Preparation

Preparation;

No doubt you have heard the term "Preparation is the key to a successful finish" I think that it must have come from a plasterer! As far as finish is concerned, perfection is the main aim. There is no way you can achieve a perfect finish if your preparation is slipshod! So what kind of preparation is needed? Glad you asked ;)

A standard plastered wall only needs minimal prep work, a coat of PVA at a ratio of 3:1 (that's 3 cups of water to 1 cup of PVA) allowed to dry and then a final coat at a slightly weaker mix of 4:1 (notice more water added this time?) this is then allowed to become tacky, its at this juncture that you start skimming, basically the plaster (in theory) bonds with the PVA and gives rise to a stronger bond between the wall and the wet plaster but what if the wall has a textured coating and is painted with silk emulsion? This is where bonding agents come into their own!

There are products on the market called; Bond-it™, Betokontact™ and Wickes Plaster Bonding Agent™

All these products do the same job, they seal the background and provide an excellent key from which to work, their use is basically the same too, roll it on (after stirring it thoroughly) and allow it to dry/cure. It is better to leave them overnight regardless of popular opinion to get the full effect from them, plaster sets and if this set can be held back a little longer the newcomer will be given a far better chance to finish a wall to a high class finish, I call these agents "Field levellers" as they certainly do level out the playing field!

Obviously as you progress you can get away with applying PVA if you need to get a job done quick! Remember though that PVA does not hold water back as much as the agents so you can be (and sometimes are) caught out by the plaster initial set happening too quick!

So there you have it, agents are or should be your first choice if you need longer plastering time, of course they are more expensive but in the long run they save your bacon no end ;)

There are undoubtedly hundreds of different scenarios whereby a certain approach is needed, this is why we have the forum, ask any question you wish and it will be answered promptly.