Multi

bowhay

New Member
Fellow spreads.


Sorry Im a bit of a drifter on this site.
I seem to write a post once every year or so haha

Sorry Im not quite as commited you lot and it maybe cheeky posting a thread but have a real headache with multi finish at the moment that Im hoping that you can help me with.

Iv started to get stains/water marks almost embedded im my dry plaster.
When Iv done my final passes it looks pucca. When its brown and drying it looks mint but as soon as it dries these white marks start to appear in it. Sometimes can be alot worse than other areas.

It looks like water marks but its smooth and flat and you cant feel them.
Iv tried swapping my 10 year old mt for my 6 month old mt. Iv tried stopping using nela s*p*r*lex for final pass, started using nela max for final pass, using less water, using more water and nope marks still there when dried.

I definitly dont trowel it to earlier.

Its flat, smooth and looks mint once painted, none of my builders or clients have picked up on it and are all really happy with finish but its driving me barmy that i cant stop it from happening!

Although I haven't been plastering as long as a lot of you I have been plastering 12 years now and dont recall seeing this in my finish once dry.
I have only really noticed it happening in the past few months/ this year.

Like I say, its flat, smooth and when its brown the marks are not in it at all, just when dry.
 
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It's really nice when it looks proper nice dry but at the end of the day mate if it paints ok I wouldn't worry to much. I went through a phase of trying to get the perfect dried finish but gave up on it. Sure some can get it every time but I can't. Same painter is painting most of my work and never mentions a problem
 
Cheers for your replies.

Just swear I never use to get them and its just recently started happening, but like you say, if everyone is happy then happy days. It just looks s**t.

In regards to PVA, sorry for lack of info, im getting these result on boards.
Haven't done much over skim this year to be fair that I can see the plaster dry. Its just been the odd day here and there
Been mostly board work.

Do you think changing to board finish would improve the uniform?
 
i had the same problem as you,in march/april i skimmed out the whole upstairs and landing/passage on mostly plasterboard and over existing unibonded mortar walls,every wall and ceiling came out perfect,in june i skimmed the whole downstairs and every wall/ ceiling came out as you described full of whitish stains,variations in colour it looked absolute s**t,i tried different techniques eg- minimum of water,no water when trowelling,tried a sponge etc and still the finish when dry looked disgusting as if i had never plastered before although the finish was flat and smooth i couldnt wait for the client to paint it and as you say it looked as if nothing was wrong with it then which there wasnt only for them stains etc,so is the multi or the hot weather,in all the years i have been plastering i have never seen it come out like that,anybody else had these problems,
 
Not used multi for over 8 months
So can’t give any advice
Only thing was gonna say was don’t flick water on or use any to finish
Started a thread few weeks ago and lots said it was good atm
 
Glad its not just me!

Thought the water had just gotten thicker down here in the Devon or something ;)

Its like the clean water is permanently staining the surface in places that you cant see till its all fully dry. Even when just wetting the trowel it still appears and they can look quite s**t.

I thought I had uploaded pictures. Ill do that later just so you can see examples.
 
Not used multi for over 8 months
So can’t give any advice
Only thing was gonna say was don’t flick water on or use any to finish
Started a thread few weeks ago and lots said it was good atm
Yeah the amount of water makes a difference but when on manky over skim don't have a choice sometimes. Remember Keith saying ages ago change your water after each trowel which I found made the finish nicer
 
A few examples.
The camera is making the skim look darker than what it actually so it is defining the marks more than what the actually are like.
They are a bit more subtle than that but very evident in person.
Like I said its like its stained the surface of the plaster.
It cannot be felt or sanded out. Adding minimal water to troweling up makes no difference. Bloody s**t :mad:
 

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yes your photos show exactly what my work turned out like,i will try some board finish on the next job and see what happens,
 
Happens to all of us, never used to but the quality of plaster is aweful these days. Can't wait for winter when it turns to chewing gum.
 
Can see it on that bottom wall, looks pucka just done but a bit of that affect when dry, f**k all water used on that, just tiny bit on the edges
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Cheers for the help guys.
Just relieved its not just me. Think Ill pick up some board finish when I can and give that a shot. Will take some persuading with some of the builders I plaster for though. Stuck in there old ways most of the time with how they like things done :rolleyes:
 
Cheers for the help guys.
Just relieved its not just me. Think Ill pick up some board finish when I can and give that a shot. Will take some persuading with some of the builders I plaster for though. Stuck in there old ways most of the time with how they like things done :rolleyes:
Board finish is cheaper, you'd think that would make them happy
 
I agree with mcbentlegs the quality of the multi is shite at the mo ive had a batch recently that seemed very grainy maybe we get the s**t scraped off the floor down here in Cornwall
 
Not had those marks but have had issues with multi more times than I care to remember.

Had this happen a few times lately with multi.. just look at it the wrong way and it flakes off. Very thin like bible paper. Tried plastic trowel and it stil did it. Annoying as f**k
 

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Not had those marks but have had issues with multi more times than I care to remember.

Had this happen a few times lately with multi.. just look at it the wrong way and it flakes off. Very thin like bible paper. Tried plastic trowel and it stil did it. Annoying as f**k
A better air flow sometimes helps with that, it happens to us too I just brush it and grind the f**k out of it with my trowel
 
Can see it on that bottom wall, looks pucka just done but a bit of that affect when dry, f**k all water used on that, just tiny bit on the edges
View attachment 25360

You know how you think I am ocd... I hate the bottoms of walls that are wavy now... I put scrim on the bottom edge then pull it off after the last trowel... creates a lovely straight line :D
 
You know how you think I am ocd... I hate the bottoms of walls that are wavy now... I put scrim on the bottom edge then pull it off after the last trowel... creates a lovely straight line :D

obviously time is on my hands but it is another simple touch that customers love :D
 
You know how you think I am ocd... I hate the bottoms of walls that are wavy now... I put scrim on the bottom edge then pull it off after the last trowel... creates a lovely straight line :D
Lol you loony:LOL:
 
Been the chiropractor today and he says I'm all twisted up and most of my movements impaired so start treatments on monday
At least you know what’s what now just pick things up the right way now, I know it’s tempting to just stretch this way or that to grab something
 
At least you know what’s what now just pick things up the right way now, I know it’s tempting to just stretch this way or that to grab something
Definitely mate lesson learnt, you think your indestructible till something like this happens. Managed to clear 3 weeks off if I need it now
 
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