Scouring plaster

[Spread em]

Hi all. Just registered but been looking in for a while.
I'm just a diyer but been reading in an book about scouring finish with a wooden float. I know this was touched on in the recent 'sponge float on finish' debate but i have been trying it on an old piece of pb to varying levels of success. Just curious if any one really does it these days as it seems to a/ drag the whole lot off it done to early b/ make the finish very gritty looking or c/ make it too shiny if done to late. You do seem to need a lot of water to get anywhere near a result but this goes against what your supposed to do these days ie less water. I am going to be doing a small ceiling at home soon and was going to try using a wooden float for the second coat as this is alleged (in the same book) to get a flatter finish. Again, any advice welcome. The book by the way is 'Plastering An Encyclopedia' by Stagg and Pegg. I got this years ago so it probably refers to methods of a bygone age.
Cheers
Stuart

 

[kane]

All u need is a decent trowel mate.

 

[church]

You still use the cross grain method sometimes spread em, it doesn't have to be a wooden float though a poly float does the job well , if your timing is right and the finish is applied to the correct thickness you really shouldn't have to use a float at all ,but from time to time you might get a thick frame to work around or you can / should use a float around wall lights , the coreat time to use a float is as the second coat needs a little water to make the trowel glide,you will still water to stop the float from grabbing , use the float in small circular motions and it will leave a "fat " on the surface leave that for 5 Min's on so depending then trowel in , you will see any low or high spots in the plaster immediately you start to use the float, also it will really help if your float is well worn in and very clean and smooth .

 

[church]

All u need is a decent trowel mate.

theres more to it than that Matt tbh most plastering "looks" ok untill you paint it with silk paint and put light a cross it then it looks horrible

 

[kane]

Yea I know church, being a bit flippent won I ! ;D

 

[essexandy]

That book you referred to is also the same book if I remember rightly which tells you to rule out your finish plaster between coats (madness if you can render properly), so trust me don't bother using a wooden float for your second coat. What they were referring to about using a float on the second coat is not scouring, but using a float to apply the plaster instead of a trowel if my memory serves me correctly. I still use scouring a fair bit, mainly in the winter when there is less suction in the floating coat (when using S&C) or as Church said when you are having to put the finish on thicker than it should be, and also areas such as the cheeks of dormer windows because they often end up a bit thicker and have a strong side light (as Church also said). I don't use either a wooden float or a plastic float for this type of scouring (you will have to work out what I use yourself). As for timing well how long is a piece of string, you just can't tell someone an amount of time for this, that's where experience comes in (sometimes there are no short cuts).

 

[warriorupnorth]

Quote essex andy ). I don't use either a wooden float or a plastic float for this type of scouring (you will have to work out what I use yourself). As for timing well how long is a piece of string, you just can't tell someone an amount of time for this, that's where experience comes in (sometimes there are no short cuts). Unquote
Is it your Ball Sack mate

 

[tex it all]

no its proberly his labourers ;D

 

[essexandy]

I've been sussed ;D

 

[Spread em]

Cheers for the replies.
Essexandy, your correct the book does say to rule off your finish which i have tried when skimming less that flat walls and it don't work. No surprises there then. Do you advocate using a float for your second coat, i can see how it can make it flatter but if this is really the case then why not use it on all coats. The book says Trowel-Float-Trowel but I'm starting to think with modern plasters that book is heading into the bin. By the way the very mention of what you use to scour the finish with could start World War 3

 

[essexandy]

No Spread em don't even think of using a float for your second coat and that's nothing to do with modern plasters or techniques, my old man was asked to do it many years ago and he said it was a complete waste of time then, so put the float down and step away.
Now what are you implying that I use to scour with (world war three ;D), if it was a sponge float I'd just say so because while I'm interested to know what others do I really don't care what others think of how I do things, as I know they work for me (over confident or what).