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Plastering & Rendering

Plaster over some remaining plaster - best way to achieve smooth walls?

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.32 PM

Hi all, I would like to tap into your collective knowledge to find out if the current tradesmen in my house is doing the correct job and not cutting corners. We have a builder in who is replastering one of our bedrooms. We have taken the wallpaper of the walls and stripped it back to the old plaster, a lot of which was coming off. So far it's looks like he's has done a great job. He’s taken off as much of the old plaster that would come off, leaving patches of plaster on the wall. Where there has been patches of exposed brick he's added wall hardener and then plastered over that, skimming up to the old plaster that’s still on the wall, leaving the wall flat, but not 100% totally smooth as you can feel where it meets the old plaster. I asked when he’s going to do the final skim. but he said he's not as he can’t plaster over the over plaster that’s still on the wall. Instead he says he’s going to give it a white wash, see where there are imperfections and then smooth/sand it down. Is this a standard, proven method that will produce a perfectly smooth wall or am I being fobbed off? Many thanks

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18 Answers

Anonymous user

ITS PURE AND SIMPLE JUST SEAL WITH A GOOD PVA AND AFTER 24 HOURS RE APPLY A GOOD 4 TO 1 MIX PVA THEN SKIM IT WOULD AND SHOULD TURN OUT PERFECT
Answered16 October 2017
4

Anonymous user

Once wall is even and solid you can pva whole area then apply a 2 coat of multi finish over whole area to achieve smooth finish all over
Answered1 November 2017
2

CG Facades

Rating: 5 out of 5
Bristol
Should be no problem to skim the entire wall as long as all the loose bits are removed and pva is properly applied. But by what you've described it seems to me he's putting in more work then what he needs too to ensure a perfect finish.
Answered29 December 2017
2

Timothy David Interiors

Rating: 5 out of 5
Tonypandy
Un- satisfactory in my opinion. A viable alternative to a re-skim is to apply lining paper to the walls. But for the perfect finish the walls should be surfaced with dry lining filler first. Suggest this to your builder, or suggest to your builder he brings in a good decorator
Answered6 October 2017
2

CPB Plaster Render and Brickwork

Rating: 5 out of 5
Cardiff
No reason not to be able to completely overskim the walls as long as all loose parts of the wall are removed and then primed a final cover all coat should definitely be applied.
Answered25 October 2017
1

Anonymous user

If the old plaster is loose more than 50% I will remove all plaster to the brick and rebord with plasterboard (Dot&Dab) and after 24h skim two coats. It's the best way to have a perfect and smooth finish. If the wall is already patched because there's still old plaster on or/and before been wallpaper I will seal all wall with: micro gobetis 3000, Bostic cemetone or blue grit if I have to. Grit it all the way, much better for controlling the set. After 24h re-skim with thistle multi finish applying two coats.
Answered15 September 2019
1

The Tiger Rock Project

Rating: 5 out of 5
Aldershot
Every plasterer will have their own opinions how to do the job, Builders are builders for a reason, they build and we make it look good by plastering the correct way. If this was me check and remove all lose bits repaired the walls with hardwall, once cured seal the walls completely with PVA or SRB depending on surface suction. Then plaster the walls completely to look like new with 2 coats of plaster and not 1. Now with your walls already done. I would seal and replaster walls completely again with 2 coats of plaster for a professional smooth flat finnish.
Answered12 January 2021
1

MJB Building Services

Rating: 5 out of 5
Corby
Grit coat. Whole wall after loose has been removed back to brick then pva. And bonding coat. Scrape back. Once set. The grit or pva. Then skim it two coats once grit hard preferably the next day.
Answered23 October 2023
0

Chris Tyler

Rating: 5 out of 5
Chatteris
Its not that it's the wrong way but it's not the most efficient. Once all the loose and cracked plaster has been removed, it's sealed and has been filled flat. A simple over skim of the whole wall would give the best result in my opinion
Answered4 October 2023
0

Anonymous user

I would hardwall where the old plaster has come off so it becomes flush, then apply a pva coat leave for 24 hrs then reskim the whole wall leaving you with a smooth finish
Answered25 September 2023
0

Anonymous user

If he has remove all the loose blown plaster. Hard walled the areas and skimmed to meet the original plaster. There is no reason whatsoever that he can’t pva and skim the lot. He’s definitely cutting corners and you will not get a 100% smooth wall with his method he’s using.
Answered5 December 2022
0

DB Plastering

Rating: 5 out of 5
Kidderminster
Any old plaster should have been taken off and replaced with bonding or hardwall, which it sounds like your plasterer has done. However patching these in would be taking a step back. A full reskim of the walls would give you a flat and clean finish ready for painting. No corners cut this way
Answered29 September 2022
0

A&M Plastering

Rating: 5 out of 5
South Tottenham, London
The answer is he can wait till that plaster it dry and he can put PVA on the wall and overskim all the wall and it will come very smooth
Answered27 September 2022
0

Ratcliffe & son

No reviews yet

Colchester
Remember not to use a silk paint it will look terrible use a dulux matt. I would remove all plaster start from scratch maybe plasterboard it . If there is you say now new and old plaster why not PVA it and skim a nice face on it. A friend of mine done the same to a wall and it cracked where the new meets old he ended up scrimming the cracks and skimming it been ok since.
Answered4 January 2022
0

DPF Plastering & Dampproofing

Rating: 5 out of 5
Borehamwood
I would say if the sun shines on this it will look like a dogs dinner ,Its a bit late but you should have gave me a bell , hack off the loose fill out then skim the complete wall .
Answered16 March 2020
0

Anonymous user

It doesn't sound like usual practice. For a perfect level finish, which will (I'm sure) take the same amount of time and resource follow the below steps: 1. Check all over for any loose plaster, removing it. Leaving exposed brick in places. 2. Fill the patches of exposed brick with hard wall 3. PVA all 4. Skim ALL
Answered13 January 2020
0

Anonymous user

Remove any loose plaster, pva brickwork and fill holes with bonding coat plaster. Once bonding coat is set pva entire wall, leave until tacky and then apply a coat of multifinish over whole wall, on flattening in coat apply a thin layer of skim as you flatten and fill any holes, polish walls to create a perfect finish remembering to brush all internal angles so they are nice and sharp :)
Answered5 April 2019
0

B & C Construction

Rating: 5 out of 5
Oldham
Personally I would of removed all blown plaster from the wall, applied pva to any existing plaster on the wall to prevent any suction, applied hardwall the areas that are back to brickwork then re-skimmed the full wall with thistle multi finish applying two coats, finally finishing with a polish to ensure a smooth finish.
Answered11 February 2019
0