Plastering Help

Need some Plastering Help? Just click on any one of the categories below for specific help - someone may have already asked the same question and the answer will already be there. If not just ask.

Types of Questions

I will answer

Any questions relating to plastering technique, materials or anything to do with plastering yourself.

I cannot answer

To avoid being drawn into arguments - I cannot answer questions relating to work that plasterer's have carried out.



Choose which Aspect of Plastering you need help with:


Wall Preparation - (backing Coat & Skim Coat) includes mixing

Backing Coat problems - everything related to the base coat

Skim Coat - General - application

Skim Coat - Troweling - troweling issues

Skim Coat Problems - didn't turn out right?

Not Above? Get General Plastering Help Here



Answers to previous questions are listed below.

Previous Subjects

Click on any of the following to view the related Questions and Answers

Tearing/Wrinkles  
Skimmed my first plaster board wall using the guide outlined on this page. Turned out quite well. 2mm multi finish coat then 1mm multifinish. When …

Patching up a hole exposing lath 
Hi, thank you for a great site! I took out a fitted wardrobe and it has resulted in a hole in the plaster, exposing the lath. Its about an inch deep. What …

Just wanted to say thanks! 
Hi Paul, I've been learning from your course, and plastered my first wall today. It was in a right state as it used to be a kitchen with tiles which …

Prep for 2 cut joints  
Hi I’ve had to use 2 cut ends of plasterboard together. What prep is needed before I plaster? Will it just be skrim tape then plaster as normal? Many …

How to prevent soot stain and odour bleeding through dot and dab plasterwork? 
Hi Paul I don't know if you have had experience of having to dot and dab plasterboard and plaster over soot damaged areas where chimney breasts have …

Use of PVA 
It seems that PVA has a use on both high and low suction surfaces, is this correct. On low suction surfaces it’s acting as a bonding agent (glue?) and …

Backing for patching in lime plaster 
Hi - I've got a patch of about 30cmx30cm lime plaster that has come away from the wall. THe house is around 1840 and stone construction. What should I …

Skimming over old sand a cement  
Hello Paul I am currently prepping for the plaster in my house it had some live areas of plaster so I have scraped it all off back the the existing sand …

What sort of plaster for Solid Stone Bathroom Wall 
I have stripped back a bathroom wall to the stone (old house, solid stone walls), not an external wall, which used to be tiled. I do not wish to re-tile, …

Decorative edges around fireplace 
Hi Paul, I'm working on the chimney breast as you will see from the pics. Plan is to install a woodburner, and we'd like to keep the original bricks as …

Masking up and getting tight internal corners 
How do you go about masking up the walls when trying to keep them clean? PVA is messy and gets everywhere and I want to prevent getting anything on the …

Plastering an arch 
Hi, I have removed old wallpaper from the underside of an arch that divides lounge to dining room and found that the arch has been made from ply board …

Bond first or straight to skim? 
Hi Paul, I put some bondingCoat on the ceiling (over artex) last may. New job and new addition to the family has meant I've only just got back to it. …

Obtaining a smooth polished finish 
Hi, I have recently skim coated over an old asbestos ceiling in our hallway. Which I thought was polished nicely - but after putting on a thin coat of …

Door frames & Blue grit 
Hi Paul, Great site, just wished I found it earlier before I spent thousands of pounds on very unreliable plasterers. But then I wouldn't have found …

Skimming a chimmney breast 
hi the chimney had already been rough coated some years ago we wanted to wallpaper so i decided to pva then skim it my self-problem as I was putting on …

After removing Wallpaper 
We found that the plasterboard under the wallpaper has got a white plastic coating on it, very much like thin PTFE. When using steamer it peels in some …

plaster falling down from window reveals 
hi can you help how do you plaster window reveals outside....the plaster keeps falling down from the top of the window.....what am i doing wrong Answer …

Is it ok to plaster over wood hop wall paper if I use thistle bond it on the paper first 
Is it ok to skim over a wall that has wood chip on it , it has blown a little in places, I would use thistle bond it on the wall first Regards Danny …

Tiling over plaster 
I have plastered round a window (the windowsill and surrounding wall) and was wondering how long before I can tile it. The tiles you can see on the windowsill …

Cracks in plaster 
I've been renovating an old cornish cottage. One upstairs bedroom wall was very uneven, so I followed your guide relating to levelling the wall with a …

Type of plaster required for fireplace 
Hi there, Can you please advise me whether I can use ordinary plaster for plastering the inside if a fireplace which is to be fitted with a wood burning …

Old plaster 
What are the practical consequences of using old finish plaster Answer It may set very quickly - even as it's being mixed, or could be lumpy. …

Dot & Dab onto a block wall 
HI, when dot and dabbing onto an blockwork cavity wall, can you use just normal plasterboard or do you have to use insulated plasterboards? if not why? …

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backing coat - making a wall plumb  
I have set up a couple of plasterboard walls joined by an external corner so I can practice some plastering. I have noticed that one face of the wall is …

