Re-skimming old plaster repair: first with sand+cement or just finishing coat

Get a pro in.

It will save you time and money

 

Seconded!

 

What level flat are you on? I think that for all your best intentions and willingness to have a go, you should get an old school proper plasterer in to sort it out properly. Failing that, if your adamant you're going to try and balls it up, hack it all back to sound plaster, pva wall to seal it the day before, pva again so it's tacky before applying undercoat plaster, (I prefer thistle bonding, but that's because I've found it the easiest to work with, I'm not a plasterer by trade), then spread undercoat on the void areas, building up to about 10mm max in one coat. Once dry, skim over with multi finish.

But I wouldn't attempt this yourself mate, time you waste is time you'll never get back. Ask someone for a price to do it, with the proviso that you'd like to labour for them to try to learn, and see if you get lucky.

 

To put it into context...

I'm a very competent DIYer... I can do most plumbing, I've done electrics in the past, when it was allowed, (and had it signed off on more than one occasion), wallpaper hanging, painting, I've fitted over half a dozen kitchens for self and friends and family, I make furniture, and other wooden stuff, I've built brick walls, and I used to be good with cars...

But I won't do plastering! I tried it once, on a small area, (appx 1 square meter), that was going to be tiled over... Never again!!
It's a real skill, like many other trades, but with plastering the problem is, you only have limited time to get it right before the stuff has gone off and isn't useable....

And you're thinking of doing whole walls never having done it before!!!

I'm all in favour of doing it yourself... but this REALLY isn't the job to start with.

Whatever happens, I wish you luck!!

Regards,

Cando

 

It sounds like the top coat has "blown"

How you fix the wall depends a lot on how you want to decorate it. If you want a nice smooth painted surface the only way is to have a new plaster top coat.

If you want wall paper, then you may be able to patch the broken areas. B&Q stock a product called Easyfil, which is like a tougher version of Polyfilla. You will need a float and a straight edge longer than the area to be filled. Fill the area then use the straightedge to level off the surface, leave it for a few minutes and then smooth off with the trowel. Once dried you may need to go over it again and be prepared to give repeated sanding.

 

Would cost a fortune using Easifill.
Take the whole lot back to bare brickwork if under coat is iffy & get a plasterer (get several quotes) in to do the job.

 

If the bit above where the steps are, It looks like it is only the top coat and he has only a few patches to do

 

Get in a plasterer.

 

Have a go.

Enjoy yourself, learn a lot.

Then get a plasterer in and add up the final bill .

With plastering, try a few small repair patches 1st, then see if you want to try bigger areas.

I am a handyman and do most stuff, but I won't plaster anythng more than a repair. I get a plasterer in, it is cheaper, easier and quicker.

My wife can plaster better than me !

What is it about plastering? Most skills can be learnt with practice, but I have always said that you can either plaster or you can't. I have accepted, I can't !

 

You could batten and board. If you use t edge board you can tape and joint. It's much easier to do and unlike plaster if it's not right the first time apply another thin coat and sand.

 

That's a bit negative!. If you are a competent DIYer certainly skimming is do-able. You'll need to watch some vids and get advice on sealing/preparing that surface (which I'm not going to give), but have a go! Tips from me - the consistency is much runnier than you might think - think melting icecream - put a decent blob on the hawk, give it a little shake, and it will stay on the hawk turned upside down - that's when you find out how to transfer to the trowel without making a mess!. Put the first skim on fast - don't worry about flatness, when it starts going cheesy, trowel it as flat as possible and start the second skim. There's more to it than that - watch the vids but it really isn't as difficult as all that to get something approaching an acceptable finish.

When I fitted out my office I had several, admittedly small walls to do, and they all came out pretty decent, never having done any plastering before. Since then have skimmed my kitchen where removing full height tiles left it looking like the surface of the moon - full walls - and my builder mate said it was pretty decent. Not done any ceilings yet, but with a house project on the go I'm working up to giving it a go. Still might get a plasterer in as there's a whole house to skim, but we'll see.... Oh yes, one other tip - make sure you buy ultra-fresh plaster from a merchant with fast moving stock - old plaster goes hard much quicker!

 

Just completed a similar job recently, ended up dry lining, tape & joint and lined with 1400g lining paper (optional)

Brilliant end result, perfection was the end result

 

Right way up!

 

I would suggest getting a pro in but, if you do want to have a go, try it on the smallest wall first.

 

May need a rewire as sockets are sited in skirting board.

 

Whilst inconvenient and common sense to make it more accessible, there is no requirement to move existing sockets.

 

But the original poster said he'd NOT done DIY before, not that he was a competent DIYer.
That's an important factor here.

I'm all for folks having a go themselves... But I remain convinced that plastering a whole wall shouldn't be where you start a DIY journey... it surely should be someway down the road.

Regards,

Cando

 

Bit disappointing to see so many people tell the guy to use a pro when he's willing to learn...

I'm a DIYer, but I taught myself to plaster. It takes me longer than a pro and I make more mistakes, but it's a great trade to teach yourself... Afterall, 99% of the times the worst that can happen is you end up with a rubbish finish. But if it's your house, who cares? You just give it another go! Worst case is you waste a bit of time and a few quid of plaster and PVA!

In my opinion, not being an experienced DIYer isn't a problem... Plastering is one of many individual skills... I know many people who can board floors, fit doors, plumb central heating, but who are still **** with a trowel!