DIY Plastering is definitely an acquired skill. And if you’re looking for professional quality work and a perfect finish, you’ll have some trouble getting it right. If you’re eager to do this on your own, make sure you’re following all the right tips. And keep in mind that it won’t be perfect the first time around. Remember, even a fully experienced plaster has to practice for years to master their trade! The following is a few tips to follow if you want to do it right:
Prepare beforehand:
You’re almost certainly going to face problems if you haven’t sufficiently prepared of the surfaces in question beforehand. Make sure you remove the loose dirt, dust and all crumbly material from the surface of whatever you’re looking to plaster. This is going to help you get the smooth, perfect finish you want.
Also make sure to give the surface a brush down and a proper wash. Then, make sure to apply primer – which is a combination of water and PVA glue. The primer’s first coat is meant to give a foundation or base for the plaster you’re about to apply. It’s also designed to act as a sound barrier between the wall surfaces and the plaster. If you’re ignoring this first coating, your plaster has the possibility of drying out as it lets the wall absorb all its moisture. You’ll then be left with a powdery and brittle plaster. The second coating, on the other hand, has to be applied right before you apply the plaster and must still be moist when the new plaster is getting applied. This will act as a bonding surface and also make it easy to make the plaster smooth, as well as preventing the plaster coating from sticking.
Do NOT polish too hard
If you’re done with the plastering job and are satisfied with how perfect and flat the finish looks, make sure to leave it alone. This is the mistake many people are guilty of committing, and they end up ruining their plaster and messing up the finish. Do keep in mind that if your plaster is correctly applied and finished, it must have a slight texture to it instead of just being totally smooth. While flat and smooth is great, make sure a certain amount of texture is retained.
Make sure to keep it clean
A successful and smooth plastering is highly reliant upon its cleanliness. Contamination in even the slightest can make it impossible to achieve the perfect finish. Tiny dried flakes of old plaster are going to find a way into your wall or your mixture, hence leaving an eyesore around all your hard work. The solution? Keeping your water fresh and sparking, and cleaning all your tools as you go along. This is a very easy, simple and reliable rectification for a frustrating and seemingly unsolvable problem. Remember, if you overlook having to clean your tool kit, you’re going to have a very tough time plastering.
To ensure that any plastering work you do complete is protected well into the future, without need for further work for years and years, you should consider enlisting the services of All Weather Coating for exterior wall coatings.