Help for novice

[roughspread]

Hi fellas.

I might as well come clean right from the off - i went on a 5 day course (8 years ago) and have worked on my own from the off. As i have had no apprenticeship I get mixed results and have had to learn from my own balls ups! (there have not been that many - so far). :RpS_biggrin:

I refurb bathrooms and was let down once or twice, so i thought what the hell - give it a go. The course was a great laugh - ****ing clueless springs to mind, i could have screeded the floor with the finish plaster i dropped :RpS_blushing:

I have done quite a bit recently - small ceilings (8 x 8 feet) over artex etc and have been quite pleased with the results (more importantly the client has!).

I have a couple of questions i'm not sure about and wouldnt mind a few pointers :-

On plasterboard - can you get away with one coat of multi finish? i was taught to always do two coats.

I normally hardwall screwed up walls for tiling - is this the best gear?

For bigger celings do you have to split the room and make it manageable? never attempted a biggun!

I didnt realise how much work is involved in plastering - knocking up, spreading and clearing up knackers me, i dunno if i could do it all the time! i have great respect for you lot - or am i just doing it wrong?:RpS_biggrin:

Thanks for any help.

 

[Nisus]

•On plasterboard - can you get away with one coat of multi finish? i was taught to always do two coats.

Yes you can get away with it if you know how to:RpS_wink: but 2 coats are better
& usually use board finish on plasterboard.


•I normally hardwall screwed up walls for tiling - is this the best gear?

Depends, if your going over old block work yes.
If your going over old tile adhesive & old skim use pva then skim or if really bad use pva bonding & skim:RpS_thumbup:

•For bigger celings do you have to split the room and make it manageable? never attempted a biggun!

If it's too big just get another spread to help:RpS_wink:

 

[henry]

Some may well one coat over board I two coat no matter what.
When I think of tiles I think of water I would try and use sand and cement or even dri coat backing plaster.
What is a big ceiling to me may not be big to an other plasterer. If you feel a little out of your comfort zone try and split the ceiling into two mixes . Put half on tidy it up and while the joint is still wet put the next half on and trowel through until your done. Forgot to say if you dont work off stilts then make sure you have plenty of scaff boards make the job work for you. Ploastering is the hardest trade of the lot.

 

[Chris W]

i reckon you can one coat anything thats flat with even suction...
tapered edge boards will want dubbing out a bit (call it a first coat), round beads and door liners and wobbly walls and ceilings...
other than that, or once youve done that - 1 good coat, flatten it straightaway, saves on mixing and plaster and i get as good a finish as 2 coating the lot...
only time ill 2 coat everything nowadays is when it really needs it - artex etc
its the recession thats done this to me and i thank it for it... ive got it off to a fine art now...
i kid you not...

 

[beddy]

did you have to buy a super size sponge float chris?

 

[Chris W]

never use a sponge on multi or board mate, never need to...
one coat plaster youve got no choice but never on multi...
all you gotta do is get straight back on it with a flat firm trowel as soon as you got it on, wont need another coat, and wont need a sponge and at the very most a splash of water if you start getting a bit stripey...
hard work in summer but just do smaller sets....

 

[plaster man]

i reckon you can one coat anything thats flat with even suction...
tapered edge boards will want dubbing out a bit (call it a first coat), round beads and door liners and wobbly walls and ceilings...
other than that, or once youve done that - 1 good coat, flatten it straightaway, saves on mixing and plaster and i get as good a finish as 2 coating the lot...
only time ill 2 coat everything nowadays is when it really needs it - artex etc
its the recession thats done this to me and i thank it for it... ive got it off to a fine art now...
i kid you not...

i cant stop looking at your avatar chris i kid u not and ur right do as little as u can and get as much as u can i love ur avatar must stop looking

 

[Chris W]

ha ha you should have seen it before we swapped forum software!!

 

[spunky]

seggs i worked out we were getting 13 m ish from a bag one coating 2 bags per sets plenty, 2 hours top per set happy daisys

 

[Chris W]

thats it mate... just cocks you up a bit if they used tapered edge, gotta fill the joint first or it shrinks like f'ck...
only thing is... if you go on day rate, you gotta slow riiiiiggghhht down...

 

[Danny]

if you go on day work why not 2 coat it....lol

 

[Chris W]

cos if no ones watching you, you can spend 1/2 the day watching the birds.... :RpS_sneaky:

and just tell em youve two coated it, they wont know any different..

 

[roughspread]

Thanks

Cheers for replies.

I normally use lots of boards and hop ups for ceilings - stilts - i wouldnt trust myself. clumsy at best:RpS_wub:

I enjoy the spreading - when its going well. I get in a bit of a 2 and 8 when stuffs going off. I have had a go at 13 x 13 ceiling on me tod, but found this really hard work. I will give the split half and half method a go (Thanks Henry).

I've done a quite a bit of S+C rendering and actually find this easier than plaster. but i dunno if my method is correct - I normally sbr blocks then scratch coat upto the trims - try and leave about 5 mm then second coat after watering down wall the next day - leave an hour - then scrub up with float - is this correct:RpS_confused:.

Thanks for the help - any plumbing stuff i can help with - feel free

 

[spunky]

As long as it sticks to the walls mate yes

 

[beddy]

can you come and flush my pipes?