Trowel sizes

by Simon
(Cardiff)

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 trowelling up:
it can be that i run out of length on the trowel stroke. I have attached a really badly drawn (!) diagram, but the arrow marks are the flow of the trowel, but say on a big wall - if i run out of length for whatever reason, i find it tricky to blend the two separate runs together, especially if there is a cable for a light switch or something in the middle (like in my diagram - the circle)

Is it a case, of waiting for the plaster to firm up a little bit longer, using a bigger trowel for flattening (i use a 13inch marshalltown for applying and flattening at the moment), or a case of trowelling vertically and horizontally), or ok to start in the centre (like in my attachment where the cable is - the circle)?

Keep up the good work!
Thanks
Simon

Answer
Hi Simon
Apologies for the delay - totally missed this at the time.

If you go to: https://www.diyplastering.co.uk/application.html

- you will see a method for applying the plaster. This may help you as it breaks it down into sections with the mess of your trowel at the end of the stroke being pushed into the next section ready to be smoothed out as you move on. So you are leaving a clean sweep on the section you're on to push the mess into the next section. Then you have pushed the messy trowel mark through to the very right hand side of the wall - where there is just one to worry about.
The trowel mark along the mid line is then smoothed out as you complete the bottom section, again working from left to right (unless your left handed - and then right to left).
Hopefully this makes sense and should help you.

Paul

Comments for Trowel sizes

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Dec 01, 2014
thanks!
by: Simon

thanks for that Paul, it does help.
I will probably end up coming up for a day or two in the near future.
cheers
Simon

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