What plaster should I use?

[dmc]

Ok, the quick "lets redecorate the bedroom while you have a week off" idea is going from bad to worse...

Anyway, current issue is that the old painted walpaper is bonded to the topcoat plaster much better that the plaster is bonded to the wall.

for example (and yes, I know that needs rotating - I haven't got my step ladder stuck to the wall).

Under the topcoat plaster is what I assume is sand/cement render of some sort. Certainly thats what it feels like. Also, it appears to have been painted with PVA or similar before the plaster was put up as it seems "shiny".

is a poor attempt to show this :)

I've plastered things before with reasonable success but I have a feeling that this is going to end up needing almost a whole wall plastered which is bigger than I have tackled before...

Before I go and start reading the back of the bags in wickes like the amatuer I am can anyone give me a pointer as to what would be easiest to use to sort this? I know wickes do their "one coat will solve all your problems and an idiot could use it" white stuff but I'm not convinced.

Would I do better with "Wickes Universal finishing plaster" or "Thistle Multifinish" for example? :)

Clues?

Ta,

Darren

PS. SWMBO won't go for the rustic look so no suggestions of "pva and then paint it". I suggested that last night... :-)

[Mike]

Nope !

Yes or preferably the proper topcoat and use board finish for any plasterboard.

However I can't tell from the photo how deep those cracks are. If the surface is moreorless flat and just needs a fine skim for painting then get a bag of British Gypsum EasyFill from B&Q (£10) and mix it up a bit at a time. Goes on a dream even for those new to plastering whereas with the finishing plasters (which are a lot cheaper) you will need to practice a lot more.

[dmc]

I thought that might be the answer :-)

No plasterboard in this room. What is "the proper topcoat" then? I've only got a wickes catalogue in front of me for reference at the moment.

Yeah. Should have mentioned that I guess. The cracks are in general tiny. A couple of deeper ones but I can remedy those first.

Hmmm. Interesting. Is that something I'm likely to find in any B&Q warehouse? I've not come across that before (and google is not helping much - or is it not actually called easyfill?). I assume its the same techniques as normal plastering?

Cheers,

Darren

[Pecanfan]

Wickes One Coat and Wickes Universal Finishing Plaster are the devil's work.

Hope this helps! :-)

Andy

[John Rumm]

I would go for the Multifinish... having used it for skimming, I actually found it relatively easy to get a good enough finish (certainly for papering anyway).

That is just unreasonable... ;-)

[dmc]

Lol! Several people have told me something along these lines. I'll avoid then :)

For a novice like me, anyone care to explain why they are so evil?

Darren

[Pecanfan]

(I'm a bit of a plastering novice myself btw)

I've only used the 'One Coat' stuff a couple of years ago - it's like plastering with putty.

As for the Universal Finishing Plaster (and I have first hand experience of this from a couple of months ago) it doesn't stick as well as the Thistle stuff, it's much harder to work with and you can't polish it. I thought it was my dubious plastering technique at first - after several hours of general swearing and shouting I went back to Wickes and bought the proper Thistle multi-finish. Different kettle of fish altogether. UFP promptly went in the bin.

The Thistle stuff seems to go off quicker mind so be prepared to work quickly or mix smaller batches.

I'd also like to point out that plasterers are gods of this earth and deserve every penny they get. Although I eventually managed to get a pretty good finish, I still say never again (not for large areas anyway). I'll do the bonding coat and all the prep work, but will always now pay a plaster to come in and do the final skim. No matter how difficult you think it's going to be, triple it... and add 10.

Andy

[Mark]

Cos its made by a nasty foreign firm called Knauf. Buy British.Gypsum

[Mike]

Glad to see everybody else agreed. It really is crap.

I think it's called British Gymsum Topcoat or something like that. If not available use the Thistle Multifinish but I've found it doesn't give quite as good a finish for a non-expert like me, though I am sure a pro will achieve perfection with both.

It's in the Warehouses, often next to the small sacks of plaster and the B&Q value stuff. It's £10 for 10kg so is more expensive but you can mix it up and put it on just like Polyskim. (In fact an old tub of that is ideal for mixing it in)

[Mark]

Two useful URLs for choosing which GYPSUM to use

fact Bonding and/or Multi-Finish are usealy all you need.