by Robert Wilson
(Barnet, Herts)
I bought the 'Plastering made seriously simple' DVD because I'd attended a short course at another establishment and was a little confused. I watched Paul's DVD and it finally made sense. The day after watching it I plastered a small bedroom with great results. If the DVD is this good, I wish I'd attended a course!
by greg mcnulty
(London)
I did the course a year ago and have done quite a bit of plastering since then. I have finally started to get a nice polished finish which is great.
Some points/mistakes I learnt
- I had to cover some brick in a storage space and used lime plaster. But when it came to finishing I could not get a smooth finish by mixing lime with fine sand - it just isn't as smooth as normal finishing plaster. Maybe Paul can clarify that
- When mixing finishing plaster I used to follow the instruction on water/powder to the letter and found that the result was a bit thick and gave me grief when I did a ceiling. Now I mix until the plaster does not quite peak fully so it is a bit runny but I have more time
- finishing - I think at first attempts I was pressing too hard with the trowel in the initial stages and making more work.
Now I find when smoothing out the first coat etc there is really no need to press at all. Perhaps obvious but ...
- When cleaning I used to rinse unused plaster mix into the bath.
After doing this many times the drain blocked and it wasted a lot of time to fix. Didn't call Dynorod - bought some Brick Acid and poured it down - dissolves the plaster eventually and blockage relieved!
Now when cleaning buckets etc I just let the plaster dry out and then it will fall clean out of the bucket
Reply
Greg,
Good to hear you're getting on well, even though it sounds as if you've had a few mishaps along the way. Yes you're right - the sand/lime finish will not be as smooth as normal finish plaster.
by Keith
(Isle of Man)
Hi Paul
Thanks for a brilliant time on the 2 day course. Never thought I would be able to learn to plaster but thanks to your expert tuition and helpful tips along the way I am very pleased with the results of my own skimming already.
Thanks for tailoring the 2 days to what I wanted to learn and the fact that you specially created a similar angle to the join of my wall / ceiling was very much appreciated.
All in all well worth the trip down to Bedford for what turned out to be a very enjoyable 2 days.
Anyone wanting to learn the art of plastering Paul is definitely the right guy to teach you.
Thanks again
Keith