HOW TO PLASTER A WALL – Plastering is a skill that requires strength, agility and a good eye. Watching any professional plaster at work and you would think it easy but to do it and do it well can take years of practice. For those of you who would like to try this guide which provides some practical advice on plastering and its techniques.
Step 1
Any professional plasterer will tell you that preparation is the key. Plastering is a messy job, so you need to remove any furniture, flooring (unless very well covered) and wear protective or old clothing.
Step 2
Clean the walls that you want to plaster. This is best done with some warm water and some sugar soap. This will remove any dirt, grease or grime from the wall. If you are plastering a new stud wall this won’t be necessary, nor will ‘Keying’ the wall. If on the other hand you are plastering an existing wall it must be clean.
Note the word ‘Keying’ – this refers to proving something that the new plaster can take hold on to. This is normally done when plastering onto a concrete or masonry wall. You can key the wall simply by making a series of small notches – most plasterers will do this with a hammer – you just need lots of little nicks in the existing surface to help the new plaster to adhere to.
Step 3
Get all the right tools and materials together; Plaster mix, bucket, mixing board or bath, water, trowel, sand, paint brush, drill with a mixing head and a rag.
Step 4
Mix up a batch of plaster following the manufacturer’s instructions on the bag of plaster you purchased.
Step 5
Take an amount of mix plaster and place it on a hand held board and with your trowel apply the first coat. Start at the top of the wall and try to keep the coating even.
Step 6
Once you have covered your wall with the first coat and it has dried you can then apply a finishing coat, normally referred to as ‘Browning’ or ‘Finishing’ plaster – follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 7
Apply an even coating starting from the top of the wall to the bottom.
Step 8
Polish the plastering to finish it but don’t over polish it otherwise paint or other coatings won’t be able to adhere to it.
Step 9
Leave the plaster work to dry for several days before decorating. It will turn a very dusty light pink when completely dry.
Acknowledgements: Video – Wickes.co.uk
