quincy to do that job for you !
