First of all, it's not that difficult to get plaster onto your wall or ceiling, but there are ways of getting it flat and smooth, which in all honesty only come with practice. As in all trades it is advisable to practice as much as you can before attempting real jobs. Doing your own skimming instead of hiring a plasterer, can and will save you a lot of cash so its well worth the time and effort invested in learning how to do the job right.
The main thing that takes most DIY enthusiasts by surprise is just how quickly skimming plaster goes hard and becomes unworkable. Once the first coat of plaster has been put on it is usually ready to be smoothed over or 'trowel led up' to use the correct industry term. Skimming depends very much on your timing getting yourself organised beforehand. Attempting to fetch things from the van, wash tools or fill buckets of water whilst the plaster is setting on the walls can result in a horrendous job.
Once skimming plaster has gone hard the only way of smoothing it is by sanding it down so you really need to get organised, have all your things to hand and have enough plaster mixed and ready to complete the section that you are working on.
Mixing skim plaster for the first time is difficult and can cause people problems if they haven't done it before. You need to know what texture to look out for when doing plaster mixes, the best way to describe the texture you are looking for is like that of thick cream - with no lumps of plaster. As tempting as it is to start shovelling plaster into your bucket you need to start with the water first and add plaster to it gradually mixing it into the water and removing all the lumps. This is where a mixing paddle will prove invaluable. These can be bought as attachments to fit on standard drills and if you're serious about getting a good mix you should consider investing in one. These attachments aren't expensive and can be bought from DIY shops or builders merchants.
You will need to use big buckets, we suggest using buckets big enough to allow you to mix a whole bag of skimming in one go. This will allow you to cover quite a large area without having to go back and start mixing again in the middle of 'laying on' your plaster. Your should always use cold clean water in your buckets - fill your bucket to around a third of its depth. Remember - the mix will double in volume once the plaster is added. You then fan in the plaster from the sack until the mound of plaster in your bucket sticks out of the water in the middle. Using your mixing attachment you can then mix the plaster until it looks like thick cream and has no lumps. A good tip is to go around the edges of your bucket with a gauging trowel to free the plaster that has stuck to the edges of the bucket and mix that in as well. Make sure that the consistency of the plaster is right and that there are no lumps in it - lumps will make skimming to a smooth finish virtually impossible!
It's advisable to always have a clean bucket of water to hand to wash your tools and buckets. If you have to mix a new bucket of plaster and there is still some of the old stuff in there or on any of your tools, it will mean you have to wash the tools & buckets first - all this while your precious plaster is setting on your walls! Make sure to clean your mixing bucket thoroughly after each mix to prevent hard bits in your next mix.
As soon as you have mixed the plaster you should empty it out of the bucket onto a wet board which should be lifted off the ground high enough to enable you to get your plaster onto your hand board (hawk) easily. You should then move a small amount of plaster onto the hawk. This will allow you to scoop skimming plaster on your trowel before plastering it onto the wall or ceiling. Plastering with skimming is not an easy task, but with practice you will be able to apply it evenly to the work surface using long even strokes.
Here's the important part - get the plaster onto the wall or ceiling as quickly as you can and as you do, try to keep the thickness of the plaster even over the entire surface. At this point don't worry about getting the surface perfectly smooth, in fact dwelling on it and messing about with it too much at this stage will be counter productive. Once the plaster has firmed up to the touch but has not yet dried you can start 'trowel ling it up' this means going over the surface with a clean trowel in order to work out the trowel marks and polish up the surface. We suggest going over the surface 3 times - giving it 3 trowels. At each stage apply a little water to the surface by flicking it with a wet paint brush. At this point the plaster will be setting fast and each trowel will allow you to get the plaster flatter and smoother.
Don't - forget to wash all your tools and buckets once you are finished otherwise you will make it harder for yourself the next time.
Plasterer 4 Plastering is plastering company based in Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK who provide plasters in rotherham, plasterers in wakefield and plasterers in barnsley For more information about their services visit their website.
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