Re-plaster over painted sand and cement 
Can you replaster over painted sand and cement Answer Yes you can re-plaster over painted sand and cement. Apply PVA and then when tacky apply …

drying to quick 
Have applied pva and skim onto plasterboard (old) butwent off in half an hour making it impossible to Finnish. . Help. Hi Stephen, Did it set or …

damp patch in the plaster 
I had a interior wall (wall dividing my house to next door) skimmed over the existing plaster, and there is a patch of damp plaster approx 1.5 metres up …

Best Plaster to buy 
Can you tell me what the best plaster is to buy to skim the walls of my 1910 property? Answer If you are just tidying the walls prior to painting …

How to plaster a ceiling flat 
Hi Paul I noticed that none of my ceilings are straight, what's the best way to deal with this? I've skimmed them and worried people will notice a …

Disposing of unwanted plaster slurry 
Hi Paul I hope you are well. I have found your DVDs vet handy so thank you. On that note I have a question and it may seem silly but as I'm going to …

Trowel advice 
Firstly, just like to say thank you for a brilliant, helpful and informative website, it has definitely improved my skills as a sit plasterer! Looking …

Plastering over wet blockwork  
Is it ok to plaster over newly layed blockwork? Answer A day after - or when it is strong enough to withstand the lateral force (all the pushing!) …

Plaster finish onto bounding  
I used multi finish plaster straight onto bounding and more or less as soon as the finish went onto the bounding it started to go off (dry straight away …

Ceiling preparation 
Hi Paul, I want to plaster over a ceiling which has artex. Large areas of the artex have flaked off and a lot of the remaining artex is also easy to scrape …

Plastering a corner with significantly different levels (internal) 
Hi all, I have recently taken an internal door frame out and have put some wooden uprights in its place with a view to tiling the brick wall. On the …

Sand and cement on plasterboard 
Hi paul hope you well recieved your dvd and very pleased,will tackle skimming spare room soon! Quick question does sand and cement stick to plasterboard? …

Skimcoat/corners 
I need to skim coat my kitchen and all the videos neglect to show how to handle the corners. Does your video cover inside/outside corners? Thank …

filling up large area after removing door 
Hi, I recently removed a door and door posts and put plasterboard to close the gap. Though the existing wall has a very thick layer of plaster on it, …

Skimming over old patchy plaster 
Hi Paul. I am about to skim a complete wall which is already covered with old plaster. There are quite large patches where I have had to scrape away the …

Skimming, external corners, window revels 
if skimmimg, over spound old plaster walls, would you skim and use the metal edging on the exteral corners, or skim, and use a external trowel to create …

The mysteries of lime 
I’m going to render & plaster the internal face of a brick wall in the lean-to conservatory in my garden. I decided to use non hydraulic lime as in the …

pva 
What pva sealer should I use I have come across a contractor pva is that ok or should I use the sealer/ adhesive one. Thankyou Answer Either will …

Can you put plaster board over tongue and groove panelling? 
Can you put plaster board on top of tongue and groove panelling or is it better to just remove the tongue and groove before plaster boarding? Answer …

Decorative sand cement render in bathroom 
Hi my question is rather lengthy, but it boils down to two main questions: 1. Can i render plasterboard with a skim coat of sand cement using sbr as bonding …

Plastering around fireplace 
Dear Plastering Guru, Thanks for the guide reminders - had a bash at the nursery last night and very pleased to report that I now have two smooth, reskimmed …

WALL PREPARATION 
Hi the wall over my fireplace keeps cracking. The wall feels hot to touch when the gas fire is on. I have just redecorated, wall was stripped , crack filled, …

Skimming slightly uneven plaster board 
Hi Paul Bought your DVD the other month and very impressed. Just a quick question, I have to skim some plaster boards but they are slightly uneven …

plastering a shed ceiling 
Hi there, I have an outdoor building that i have turned into a home bar,internal roof is insulated and plasterboarded,each time the wind picks up or theres …

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Is there plaster board you can paint without skimming 
Is there plaster board you can paint without skimming Answer Yes standard plasterboard (white side) can just be painted

plastering second coat board finish onto dried out first coat. 
How do you do the second coat onto plaster board, using board finish,if the first coat has been allowed to dry out overnight or longer? Answer The …

Skimmimg over internal old sand and cement finish.  
Hi There, i have stripped wall paper form an old property. All the internal walls have a sand and cement finish. even the plasterboard stud walls. …

Plastering over different substrates 
Our house suffered a damp issue in the early for of this year and the upper wall in the bedroom suffered quite badly. I have recently started to chip back …

Smooth with rough patches. 
Hi, I am getting the wall really flat and smooth. The walls look great whilst plaster is still setting and even feels like glass. However, once it has …

Trowel sizes 
Hi Paul, I purchased your on-line videos on the 28th and have to say how much they have helped me, thanks! One thing i sometimes struggle with is when …

Plastering over metal lintel and metal restraints any advice 
Can you please give me advice on plastering over metal restraints and lintels and also electric plastic capping which is not chased in to wall thanks paul …

