Spongers

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Jay 797

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I must be living with my head in the sand!! Whats the score with using a sponge on skimming then? Do you use it like you would on rendering or do you use it like a trowell?:confused:
Without wanting to open a can of worms do you use sponges with plastic trowells?? :RpS_scared:
 
lol... spoonging is a technique normally used by eastern europeans... its the sign of a rough spread.... dont do it!

Put the term sponge into the search bar and you will see whats been said about it...lol

If oyu know how to use it right then it may be ok but oh boy its a rough method :)
 
I must be living with my head in the sand!! Whats the score with using a sponge on skimming then? Do you use it like you would on rendering or do you use it like a trowell?:confused:
Without wanting to open a can of worms do you use sponges with plastic trowells?? :RpS_scared:

u shouldnt need to, it brings the plaster back to life that that has gone off too quick so
you can trowel it up...b++locks, u should not need to use it
 
I must be living with my head in the sand!! Whats the score with using a sponge on skimming then? Do you use it like you would on rendering or do you use it like a trowell?:confused:
Without wanting to open a can of worms do you use sponges with plastic trowells?? :RpS_scared:

anyway what are u doing using sponge on render, it brings the stones out of the wall for rain to sit on them and go into your wall........ just need plastic float
 
we always sponge finish render.... in fact I dont know any people that dont use a sponge to finish s+c render...

Danny
 
anyway what are u doing using sponge on render, it brings the stones out of the wall for rain to sit on them and go into your wall........ just need plastic float

I always use a sponge on smooth face rendering matey! Float it first then sponge it up, gives a lot better finish than just floating :RpS_thumbup:
 
wonder how much S+C you have actually done ;-)

na joking Danny, have done a few, i know what your saying ... everyone i know uses a sponge too..
I dont know why that I have been taught to use a plastic float... i must admit when using a plastic float it does rub up lovely.. what is the difference then in the sponge and float Danny?

Cheers
 
You use a plastic float to flatten it off then you use a sponge to smooth out any lines!! Pretty similar to skimming in a way!
 
thank foook for that :) I am not he only one :) it brings out the grain and it does look a lot better :)

I rendered a wall that was 20 meters high by 54meters long took 65 tonne of sand.... and 4 of us on it.... every day one of us would drop back and knock up :) hard graft as it was awkward sh1t scaff and know where to run a barrow.....

So in that sense yeah I use a float and a sponge :) but not a sponge float
 
using a sponge dont make you rough,Being lazy will make a plasterer rough, A sponge may be a waste of time on normal skimming because you just dont need it. However If the wall has picked up too quick because there is too much suction and your skim has become lifeless why make hard work for yourself ?? the sponge can bring it to life long enough to get a trowel on it to flatten it ready for the next trowel. Then clean your sponge and put it away no big deal. A bad workman blames tools an all that.
 
I've never used a sponge float to finish render. More like a cheap yellow sponge for cleaning motors - just in case people are getting sponge floats and sponges confused..
 
lol yep I found the cheaper the sponge the better... who enjoys rinsing out the sponge in winter.... brrrrrrr
 
morrisons were selling yellow sponges for 35p, got a funny look off the girl behind the till when i went in with 10 last week!

ps. well done danny, a whole thread and you've not spelt 'the' incorrectly once! :RpS_biggrin:
 
its hard to get a finish on that one coat gear unless you sponge float it.You need it to bring the fines to the surface for the final trowels
 
thank foook for that :) I am not he only one :) it brings out the grain and it does look a lot better :)

I rendered a wall that was 20 meters high by 54meters long took 65 tonne of sand.... and 4 of us on it.... every day one of us would drop back and knock up :) hard graft as it was awkward sh1t scaff and know where to run a barrow.....

So in that sense yeah I use a float and a sponge :) but not a sponge float

That's some going Danny mate!!
I honestly thought that was the way everyone did it, 'on rendering that is' but I'd never heard of it on skimming before tinternet??
 
im intrigued by this sponge float on skim thing. the guy i saw do it left a good finish. why has the finish been poor on the stuff you lot have seen? is it because it was one coated? i no about th fat thing, but the walls i saw it did have fat smeared over so dont see it as a problem?? were the guys all foreign?
 
a few year back B gyspum went on strike and there was no BG plaster around so i bought a couple of pallets of the French one coat crap.
only way to get a decent finnish was too sponge float it once it had gone off. Have honestly neverused it again since although im 100% it would be helpfull on BG plaster.
You had to use it on the knuaf crap or finishing was impossible.
 
nowt wrong with mp finish it trowels a dream just dont f uck about with it to much get lines out then keep off it till its ready for a hard trowel
 
i couldnt get on with mpfinish on my last job. used a load over board and sand and cement and it went nice. but this was a reskim and it was a right pain
 
Sponge floats have been around quite a while and have many uses.Patching in sand and cement ,napp finish.They have also been used for bringing skimming back to life if a set has pulled in to quick.This is lack of experience on behalf of the plasterer as you should be fully aware of the back ground you intend to skim,ie if its sand and cement that has been lying up for a week its gonna be like skimming over hot cakes,bonding and float coat will be just the same.This method of sponging wont leave a good finish as you will be using the fat from the wall and wiping it back in to fill any imperfections,which you will have because the wall has pulled in. The proper way to use a sponge float is ,Lay on first coat,rule off,fill the wants,rule again ,lay down with second coat,wait and trowel,sponge in a circular motion with water,this brings all the dead plaster [fat]to the surface of the wall ,trowel removing all fat ,do not wipe this back into your wall,its only dirt,trowel twice more when timing is right and the wall is ready for polishing,you now have a clean crisp finish with no fat or water marks.This cannot be obtained by sponging a wall that has gone too far. hope this was of help.
 
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