Has anyone ever done plastering?

[slowmotion]

If you are determined to do it yourself, you will almost certainly get a better finish if you line the ceiling with taper-edged plasterboard, tape the joints with self-adhesive glassfibre tape, and then fill the tapered edges with a wide filler knife. I did that and it worked very well. It's a bit of a faff but not nearly as hard as wet plastering overhead.

 

[screenman]

Get the room stripped and ready and most plasterers will do a ceiling properly for about £100, make a mess yourself and you will knock a lot more than that off it's value if you ever want to sell it.

 

[ayceejay]

I agree with slowmotion. Although any skill can be learned plastering a smooth finish on a ceiling is way ahead of rocket science. In Canada where the houses are timber framed nothing gets plastered and the walls and ceiling are what they call Gyproc with the joints taped and filled and sanded if required, this is a lot easier and the result much better than an amateur mud slinging effort.

 

[Mile195]

Thanks for all the tips so far. I need to get the kitchen done fairly sharpish, since I have a second hand kitchen sitting outside under tarpaulins so I might go with the quick option for that...

If you are determined to do it yourself, you will almost certainly get a better finish if you line the ceiling with taper-edged plasterboard, tape the joints with self-adhesive glassfibre tape, and then fill the tapered edges with a wide filler knife. I did that and it worked very well. It's a bit of a faff but not nearly as hard as wet plastering overhead.

I did a £200 course, it's not as hard as some people make out but I wouldn't just give it a go. Find a local course, do it and then crack on at home, will save you a fortune in the long term.
I also did a plumbing course, that has came in handy many times!

...But for the rest of the place, it sounds like this might be a way forward. Every single room is going to need plastering so I might as well learn it properly, especially since money is an issue. Just spent an eye-watering amount having the 85 year old wiring (yes, that did say 85) replaced, so anywhere I can save cash has got to be a good thing...

 

[Melonfish]

plastering is easy, just mix it proper and lay it on smooth, never done a ceiling tho so can't say for sure on that but done walls and never had an issue (or a crack)
remember to polish it when its drying, bit of water on the skim and go over it gives it a lovely finish.

 

[hopless500]

And now for a completely off-topic question...

My home came with horrible polystyrene tiles on the ceiling of every room, as well as wooden panelling in the kitchen. I'm sure that both looked fab in the 1960's, but now they're just a fire hazard!

I know the ceiling and the walls underneath them will be a mess when I take them off.

Everyone says plastering is hard, but youtube videos don't make it look that terrible.

Anyone ever done it? Is it as hard as they say? Any horror stories?

Thanks all in advance...

I found it relatively easy and my OH found it quite hard doing walls. Ceiling though - he found it easy (because he is tall) and I found it a nightmare. You can't plaster well hopping up and down ladders every two seconds.
The first wall he did, I had to sand it down a lot (and I mean a hugely bit lot!) and it never quite looked right. But we are both pretty good at it now on the whole. Give it a go. If you mess up you can always get a plasterer in.

 

[Longshot]

remember to polish it when its drying, bit of water on the skim and go over it gives it a lovely finish.

It's one of the most peculiarly satisfying (non skin related) touch sensations I've ever known.

 

[yello]

It's one of those jobs that I'm quite happy to pay a professional to do. They've the experience, the equipment and the ability. More importantly, they can get a decent finish. If you watch a good plasterer at work, you realise just how physical the work can be too.

I do some bits of DIY around our place, and loads of work in the garden, but anything that's important and needs to be right then I call a tradesman in.

 

[asterix]

If you've never plastered before then starting with a ceiling isn't the best plan, best get a pro in.

plastering is easy, just mix it proper and lay it on smooth, never done a ceiling tho so can't say for sure on that but done walls and never had an issue (or a crack)
remember to polish it when its drying, bit of water on the skim and go over it gives it a lovely finish.

Melonfish is on the money.

Have done a very lot of plastering (skimming board mostly). Ceilings are easy enough if you have done the preparation work (levelling,crack taping..) use the right kinda plaster*, and crucially, get the mix right (just firm enough to stay on the board) and don't have it too thick, a mere 2mm is recommended. If the mix is right you'll find the plaster flows nicely once it's on the surface (it's sticky stuff and won't fall off - much) You also need something decent to stand on, a milk crate just won't do..

