Plastering Guide, Tips & Tricks

First things first all walls and ceilings must be prepped before hand, if going onto old substrate a PVA or blue grit keying solution has to be applied to help with key and suction. If going on to plasterboard all joints need to have scrim tape applied to help minimise chance of cracking in the future.

Now on to mixing, this is where it can be won or lost for most new to plastering. Too wet and you may find it hard to control the plaster, to stiff and you wont be able to spread it on the wall/ceiling. When mixing you also need to avoid over mixing as this will make the plaster go off quicker, use an electric mixer and try to get a consistency similar to a thick cream. All plasterers have different preferences on how we like the mix and will often change depending on what back ground were going onto. Thicker mixes are usually better for going onto uneven and Artex surfaces were as a wetter mix is better for plasterboard and similar flat surfaces.

After laying on the first coat of plaster you have to give it a quick flatten with your trowel to remove any big lines of plaster, don’t take too long and don’t aim for perfection as this is still the first coat.

Mix up again and apply the second coat once again give it a quick flatten and fill the majority of imperfections. This is the time to give your tools and bucket a good clean. As the plaster starts to pull in (firm up) you can work it more and really start to perfect the wall/ceiling, flicking a little water from your brush at this point helps. Pay attention to the edges around the walls and skirting boards making sure all gaps are filled and are not drying out to quick. Make sure your keeping your trowel clean while troweling up the wall/ceiling to avoid pulling anything through your the plaster. If you’ve fixed any beading always make sure to clean off the beads with the edge of your trowel to create a nice sharp edge.