Plastering up old light socket holes!

I prefer to remove the old back boxes,sometimes you get the ghostly outline of a box, if it starts rusting, & with a deep hole, I'll sometimes use mortar if I got some handy, but usually use several layers of filler, allowing each layer to dry first.
Always use Toupret filler, a nice fine filler.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/toupret-powdered-interior-filler/4911h

 

I normally remove back box and use bonding goes off quick and rock hard. Then easysand jointing compound same filler blended in.

You could remove back box and cut a plasterboard piece in grip fill then easy fill over.


Never used the soft playable filler.

 

Darryl, it's usually best to use a powdered filler - one you mix with water and then it sets chemically after around a half-hour.

If you go to most DIY stores, you should find a 10kg bag for around £6? Even 'finishing' plaster will do this (but 'patching' plaster is probably best).

Brush out the channels to remove all loose dust and debris. Might then be worth running a craft/Stanley knife down each channel edge to trim off the corners of the slot - try and leave them 'bevelled'.

Then vacuum the slots, dampen them well (ideally with a diluted PVA mix) with a brush, and make up a small batch of plaster.

Squish it right in using a filling knife, and scrape it across the channel to remove any excess from the wall surfaces. Probably best to do this in two layers, so run the knife over the filled plaster to get it a few mm below wall surface.

Give it a half hour until it's pretty much set - it doesn't have to actually dry out. (Whilst this is happening, use your filling knife/trowel if you have one, to get any excess stuff off the surrounding walls before it fully sets.

Mix up a small batch and fill up to the surface - you can allow it to be slightly over. As it sets - once it thickens - sprinkle water on it and run your filling knife/trowel over it to get it level and smooth.

Once fully dry - it will likely take a couple of days (it'll change colour) - give it a going-over with 280 grit and a flat sanding block.

Jobbie jobbed.

(Oh, and if the top edges of the back boxes are nicely ( a few mm) below wall surface level, then bury the bar stewards if you like...

 

Darryl, you shouldn't see the join if done correctly. If you arent sure if you can achieve it let the plasterer blend it in for you. Pic's before and after would be nice

 

Darryl, listen to the cove in post #5...

(For that matter, your plasterer was right too - he would (or should) make this an invisible repair.)

You ideally need a powdered plaster rather than a ready-mixed type. I can't see any of the SF site, but Wickes, for example, has stuff like this: http://www.wickes.co.uk/British-Gypsum-Thistle-One-Coat-Plaster-12-5kg/p/141937

This will fill up to 11mm, so do it in two stages if you are going deeper than this (which you will be).

Ok, two ways to get a good finish. One is to fill and fill in layers (as needed) until you are anything from 1 to 3 mm from the surface. Then finally apply that last layer using a trowel than will span over the channel/holes you are filling.

First, wipe the trowel over it all to remove the excess, leaving only a thin plaster skim standing proud of the repair.

Then, as the plaster begins to set, sprinkle on some water - don't soak it... - and start to run the trowel blade over the repair at ever increasing blade angles - you will be both smoothing the surface and removing excess plaster so's you work your way down to the wall level.

You can carry on doing this until you have completely reached 'wall' level, so that all the plaster has been scraped off the surrounding wall surfaces and the filled part is at the exact same level, but there's possibly a risk that the filled plaster will shrink a bit as it sets and dries so it'll require a fine-surface filler afterwards, but also good chance it'll be fine.

Or, you can stop when you are getting close to the wall surface level - say not more than 1mm above - and then wait for it all to fully dry before using a large flat sanding block and 600 grit paper (start with 300 grit if you have a lot to remove first...) and sand it all down until it's perfectly level. Again you are using the surrounding wall level as your guide.

After this - and a coat of emulsion (this first diluted 10% or so with water) - the repair should be invisible.

Ok, something else might happen here - sometimes you get the sanding perfect, apply the emulsion paint and stand back in horror as the filled plaster appears to have swelled up with the water in the paint, and is now standing slightly proud of the rest of the wall!

Don't panic - just give it a further light 600-gritting, and more paint. You'll soon win and the plaster will surrender.

The larger bit that fell away with the skirting board is a trickier issue, but you follow the same principle. Fill in layers (if needed), and use the trowel at ~30o to level it all off, again using the surrounding walls as your guide. Work from one side - with the trowel half on the wall as your guide - and from t'other with ditto.

Chances are the finish won't be as good since you are a newbie (unless you work at it) but don't forget you can sand and fill any imperfections afterwards, so you will ultimately get it 'perfect'.

You can do this

 

^ ^ this

 

It sounds like the doors were hung correctly and you have hinged them on the opposite side.
The correct way for a door to open is that you cannot see into the room when it is opening.
The tendency nowadays in the new wendy houses is to hinge them on the wrong side because the rooms are so small.

 

Darryl, don't listen to post #9

 

I may get shot down for this but it has always worked for me, fill the void with expanding foam, cut around the excess once gone off with a sharp stanley blade and try to dig out a bit neatly below the wall surface, then filler over the top with an easily sanded filler such as easifill or as previously mentioned toupret . Sand back then another layer of filler and hopefully shouldn't look like a patchwork quilt anymore. Good luck.

 

PVA - bonding - easyfill

 

Definitely don't use 600grit paper!! 120 grit then coat with mist coat emulsion then second fill with easyfill and sand with 240grit and apply 2 more coats of emul

 

Just get a bag of bonding and a bag of finish. Leave the surface of the bonding 2-3mm below the finished level, then once it's gone off apply the finishing coat with a decent trowel and feather it in to the rest of the wall. Even a pillock like me can do it!

I think Homebase sell the half-size bags of plaster if you don't want to buy a full bag, but for the price it'll work out less than farting about with a bunch of fillers.

 

Yep agree totally and I always suggest bonding plaster for this kind of 'deep' filling

Can always sandwich bit of plaster board offcuts in there as well to pad out

Independent hardware shop near me actually sells plaster, cement, sand, etc out of bins and charges by the scoop. Great for the diy'er that only may need small amounts

Inverably the plaster can be out of date and thus sets rather quicker than fresh bagged stuff. For small jobs and hole filling this is actually pretty handy and workable

Also the sheds always have ripped bags of plaster, etc which they discount. I store mine in a double bin bag inside 10ltr paint buckets and keeps it usable for months, at least. Again handy for the diy'er which more than likely needs a small amount rather than plastering walls

 

You would still need to feather out the edge of the patch with fine filler to make a good job of it so, just bond flush and skim with a tape and joint compound like easifill no need to knock up plaster