You may find it hard work as plastering uses all sorts of muscles you may have forgotten you had but after a few goes it gets less tiring. Until you find an awkward bit that needs the special cack-handed, backhand stroke.

It can be a big help if there are 2 of you if you are doing a lot.

*among other things it'll have a use-by date on the bag. A decent store won't sell full price plaster without several months to go before that. Post use-by it goes off too quick.

 

[Arch]

It can be a big help if there are 2 of you if you are doing a lot.

Or even three of you....

I've been learning to do a bit of plastering. I can do the rough bonding stuff well enough, and I've had a go at finish plastering, and wasn't terrible.

When we did NT's office/guest room, we enlisted his mate who did a course in order to do his own house. He was our expert, and we did what we could under his guidance. We found that it speeded things up to have two people working, and one making the next mix, cleaning tools and buckets etc. We'll be doing something similar in September when we come to plaster our own bedroom.

I think a course sounds like a very good idea if there's a lot to do. I've learned from NT, who learned from his mate, but it all comes back to someone having done a course and being able to pass the knowledge on.

Since then, I've proved capable at painting, tiling and grouting, so I seem to be specialising in the trades that involve slapping gloop on walls.

 

[Night Train]

Plastering is one of those skills that you can't really muddle through without some training and knowledge. As Arch says, I had the help and guidance of a friend who has been plastering his own house having done a course and has a friend who is a part time professional plasterer.

A ceiling is a really tough place to start for a novice. Aside from the lack of ability, you will get about 1/4 done and your shoulders will be screaming out for a week's rest. However, you can't stop and will have to finish a whole surface edge to edge.

Having a second person to mix, and a third person to get water and plaster ready to use and clean everything will help. Make sure everything is spotlessly clean, water tools, buckets, surfaces, everything. Set up a good working platform so that you can walk around and work without having to balance and watch your footing as you go. I have a small scaffold tower on wheels but a scaffold plank across two ladders would do.
Start at the corners and work in towards the middle. Start off by just getting the surface 'buttered' over as evenly as you can without worrying about how smooth it looks. When the surface is covered, have a and then use a plant sprayer to wet the surface and float off to get it smooth. Use a really good float, a cheap one won't work and will mess up the plaster.

I have only just done my first bit of solo plastering on a shower ceiling. The ceiling has a curve in it as it goes from flat to following the slope of the roof line in to the eves. The area was only 750mm x 1300m that I covered and I was starting to ache even then. I then did a velux window reveal and then went back to the ceiling to float it off.
It isn't wonderful but small enough to sand smooth now it is dry.

 

[asterix]

Use a really good float, a cheap one won't work and will mess up the plaster.

.

That's a good point. I use something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marshalltow...=1375379202&sr=8-42&keywords=plastering+float

I also have an 18" non-stainless from the USA of similar quality for doing large areas quickly. It's well worth paying the extra for good tools here as they make it possible to make a nice job.

The non-stainless tool needs careful cleaning as it rusts at the drop of the hat but in my experience it is less likely to drag the plaster.

It is possible to do part of a ceiling and then come back to it leaving an imperceptible join. As I mostly work alone I have to do that but it's a trick you learn.

 

[yello]

so for the amount you've shelled out good quality tools, etc, you could have got a professional in

Nah, seriously though, it's something to consider. There's some jobs I'd take to the LBS purely because I don't have, and don't want to buy, the proper tools. One-off jobs, or stuff you do rarely etc.

 

[Arch]

I think if it was a one off job, then calling in a pro would be the way. If there are lots of rooms to do, a course and tools start to pay off. And of course, it's not just financial, there's the satisfaction of doing the job. I'm so chuffed with our shower that I've just tiled, and every time I use it I'll think "I did that!" <soppy alert> NT and I are literally building our new life together...

Must run in the family. My sister was tiling their bathroom when she was so pregnant with her first, she couldn't see her feet.

Not that I'm... no!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Regarding your ceilings, (my previous flat had those polyester tiles in every room) I found scraping them off with care left the ceilings good enough to be just filled with polyfiller in places, then painted with 2 coats of a thick specialist paint (forgot the name) available at DIY stores. You will have to give another coat of paint for colour.

Smooth wall plastering takes practice and at least a mate, as said above. If you planning to fit your kitchen then tile the walls give it a bash, it does not have to be perfect for this.
I've plastered then tiled a kitchen and 2 bathrooms to date, learned by reading a book