plastering

[bob]

tried to skim a small ceiling today,circa 5m x 2m i pva'd it the day before,first coat went on fine started coat number 2 within 15mins and things went pear shaped,the first coat was setting faster than i could apply the second coat,i was using thistle board finish which has been sat in a garage a while and was 2 weeks away from use by date,needless to say it looks awful but i am buying fresh tomorrow so any advice gratefully recieved,regards,Bob

[Phil L]

Always use fresh plaster - even plaster that is still within the use by date, as you have found out, is not always usable, especially not if stored in a shed where moisture from the air can affect it severely

[bob]

many thanks for advice on previous post on this subject,bought new board finish,applied two coats to the ceiling and a definite improvement resulted,the area skimmed is in a passageway with no daylight and has a radiator ,had to use a halogen light to give sufficient light to work but of course this raised the temperature but i would estimate only to the level of summertime,i had a real struggle to finish as both mixes were going off so fast even though i sealed well before starting,is there anything that i can use to retard the setting time of board finish or am i just too slow applying,many thanks in advance

[Roger Mills]

You *are* plastering the right side of the board?

[Stuart Noble]

Artex is much easier to use for the amateur. At least double the price but you get more time to fiddle with the finish