laying on 2nd coat

Members online

Status
Not open for further replies.

stripey

New Member
have any of you pro's got any tips for judging when the first coat is ready for the second . ie how it feels
,change in colour etc
Cheers Stripey
 
Dont let it change colour, the first coat just needs to feel tacky before you flatten it out and then apply your 2nd coat.
 
A mate of mine says if you touch the first coat and it leaves a very small stipple its ready for the 2nd.
Is that sound advise
 
You will feel when its ready mate.
Once the first coat is on, clean your hawk, trowel, buckets etc... Then take the lines out of the first coat with your trowel, starting where you started laying it on.
Clean your trowel and get set up for the next mix.
When your mix is ready, take any large lines out that are still left, and get your second coat on.

When you are taking the lines out of the first coat, you will notice the plaster is stiffening up a bit. If its not, then wait a little longer and try again.
Basically, your second coat goes onto the first, when the first coat is 'pulling in'.

Don't try to lay your second coat on when the first is still wet, or it kinda defeats the purpose of a second coat, as the first coat will move around underneath your trowel.
 
Do you get longer by apllying a second coat?

meaning if i can get across a 10ft wall in one coat and then its ready to flatten,would i get across 2 walls of 10ft if i layed onto them both then applied my second coats?
point being,would it give me time to do both walls if i used 2 coats?

i usually only use one "thick" coat then flatten in.Only put 2 coats on if its rough.

Hope im explaining myself here :-[
 
2nd coat is applied a lot thinner than the 1st coat, I also have mine a fair bit softer and a new gauge if possible. You will find that using 2 coats will improve your overall finish. Worked with a fair few spreads in my time and I have never seen one only use 1 coat.
 
When i was doing my courses l was told to put the 2nd coat on as soon as you've finished the first, instructors always said dont worry about flatting the first coat, as its all about speed get your coats on as quick as possible then go over it filling in any holes or dips, they said dont even worry about any small lines as these can be taken out while you polish up
 
Hmmm,

One coat work is all I can say shite.... I only do it in bathrooms where a tiler is going in after me and even then I still prefer to 2 coat.

I stick my seccond coat on pretty quick after the first one as I find that this sends both coats off quick and they pull in together.

I also find that making sure the first coat is hnearly perfect definiately helps when you put the second coat on.

The first coat is normally around 2mm thick and then the 2nd is 1mm.

When I knock up my 2nd coat I always make it runnier than the first and I always make sure when I sticking it on that I keep trowel lines to a minimum as this can cause big problems in the future.

Danny
 
May i ask,do you flatten in as you hoy ya second coat on?
or just hoy it on as you did your first then flatten in after?

Cheers
 
I think by hoy you mean laying the plaster on, I always flatten when the coat as picked up a bit or as Stripey says when it stipples a bit when you touch it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top