Stop bead

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barry4

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Hi guys ,

Newbie here.Great forum .I am learning plastering and will be doing an apprentiship after christmas .I will be practising on a spare room which is 5m x 4m ..Now in the past i have been struggling with my speed and the mix going off before i get to the end :RpS_crying: I was wondering about using a stop bead to split the wall up so i can get the first and second coats right then do the other side and blend it in.I know most of you guys will say hit it in one but it looks **** to be honest as i seem to leave it a little thin in places .I have tryed doing a wetter mix to see if that helps but a slightly thicker mix seems to work better for 1st coat but the mix soon goes off due to lack of speed and then the lines in the wall start to harden and i am chasing the wall .
 
Basically you need to get quicker but you know this! Try just getting your first coat on as quick as you can and try not to worry about it being neat after all it is called roughing on, then clean your trowel and flatten.the best way to 1st coat is to adopt a system and stick to it and don't dither basically get the fker on sharpish. Also if you are reskimming are you using enough Pva as your gear might be pulling into quick by the sounds of it.

Inanswer to your question Thai never use a stop bead,just roll some scrim up the wall where you want to split it and leave it long at the bottom of the wall and plaster up to it and just over and before you hard trowel pull it and you will get a clean line. Or sometimes if I don't know how far the gear will get me I just finish where I want and again before the hard trowel I scrape a straight line with the toe of my trowel(works a lot better than it sounds)
 
Hi thanks for the reply .I might use some scrim then to just to try it out ..cannot hurt lol. The trouble is my first coat never seems to be consistant i.e some places not enough plaster on.I know it's a technique thing but i seem to be rushing and then the mix is setting .I usually pva twice put same issue.I know second mix should cover some of the first issues but again by the time i have it looking right it's going off and then i'm fighting it.Might just try it with scrim till i can get faster.
 
Yeah once the plaster has set and all you need to do is give it a hard/dry trowel then just pull the scrim and watch you nice clean line appear then scrape any excess to the right of the scrim(assuming you lay it on left to right)

Try to remember that the more you play with the plaster the quicker it sets that's a good little tip for when your learning to keep you moving forward and not worrying about what you have left behind you. Another tip if you are getting it to thin I places as you spread it up the wall try to make your stroke shorter, this should help keep it even.
 
Some very good advice given. Speed comes with time you don't get better without cocking up a few times if your skim is going of to quick you might be over mixing it
 
Thanks for the advice .I don't think i am over mixing it ,it's because i am too slow at completing the wall and playing about trying to get a better coat.I do tend to put it on a little thin in places .Like you say practice is the only way ! I have not got a smaller wall lol .If i do use some scrim to section it off is it better to start from the join after scrim is removed or work from the other end into it.I am left handed by the way not that it matters lol.
 
barry4 said:
.If i do use some scrim to section it off is it better to start from the join after scrim is removed or work from the other end into it.I am left handed by the way not that it matters lol.
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Always work the same way when skimming so for you it should be right to left, so start where you left off and remember to wet the edge of the existing plaster work and walls before you start spreading, especially if you leave it for a while.
 
some good advice on here for you mate especially the scrim one caz u should never use a stop bead and stop mucking about with you first coat dont worry just blast it on clean your tools then get you secind coat on flattening it in as much as possible then clean your trowel again and start working it t
 
Wet round the wall edge and ceiling angle as well if you're skimming up to dry plaster otherwise you'll find you'll be dragging dry lumps across your skimming as the water is pulled out by the dry edges.
 
Forgot to ask ,the wall i am plastering is painted (not flacking ) i am gonna give it a coat of pva let it dry then give another good coat then start when tacky.Will the scrim not pull any of the paint off the wall when i come to remove it after doing first section ?
 
No it won't and scrim before you Pva. If the paint has a sheen to it you may want to use a different bonding agent like blue grit or bond it but there are plenty of threads on that. Pva will be fine for when you have to reskim it tho:RpS_wink:
 
Another tip is dont overwhisk your skim as it will lead it to go off faster, also clean water,buckets and tools essential. We were all where you are now mate at some point and it will get easier.
 
Try to keep calm even when you think everything is stacked against you.

I find wearing ladies underwear helps.
 
DannyMac said:
Try to keep calm even when you think everything is stacked against you.

I find wearing ladies underwear helps.
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finally a sound bit of advice, another good plasterers tip is if the walls are only 8ft sometimes high heels can be used instead of a hop up. We use these on a lot of reskims.
 
Crotchless knickers are better as they're less restricting, unless you get them twisted then things can get painfull - or so a friend told me he read it somewhere..
 
lots of good advice there, and respect to you for practicing on your own place (unlike some other newbies who have posted on here that they are practicing on customers houses) plastering is very instinctive, first comes the skills then the speed. listen to all the advice given and try and try til it comes second nature. good luck
 
Olican said:
lots of good advice there, and respect to you for practicing on your own place (unlike some other newbies who have posted on here that they are practicing on customers houses) plastering is very instinctive, first comes the skills then the speed. listen to all the advice given and try and try til it comes second nature. good luck
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Prefer to practice on my own place rather than messing up some where else.Like everyone says practice and practice that's the only way.
 
Can i just ask why using a stop bead is not a good idea and that scrim is ok ? Is that because you can slightly overlap on to the scrim then pull off and leave a nice line.I did try again to hit the wall in one go but still a few little places where i missed so i scraped the whole lot back off lol before it fully set :) time to try again..I am just basically trying to get my teqnique right and be able to cover more ground.Shame i don't have a van as i would just put up some plasterboard to skim on then i would be able to keep using it without scraping it back off if i am not happy with it.Only got a car and that won't fit decent sizes plaster board. Don't mind practising but scraping off after is a pain.
 
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