What is meant by the term 'float and set' please?

the term float and set refer to the traditional style of plastering sometimes known as wet plastering. the system requires a wet undercoat plaster such as sand and cement or browning/bonding coat which troweled onto the walls usually around 11mm thick. when the undercoat plaster has set to a semi firm state the skim coat is then applied. the system is much more highly skilled than plasterboard and skim because it requires the wet coat to be screeded off level with a straight edge to a tolerance of 3mm (5mm) in the old days. it is much harder work also due to the amount of constant mixing required. it is generally more messy. the advantages are it give much greater sound density than boards and it is an excellent insulator also. hope this answers the question

Its a 2 coat system used for plastering on blockwork/brickwork. 1st coat is the bonding coat followed by the finish coat...Richard

float and set means a backing coat put on bare brick and then top coat of multi finish troweled to a smooth finish kind regards paul