Has anyone successfully plastered as a DIY job?

[Blighty Skins]

And care to give me some tips? It seems to me the hardest DIY job. I've attempted it twice and both times failed miserably. I need to patch up a wall soon and it's going to be painted over...so if it's not done right, it'll show.

[IONTOP]

I usually Do it myself after I get plastered... Especially when no females at the bar will go home with me

[Drockvb]

How did you screw it up?

Do you have textured plaster walls?

[drums and skins]

What exactly are you doing? Patching up cracks or holes?

[Blighty Skins]

How did you screw it up?

Do you have textured plaster walls?

...for one thing, I never know which plaster to use...so I probably use the wrong one?...and it just crumbles apart.

No...I just have flat walls.

[Blighty Skins]

What exactly are you doing? Patching up cracks or holes?

A bit of o both...not deep holes though...there's already a greyish plaster and basically taking down tiles some of the plaster underneath comes off.

[zoony]

Plaster... ugh. Hire a professional.

Better yet, hire a professional to take all the plaster out of your house and put up drywall instead.

....

[Blighty Skins]

Plaster... ugh. Hire a professional.

Better yet, hire a professional to take all the plaster out of your house and put up drywall instead.

....

I would but I'm trying to fix it up on the cheap. :D I'm quite handy around the house...just a few things I can't do.

[drums and skins]

Plaster... ugh. Hire a professional.

Better yet, hire a professional to take all the plaster out of your house and put up drywall instead.

....

winner. :cheers:


drywall isn't that hard to hang ;). a lot easier to putty up too!

[SkinnedAussie]

I haven't been DIY plastered since 1990.

[Skins247]

I would but I'm trying to fix it up on the cheap. :D I'm quite handy around the house...just a few things I can't do.


Yeah, im sure you are "handy". That's probably the only action you ever get in your house.:laugh:

[Drockvb]

...for one thing, I never know which plaster to use...so I probably use the wrong one?...and it just crumbles apart.

No...I just have flat walls.

Sounds like maybe you mixed it wrong. I have no idea why it would crumble apart unless you are using the wrong ratio of water to plaster.

[China]

Why do you have to use plaster? If you're just patching, why not use joint compound, especially if you're just going to paint over it afterwards. Who'll know the difference?

[Blighty Skins]

What is joint compound? And how does dry wall work? I think you Americans have different houses...we have the brick variety over here. :D

[A Shot Of Tequila]

Plastering is not something you can learn over the internet, nor is it something you learn the first time you do it. It takes months, sometimes years to learn the proper technique. Save yourself some aggravation and hire a professional, or pick up a trained drywall finisher in the Home Depot parking lot.

[Britskin]

http://www.skevi.com/images/5122193.jpg

You could try this, seen it in B&Q, Focus etc, if it is a big room it might be more cost effective to get a plasterer in to skim the walls or if there are no big holes then lining paper is good which you then emulsion over. Good luck!

[More Complete]

I think Blighty may be talking about drywall, but just calling it "plaster". Not sure though. I've seen some home improvement shows with some aussie refering to drywall joints as plaster joints. Unless your house is really old, you have drywall, not plaster.

[Blighty Skins]

http://www.skevi.com/images/5122193.jpg

You could try this, seen it in B&Q, Focus etc, if it is a big room it might be more cost effective to get a plasterer in to skim the walls or if there are no big holes then lining paper is good which you then emulsion over. Good luck!

I've seen that too...what puts me off is the high price. £25. :blimmingheck:

[Blighty Skins]

I think Blighty may be talking about drywall, but just calling it "plaster". Not sure though. I've seen some home improvement shows with some aussie refering to drywall joints as plaster joints. Unless your house is really old, you have drywall, not plaster.

The house was built in 1946-1947. It was built just after the Second World War where a third of London was destroyed by the Luftwaffe (german airforce) so they needed housing desperately for millions of homeless people and they extended into Surrey. You can tell this by looking at the house because half was built with one type of brick and the other half a different type of brick, due to a shortage of bricks. LOL. So yes, it has plastered walls..

I'm gonna patch it up meself...don't blimming care how it comes out. :applause:

[zoony]

I'm gonna patch it up meself...don't blimming care how it comes out. :applause:



That "smooth over" product looked like a good one. We don't have that here (that I know of)... but it looks like it was made for exactly your purpose.

Just be sure to get a knife that has a width that is wider than all of the holes you are smoothing over.

....

[joe]

spackle is what you need. go slow, do it a little at a time. if the hole is big get a patch kit, which basically uses a plastic mesh to cover the hole, then you can fill it with spackle. sand it, repeat as needed, because you do get a bit of shrinkage. It is not brain surgery, you can do this.

[Blighty Skins]

Zoony: There's a Smooth Over for textured walls which I'm going to be buying later on...I hate textured walls!!


http://www.coatingsworld.com/articles/2006/07/images/top-12.jpg

(This is a picture of a cow I found while Googling "Smooth Over"...thought you'd like to see it)

This is the one:

http://www.polycell.co.uk/products/images/smoothovertwc.jpg

Thanks for the encouragment Joe...

I'll try and post pics to show what I mean...as soon as I go to the house tonight...not living in it at the mo cos there's no toilet...still have to fit it in. :applause:

[More Complete]

The house was built in 1946-1947. It was built just after the Second World War where a third of London was destroyed by the Luftwaffe (german airforce) so they needed housing desperately for millions of homeless people and they extended into Surrey. You can tell this by looking at the house because half was built with one type of brick and the other half a different type of brick, due to a shortage of bricks. LOL. So yes, it has plastered walls..

I'm gonna patch it up meself...don't blimming care how it comes out. :applause:

Just checking. Sounds like you have an interesting place there. :cool:

Good luck. As others have said, do as much research as you can and take your time. Let us know how it goes.

[Blighty Skins]

Well I took pictures but left the camera there. :doh: