uneven finish

paul, I plastered a wall after watching your video. I am fairly pleased with it definitely better than my previous attempts but now it has dried there are lots of rough patches. Most of the wall is nice and smooth but then other small areas are not so good. Have I put it on too thin?
gary

Answer

Hi Gary

It sounds like a lack of pressure. When firm pressure is applied to the trowel at the correct angle when applying - the plaster is spread evenly across the trowel to leave a nice flat finish. If there is insufficient force applied then the plaster will not be pushed along the whole length of your trowel and hollow areas in the wall will result. This makes troweling up more difficult. However this may not be the problem - if the rough patches are very slight then it is more likely that the problems are due to a lack of pressure in the troweling stages (4 and 5). Firm even pressure will ensure the trowel is in contact with the wall at all times - pushing the plaster flat and smooth. If the force is not great enough and the trowel only touches some of the wall then the untouched areas will never be troweled smooth.

So either way it is a lack of pressure - you can only push too hard if your trowel is at the wrong angle. if your trowel is at the correct angle and fairly flat to the wall you can push as hard as you like and the plaster will not be scraped of.
Slow your trowel strokes down so that you can really watch the angle and apply a bit more force.

Let me know how you get on

Paul

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