Plastering over cables and copper pipes what should I do to prep these areas out first thanks 
Plastering over cables and copper pipes some have been capped and some chased in to the wall ,what should I do to prep these areas out first thanks …

plastering over artex 
Hi Paul We have bought an old house and it is covered in artex. I want to have a go at plastering over it myself, though I have never plastered before.The …

Bonding Coat Plaster 
Hi, I have an old house and have a wall that needs plastering. I have chopped out old/damaged plaster and made some alterations. The wall now needs to …

Blown Plaster  
Hi Paul I've found your guide to plastering very useful but despite the excellent advice we have run into a spot of bother. Whilst painting the …

Painting Plaster 
How long should I leave plaster to dry before painting? On both a skimmed wall and a wall taken back to brick. Answer You will see when the plaster …

Skim coat over sand & cement backing coat 
I'm going to use sand and cement to cover the block walls in my garage. From reading this guide it looks like i will be ok to apply a backing coat of …

Plastering to skim beads 
I have to plaster a chimney breast which had wooden beads. I have removed the beads and filled in the deep holes. What is the correct procedure for attaching …

Plastering over thermalite blocks 
Hi Paul, I bought your DVD a couple of years ago and have since had great success skimming walls and ceilings. I've got a wall with thermalite blocks …

How to use PVA to plaster over existing plaster or wall surface 
Hi Paul, The video and course are excellent (and for anyone reading this, are both value for money and highly recommended. As a result, I've completed …

Using water for trowelling 
Hello Paul Just wondering how much water is OK to splash on the wall at stage 5 in the skimming process. I'm skimming on plasterboard and have completed …

curves into ceiling 
hi paul, i have a room im going to tackle only thing is the walls and ceiling all tie in together and create curves i was wondering if there is a special …

damp issue's 
Hi Paul, recently bought a property which has a lot of damp issues. Been told to use foil back plasterboard but not sure how to fix it? Am I aloud to …

OVER BRICKS AND MORTAR 
Hi.I need to patch repair a short, corner chimney breast that runs up to a sloping ceiling,after rain damage.I've hacked out the loose plaster and black …

Backing coat depth 
Hello Paul, I have Thermolite block walls to plaster and will be plastering up to window reveals that have the wooden cases already fitted. If I rule …

Rippling 
Paul On an otherwise smooth and flat skimmed surface I sometimes get a patch of fine rippling. It looks like corduroy has been lightly pressed onto …

Base coat 
If I use sand n cement base coat on block wall to flatten it do I need to 'key' it or will skim stick ok if left smooth? Answer Yes you need to …

nail type 
what type of nails are better for pining the beading on to the wall i have tried different types but the walls are so old and brittle the wall just cracks …

Tyrolean Rendering 
Do you do any short courses for hand machine applied Tyrolean rendering? Yes, in the Custom Course: https://www.diyplastering.co.uk/shortplasteringcourse.html …

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replastering part of old lath ceiling 
hello, i have had part of the ceiling collapse in my living room (directly below where people jump out of a mezzanine bed upstairs) . there was a crack …

damp proof plaster 
i was wondering if there was a type of plasticiser that you can mix into either hardwall or browning to help damp proof the walls of my lounge? ( whick …

Repairing Plaster 
Paul, I hope all is well with you! Thanks again for the class. We were removing tile from an interior kitchen wall and the tiles seemed to pull off …

troweling problem 
Hi paul, I seem to be having trouble when it comes to final trowel. I get the wall hole free and all lines out let it firm up so its pretty much rock hard …

Plastering Ceilings 
What mix do you use for skimming a ceiling? Is it stiffer than for a wall? Answer Yes so that it is a bit easier to control - but not too thick that …

Skimming Problems 
Hi paul. I have a question on troweling up after I put the second coat on, let it take for a bit then give it the first trowel it begins to show ripples …

general info 
Hi, long time ago i've bought your plastering guide just to get some ideas and practical hints. Indeed i have an entire flat to plaster and i've tought, …

Water marks in finished plaster? 
Hello, I have been getting more confident getting plaster on the walls in my kitchen. The results are nice and flat but a bit variable in that sometimes …

Plaster types ??? 
Are DIY Plasters the same as those used by the Trade as i've found some "Universal Products" off-the-shelf don't "trowel-up" very well ? Answer …

water on scatch coat prior to finish render 
hello, i am cement rendering cavity blocks and have done scratch coat, should i wet down the walls to help adhesion prior to the final render? also is …

no. of coats and sand type 
hello, i am about to render the inside of 2 sheds, I am wondering if i will be able to do it in one coat or will i have to do two coats, there will not …

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The author cannot accept liability for the use of any of the materials or methods recommended at this site or for any consequences arising out of their use. The author cannot guarantee the suitability of any recommendations made at this site and shall not be under any legal liability of any kind in respect of or arising out of the content of this site.

All rights reserved. No part of this online plastering guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author. Copyright © Paul Harper DIY Plastering 2012

























Terms

The author cannot accept liability for the use of any of the materials or methods recommended at this site or for any consequences arising out of their use. The author cannot guarantee the suitability of any recommendations made at this site and shall not be under any legal liability of any kind in respect of or arising out of the content of this site.