advice on scimming a ceiling

[GDS]

i have to skim a ciling with coving as a kind of boarder its about 20inc in fron the eges of the ciling should i try plastering around it and prob loose the step on it or take it down and skim the ciling and ge tthe fella to put new stuff up. by the way the edges of the ciling are curved to the walls so therre is no corner just a picture rail about 2ft down the wall. so i would need to skim up the wall around the curve and try to stop a the edges of the coving all the way around it , that make sence ? any way what do you think take it down or try go around it.????

 

[walltowall]

eeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr come agen

 

[Chris W]

im gonna have to guess a bit here so i could be completely wrong but when you skim a normal ceiling that has coving it doesnt go on that thick and even if its over artex i normally run a wet brush down the edge as i flatten off and tuck the trowel right up in the corner so what im left with is a tiny little chamfer up to the coving barely noticeable but it looks like it aint been skimmed cos you can still see the lip, like 99% of it? make any sense?

 

[ant]

just follow the curve down to the picture rail but if you havent skimed a cove ceiling before walk away

 

[petetheplasterer]

as chris says....but do same both sides of the coving, if its a large area from rail to cove with the curve. id do it in 2 hits, ceiling first finish it tight to cove, then do from the rail to cove. takes longer but, you wont get caught out getting the curves right while your ceilings going off. did one simular from pic rail to cove then ceiling in centre, the old coving had been skimmed in to a curve at the top then the new stuff moved in about 15 inch all decorative with eggdarts and cherubs having a wee or something. ;D

 

[essexandy]

Hi GAZ I know exactly what you mean and done a few of these over the years. Not knowing you I don't want to talk down to you but this will be tricky if not impossible to make a top job of unless you are a properly skilled plasterer. But the finished affect can look really good. More difficult the tighter the curve. Good luck hope all goes well.

 

[skimmin2day]

I think this guy is talking about decorative moulding on the ceilingand not coving by the sounds of things.These things aint usalluy that deep are they ????1 inch max if that?

it will be hard work to curve into these at only 20 inches from the edge of curve.To get the curve right youll need a bit of runnoff with the trowel and 20 inches id say is on the limit for a good finish.
You seem to always bring more plaster to th edges when doing the curves so i think it will be diccicult mate,but not impossible.

Hope ive read and understood it right?? been on the guiness, so could have misenterprted you.

 

[GDS]

alrigtht lads thanks for your replys , the fella wanted me to rip down the coving any whay so panic overr just got rom the picture rail on the wall right up todo now,

petetheplasterer wont the secont part of plastering go all kinda lumpy and bitty when yoiu skim to it to blend in the curves if you do it in two parts? i suppose if ya do it right away it should be ok , could you please explane mate. cheers

 

[petetheplasterer]

was thinking that the cove was decorative, forming a square around the outside edge giving you a square ceiling in centre, leaving from rail to other side of cove around the outer edge, ..do the centre then do the outer edge, its a bugger but with the curve, the one i did had old cove skimmed in, forming an curve around the edge o ceiling and decorative cove running round the room forming a central square of the main ceiling, i did the ceiling then did the outer edges...was a pain in the anoooooosss. but came up ok

 

[GDS]

what was the best way tio do the curves? i did them and brushed them in got a few of them rooms to do , after brushing them in i may need to sand the bruch lines out but it came up ok .

 

[Chris W]

i tend to let it go real stiff then use two hands on the trowel to fetch it round and smooth...
otherwise you end up dragging all the plaster to the edge with nothing in the middle and it destroys the curve..