how do you get a good finish on plaster?

Question

I need to get a good finish on my plastering

Answer 1

Timing is pretty crucial you have to wait until the plaster is going off - If it is pink it will start to get brown patches in it that are hardening off - wait till its a bout a third off but still soft enough to trowel easily.

If you get on it too early you will just be moving wet sludge around and with the possibility of pulling chunks off with suction. Too late and you will be scraping like mad and losing energy.

Make sure that you use a finishing trowel one which has the corners blunted and slightly raised (bowed) best if you always use a good trowel but for finishing use a good one that you have used for cementing a lot which is a bit wrecked but perfect for finishing as it won't dig in.Make sure ti is really shiny clean and no nicks in the edges.

Get a bucket of clean water and keep the edge of the trowel clean with a brush. Work methodically from right to left in long sweeps upwards splash wall with small amount of water on water brush -nice big one - angle trowel slightly and using the amount of pressure which will take a small amount of fat off the walls to redistribute it into any holes or rough patches keep changing the angle of your trowel. This first time you may use any 'fat' on the trowel to fill in holes that are still apparent. Make your strokes upwards in one clean sweep slightly angling to the right at the top of the stroke.

Make oyur next stroke upwards, slightly overlapping the last one you should hear some scraping noise as you trowel away. If you are taking up too much fat and making big dinges in the strokes at the right hand side you are too early.

When you have finished bring in the top and bottom and sidesputting an angled trowel into the corners and then making a shorter curved sweep down or out the way then with a damp brush run along all the corner edges consolidating them.
Look to see if there are any rough patches needing filling.

Leave the wall until it is really mottled looking; mostly off; then give it a second finishing with more water and trowelling with a wider angle to your trowel and scraping pretty hard.You wont get much fat on the edges of your trowel this time but keep it clean and dont use this as it is too weak. You should at this stage see a shine as it is compacting the plaster . After this some smarty pants builders draw a pair of lines horizontally at eye level with the dry trowel to really bring up a shine as it looks impressive to customers but is absolutely valueless adn only worth doing once just for the craic.

Answer 2

Nobody I know is using plaster on walls today. You might mean Gypsm, not Plaster, they are quite different. Buy Gypsm at Lowes in 5 gal Pail $10.99 each.

With Gypsm you can get a wall as smooth as a baby behind by using a Rubber Sponge Float trowel and a bucket of water, Keep it wet and smooth it to glass like finish with that Rubber Sponge Float. Buy one at Lowes for about $5

Answer 3

Mix enough plaster in a bucket. To do a wall about 15x8' have a clean 10lr emulsion bucket an fill with around 4" of water, get your bag of Wickes multifinish and sprinkle in with one hand whilst mixing all the time with your wifes whisk or clean stick, until it is like thick soup. Too thick and it will go off to quick.
Pour onto a board about 30" sq. Your wall should be firm and previously given a rub down with glasspaper if needed, If it is dry give it a spray with a garden sprayer to dampen it down a bit.

Take your hawk in your left hand and your metal float or trowel in the other and slice a small amount off board onto hawk, about as much as your spread out hand.

Then comes the fun, approach wall with caution, tilt hawk towards you slightly avoiding it dropping onto your shoes, slice off part of what is on the top of the hawk with your float and with the float tilting slightly downwards place the lower part of the trowel against the wall and spread in an upwards and like a windscreen wiper motion.
Swear a few times and clean plaster off floor, and try again. Repeat, till the wall is covered in a thin layer, or you have given up and gone to the pub.

Assuming your still game You do this a few times and you swear a few times, and slowly you may start to get the hang of it. You need to get the stuff on the wall don't try to get it even or smooth at this stage.
One thing to remember don't have the wife watching or a divorce could be on the cards, and don't have the dog or cat in the room.
You have about an hour and a half to work the plaster before it has to go in the bin, and you have to start again, don't try to add water if it starts to get thick it won't work.

Clean your bucket and tools and have another bucket and wet brush to use as you go.

Next, assuming you have managed to spread it on the wall, try to quickly go over the whole area to make it about even. By then you will have used the first lot of plaster so mix the same, in a clean bucket, just slightly stiffer and repeat with a second layer.

By now your fantastic!!

Once you have done this use the sprayer in mist mode as you steadily go over the whole area backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, misting as you go until the whole area is getting smother. This could take an hour or two to improve the finish, the more you trowel it up the better you will get, and you will know when it is SUPER FANTASTIC. and you have plastered your first wall.

Your arms will feel like lead the next few days but you'll recover. One thing to remember the plaster must dry before you try decorating it could take a week but don't force dry it. If you emulsion then thin a small amount down, like milk and apply it all over, it will look a bit of a mess but will act as a sealer for the next coat which should be strait out of the tin. If it is to be papered then size the walls first with your paste or you will be in trouble again,

That will be £25. typing fee with two fingers!

I may have told you in a joking way but trust me, I know I'm a

Answer 4

When the plaster is almost gone off, smooth it over with a wooden float. Keep the float wet or you will drag the plaster off. Just go over it with light strokes.

Answer 5

Keep it moist - as you work a small area, use a plastic spray bottle filled with clean water and mist the plaster slightly damp as you float it with a trowel or blade.

Answer 6

fine trowel or wet the knife with water as you finish now let it dry sand to a fine finish now mix a little up and wet it and the surface keep it thin add now fine trowel with a 10 inch knife then let dry resand fine now use a primer and paint or wash with a thinned paint

Answer 7

Slam it with a sledge hammer. I love the feeling when something gets totally destroyed by a huge amount of force. You'll love the finish.

Answer 8

get a good plasterer dont even attempt it yourself

Answer 9

Float it. THE PLASTER HAS A NASTY HABIT OF DRYING QUICKER THAN YOU CAN SMOOTH IT WITH A FLOAT. WATCH CORRIE AND SEE HOW THE LAD DOES IT.

Answer 10

work on the surface with a plastic float as it is going off