Skimming.....What am I doing wrong?

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somtam

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Hello. I'm a newbie so pls go easy on me. I have recently been on one of these crash courses to learn plastering to do my home and am after your advice pls. I have started wit the smallest, box bedroom and have skimmed two walls both being approx. 9ft square. Now from a distance visually they look good but when you rub your hand over then you can feel the peaks and troughs, nothing substantial but they are there. Perhaps I'm being over critical as its my first DIY job after the course but I would like to erase these blemishes and in time get the perfect skim. What I m doing is two coats then finish with trowel, let go tacky then wet sponge using figure 8 and then allow to almost dry and then using spray bottle finish off removing any access and giving glass like finish. Pls don't bet me up by you guys that have been in the trade for years...I'm after advice....thank you..... somtam
 
Give us more info. Talk us through the stages your tutor taught you. How many days did your coarse last?
 
I have just had a look at your training providers website and frankly you should of enroled on a evening or weekend course at newcastle college or gateshead cos from what they are saying you are gonna learn in 4 days i do not see how you had any time to learn how to plaster
 
i experimented with the sponge float in my early days after cing another plasterer doing it.. basicly lay on , second coat, trowel up, sponge a few meters in adavance then follow over with trowel, hard trowel.. u pull a load of gear off with it and its **** so i soon stoped doing it.. i certainly wouldnyt be sponging then spraying water on it as it should surly be one method or the other.. the way i do it (every one has thre own metod) is to lay on 1st coat, then secnd, flaten in, 2 wet trowels (spray bottle), then dry trowel. hope that helps somtam
 
First coat

Lay on
Plazi
spat
flatten
sponge
spat
spray
flatten
plazi
sponge
spat
Pray

second coat
layon
Spat
sponge
plazi
flatten
spray
pray
flatten
plazi
float
Finish
 
Somtam, Why are you wetting the wall with the sponge, letting it dry and then re-wetting it again with a spray bottle? What's theory behind this method? :)
 
Put pva (watered down) on the walls/boards, that will give you amatuers time to fanny about. Peaks n troughs :rolleyes)
 
raggles said:
I have just had a look at your training providers website and frankly you should of enroled on a evening or weekend course at newcastle college or gateshead cos from what they are saying you are gonna learn in 4 days i do not see how you had any time to learn how to plaster
Click to expand...

I particularly liked the success story at the bottom of the page. The boy Gary done a 5 week course and now owns a construction business and has to employ subbies to meet the demand......................Nice one Gazza.............:RpS_thumbup:. all that in 5 weeks................... @Fatarm you've got nowt to worry about when you get laid off marra .............:RpS_wink:
 
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Lets face it.......if it took 4 days to learn to mix up theres no fecking hope. 5 mins is about right!!!!!
 
If you think it takes 5 minutes to mix up you're a **** plasterer who's never had a labourer it takes weeks sometimes months to get them used to decent mixes
 
jcrplast said:
First coat

Lay on
Plazi
spat
flatten
sponge
spat
spray
flatten
plazi
sponge
spat
Pray

second coat
layon
Spat
sponge
plazi
flatten
spray
pray
flatten
plazi
float
Finish
Click to expand...

What the hell.
lay- it-on.
lay-it down.
trowel-it -up :) whatever happened to skimming
 
spunky said:
If you think it takes 5 minutes to mix up you're a **** plasterer who's never had a labourer it takes weeks sometimes months to get them used to decent mixes
Click to expand...

I don't agree. I was taught to keeping adding plaster until a small island of plaster forms in the bucket. Mix it all together and watch whether the paddle leaves a swirl after it has been removed.

If it does and holds its shape without collapsing, then it's too thick.
If it doesn't, then add more plaster.

The overall viscosity is personal preference.

When they've mixed their first batch, let them go and use it. If it requires effort for them lay it on, then you tell them it's because they mixed it too thick. If they make an absolute mess of the floor, then you kindly point out that it's too thin.

There's no way it should take someone 4 days to learn how to mix :)
 
Yes they do they learn using different materials and watching, they don't know it they never will but they do that's why they stay off the tools
 
hi i'm liam and i think you are being over critical, plastering isn't something that you can perfect in the first few times of doing it. i have been doing it 9 years now and i still wouldn't say that i'm perfect. but if i do say 1 thing don't use the sponge that is a no no. stick at it tho and everytime you do a mix just try to get it better than the last 1.
 
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