slightly dodgy plastering job

camxg1977

A handyman has filled in a hole in my landing ceiling. The finish is not what I was hoping for, given he promised it would be unnoticeable when he was done.  There is a very slight bulge in the repair area, which I am ok with-  I am more concerned with the smoothness (or lack of it).  Can I sand this down?  Not having done this before I would have a concern that sanding would remove small pieces of plaster (rather than dust) to create a potholed surface.  Looking online, 120 grit seems to be recommended?  Sanding block or by hand?  I should point out that the repair area plastered below has been painted- will this affect any sanding activity?  Thanks!

Ganga

Make sure it is dried out properly ,is the plasterer not coming back to finish it off ?

stuart45

Is it normal plaster, or a filler which is easier to sand?

Bendy_House

Yes, that's a bit pants!

You should be able to sort it yourself, with a little elbow grease. Yes, a large sanding block, ideally one with a comfy handle (worth having in your kit anyway). And 120 grit should do the job fine - including the emulsion paint on it (not a problem).

Get yourself up there in a comfortable manner so you only have to reach a little bit above your head. Don't press hard, and use sweeps of the sandpaper over the whole filled area to see which bits are 'high'. Then  focus on keeping the block as flat as you can, and sand away.

Because the block is upside-down, the sanded dust will obviously build up on the surface, so have something - a sheet or bucket - you can tap the block in to every now and then to clear it. Watch out for sanding the 'ok' surfaces of the ceiling around where you are working - ie don't move the block in the same place all the time in case you leave a ridge.

Once all the high parts have been sanded away, you may still have 'hollows'. If you want, you can give the job so far a coat of emulsion and let it dry - that'll tell you how far you've got. Use a fine surface filler with a wide blade to fill and hollows. Let dry, and lithgtly sand again.

camxg1977

The job is finished as far as the handyman is concerned.  Needless to say, I won't be using him again.  Bit of a shame as I chose him over others as he said he was qualified and not just a jack of all trades.  Thanks for all the top tips Bendy_House- lots of good stuff there.

grumbler

slightly dodgy plastering job

You call this 'slightly'?!

I call this 'botch'

Ballymoney

Would love to know how much you paid for that 😬

Hope you can sand it down ok.

Bendy_House

If you stand to the left of the patch, your head will have some extra room in the higher area, so you'll almost be looking straight across at the part you are sanding - that should help both to monitor how it's going, and be more comfy too (now't worse than sanding above your head...)

980233

I could do a better job than that and I struggle with stirring paint correctly. 

FreeBear

Make sure you wear a P3 dust mask. A pair of disposable overalls is also a good idea.

The dust you generate will go everywhere, so keep all the internal doors shut. Hoover up everywhere when you're done, and expect to find dust all over the place for months to come.

camxg1977

All good tips- thanks