First plastering attempt - can I re skim over new plaster

P

pistolswitch

New Member
Hi folks, I'm new to the forum and have just joined today. Hope you are all well.

We have moved into an older property where some of the walls after taking the paper off, need re skimmed. I've had a first attempt at a living room wall. I had a wee dilemma when starting as my board for sitting the plaster on broke with the weight of the plaster and splatted onto the floor (causing a state of panic and mad rushing about). I did manage to crack on and get the job finished but I lost about 10-15 minutes cleaning up and when I got to trowelling the second coat it started to set quite quickly. After the plaster has dried it does have a smooth finish but lots of small trowel marks and dips.
Is it best to fill these after a mist coat then sand and decorate or would I best re skimming again to get a better finish? (I have a couple of days off where I can crack on with things and in all honesty it's more practice to try and get it right this time).
Also, if I decide to re skim, should I PVA twice again? (on the first attempt I did PVA at 4:1 then the next day before plastering did 2:1). I'm not too sure what the rules are about re skimming over new plaster.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers. :)

PS. I can post pics of the wall if needed.
 
First plastering attempt - can I re skim over new plaster
First plastering attempt - can I re skim over new plaster
First plastering attempt - can I re skim over new plaster
 
Hey gps, thanks for the reply.

Sorry for the bad pics, the worst bit is in the first pic to the right hand side. The rest of the wall has very shallow wee dips but is mostly smooth. Is it crap and should I just start again or could I fill and sand after a mist coat?

Thanks again
 
Sorry bud, get it reskimmed, but by a professional. That's not going to look to good painted. You can have another Craic if you want the practice, but you won't get good results after a couple of goes. Takes time to get it right.
 
You could always get some dry lining fillers and coat over the rough bits and sand back smooth if you prefer.
 
No worries, I thought a reskim would be the best way forward. It's my first go and when all went tits up at the start I was on the back foot.
I still have a spare bag of plaster so was going to attempt another go,hopefully with no disasters. Looking back at it, I would mix the plaster a wee bit thinner so I can work it a bit better and give me a bit more time. When my table collapsed I spent about 10 minutes trying to clean up so the plaster started to go off. When I got to the trowelling stage after the second coat the plaster was to firm to push out the lines and dips. There was no fat on the trowel to fill the holes with. I'm not trying to make excuses but just trying to see where I went wrong the first time. I know this is a total art form and takes years to learn, so hats off to you guys for the work you do and the quality that you deliver. We had the adjacent wall plastered by a pro and it's totally perfect.
It is something I would really like to learn though. We're in an old property and have kind of landed on our feet as to cut a long story short, after my dad died we have been given the chance of the house. We are a bit stuck for cash and our aim is to do as much as we can ourselves. I don't want to wreck the place in the process though and I know my limits. Do you think I would be daft to give it another go or is it worth another bash?
If I do, should I pva again twice and at what ratio?
Sorry for all the questions man, just want to get the best advice.

Thanks again for all your help, really appreciated. :)
 
Definitely looked like a bomb went off when the table broke, haha! The wall looks crap, just need reassured by folk that do it for a living. The gaps and dips could be filled and sanded but wanted to give to another go without any mishaps.I think it would have turned out better mixing less and mixing a bit thinner. Not ready to admit defeat yet,lol. If it goes wrong again then I'll get a pro in. Just curious about replastering over new plaster. Will I need to pva twice again?
 
pistolswitch said:
Definitely looked like a bomb went off when the table broke, haha! The wall looks crap, just need reassured by folk that do it for a living. The gaps and dips could be filled and sanded but wanted to give to another go without any mishaps.I think it would have turned out better mixing less and mixing a bit thinner. Not ready to admit defeat yet,lol. If it goes wrong again then I'll get a pro in. Just curious about replastering over new plaster. Will I need to pva twice again?
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It might be best if you admit defeat at this stage as trying to fix something you couldn't do correctly at the outset will only make it more difficult for the professional to fix and ultimately cost you a lot more money. Fair play for having ago.
 
Knock off any high spots.. If any. 2 coats of artex sealer and allow to dry overnight to harden off. Skim again.. That's how I would do it. Pva will do it but buy the good stuff but it never seals well enough for me. You need the plaster to set on its own not pull in with suction
 
Cheers for the advice guys, really appreciated. I'm going to have a wee think before I do anything. I've been reading and watching vids about plastering for the last few weeks now and definitely a lot more to it than i thought.

Thanks again. :)
 
Wayners said:
Knock off any high spots.. If any. 2 coats of artex sealer and allow to dry overnight to harden off. Skim again.. That's how I would do it. Pva will do it but buy the good stuff but it never seals well enough for me. You need the plaster to set on its own not pull in with suction
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Thanks Wayners, just checked out artex sealer, looks like a far better product to use. :)
 
Hawk&Trowel said:
It might be best if you admit defeat at this stage as trying to fix something you couldn't do correctly at the outset will only make it more difficult for the professional to fix and ultimately cost you a lot more money. Fair play for having ago.
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Thanks hawk and trowel. I've got quite a large project on my hands with the property that we are in and limited cash. In the long run I'm going to need to learn how get the job done. I feel like I've learned from the mistakes I made the first time but will no doubt learn some new ones next time. I'll maybe give it another bash and see how it goes. Cheers for the advice. :)
 
pistolswitch said:
Thanks Wayners, just checked out artex sealer, looks like a far better product to use. :)
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Use 100s of tubs of it. That and blue grit I like to. Hardly ever use Pva. Just me so I need it sealed as getting old and slower. Pva is ok if your quick sometimes. Buy artex sealer from B&Q
 
pistolswitch said:
Thanks hawk and trowel. I've got quite a large project on my hands with the property that we are in and limited cash. In the long run I'm going to need to learn how get the job done. I feel like I've learned from the mistakes I made the first time but will no doubt learn some new ones next time. I'll maybe give it another bash and see how it goes. Cheers for the advice. :)
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what you need is wood chip paper to sort your wall out. plastering is a craft something that takes years to learn not something that you pickup like a dose of the pox.
 
malc said:
what you need is wood chip paper to sort your wall out. plastering is a craft something that takes years to learn not something that you pickup like a dose of the pox.
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Thanks Malc. I've just spent weeks taking wood chip off the walls,lol. There are lots of walls needing work in the house and an outbuilding that needs strapped lined and then plastered too. I know plastering is a craft that needs to be learned over time, time I've got and plenty of walls to do too. I do intend to keep going with it and not pick it up as and when. Cheers for the advice. :)
 
Danny said:
if you can get a pro in then do that and watch them do it :D If not get yourself a big bag of easi fil and a sanding block and a dust mask and crack on :D
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Thanks Danny. I'm now starting to think that might be the best option. The rest of the wall still has a smooth finish so can get a light on it after a mist coat and fill all the bits (which are a lot ). Should I apply easi fill with a trowel or scraper?
 
pistolswitch said:
Thanks Danny. I'm now starting to think that might be the best option. The rest of the wall still has a smooth finish so can get a light on it after a mist coat and fill all the bits (which are a lot ). Should I apply easi fill with a trowel or scraper?
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I would say a trowel in this case :D
 
Love to hear all the pros giving advice on how you should employ them rather than learn their "rocket science". It's your wall and your cash. If you don't practice, how are you going to learn? More power to your elbow.
 
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