Plastering bit me eventually

Sep 26, 2006 5 Replies

After many years of DIY plastering including whole room jobs, I've finally been bitten.



Just tackled about 3 simple square metres. Browning on yesterday easy peasy as usual. Todays finish was a disaster. About 70% just wouldn't stick, blowing off left right and centre. Late 'use by date' plaster was used throughout.



Yes it works best when the browning is still to go off. But it isn't insummountable and I haven't had this problem before.



I thoroughly wet the undercoat[1]. Mixed up enough for half the area and bunged it on.



Did I overwork it too early? Was the wall not wet enough?



[1] These days I bring the garden hose inside and use the mist option. Hand operated sprayers are just too much hard work and RSI inducing.

I used one of those pump-up-the-air spayers used for fertiliser etc. Works very well. Simon.

I think it was too wet, resulting in the 'popping' condition. Does this make sense?

Learn to plaster.

The purpose of *slighty* dampning the plaster is basically to keep the trowel oiled.

I needed to PVA it first, now I'm back to happy plastering.

or skim it in the same day as bonding/browning is applied....this 'blowing off' is actually the backing ( bonding/browning ) sucking the moisture out of the skimming where it meets, the outer surface (facing the room interior) of the skimming is still wet and so it peels away....another alternative is to drench the wall beforehand, but even this is not always enough and it becomes apparent when final trowelling and bubbles appear to spring out at random. PVA will cure most of this, but not all.

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