Plastering DIY or disaster?

albacore1854

I've done a bit in my time, so here are a few pointers

1) do the whole wall, don't mess about trying to patch up.

2)If its existing plaster PVA it first, if new PB just plough ahead

3)) get a first coat of multi finish on, about 3-4mm thick , and then leave it, wait til it is barely touch dry, and quickly trowel out the marks.

4)once touch dry, get your topcoat on, about 2mm thick, again leave it once on, as soon as it starts loosing ''shine'' trowel it out.

This all assumes you can use a float and hawk, plastering is hard on the arms.

If in doubt get a bag of multi finish, and a qtr sheet of PB, and practise til you think you'll be ok.

smileypigface

My OH and myself decided to buy a do-er-up-er of a house just over a year ago. So we signed up for a week's course over half term last October.

We had a great week - my OH picked up the knack really quickly and I picked up a whole new range of swear words!! We were taken through all the steps involved .. right from dry-lining our own 'room' and gradually worked on ceiling, internal corner, external corner, window recess, most of it onto the plasterboard we put up on the first day but with an area of bare brick which needed a different preparation (some technical term that I can't think of at the moment!!!! Shows how much I learned eh!).

It cost about £250 each - and has been money very well spent.

I then got posted overseas for most of this year so my OH has busied himself rebuilding and plastering just about every wall and ceiling in the house. It looks great and we have saved a fortune in both monetary terms paying someone else to do it and also in wasted time being messed about by dodgy tradespeople who don't do what they say they are going to do (no offence to those reputable tradespeople reading this - but at one point on my previous house do-up project I seemed to be a magnet for cowboys and timewasters!!).

It's like most things I suppose - once you learn the knack and have the chance to practice repeatedly you find you either can do it (my OH) or not (me!!!)!

Good luck!:j

weekendwarrior

prudryden wrote:

A television program on last night concluded that a bad DIY job can knock approximately £10,000 off the value of your house. Potential buyers will wonder what else you've been up to - like electrics, plumbing etc.

I watched one of those programs last night, the one with the two guys ( I think they are boyfriends) presenting it.

They talked total rubbish throught the program- fitting nice sockets and switches can get you £600 on the value of your house :rotfl: What a load of rubbish.

I think they are short of TV programs to be honest, they must be if they are putting that rubbish on.

I once saw a TV program that said that you must PVA a wall before painting it, or mix the first coat of paint with PVA :eek: