DIY plastering

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Wondering if anyone attempted plastering their self. We've stripped back our walls and would give a better finish if plastered before painting. Plasterer quote well above our budget so currently watching YouTube videos to see if possibly to DIY.

Any stories to share?

We're doing it but we couldn't make the wall any worse and can afford to have someone fix it if it goes wrong. We're still at the point of patching the craters left after removing Rawl plugs etc so can't really comment on skimming yet.

Have you come across the roller skim method?

1. paint/roll on PVA, leave 24 hours to dry
2. paint/roll on second coat
3. when that's tacky (10-15 minutes) apply watered down skim coat (consistency of mayonnaise) with a long piled/masonry roller
4. smooth with a plastering trowel/taping knife/squeegee trowel (e.g. Marshalltown MAKD18 Premier Line Akd18 18-Inch Adjustable Squeegee Trowel, Red smile.[[amazon.co.uk/dp/B001RNAIB0/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_33GBYMPB3FA1TR2BM24Q, amazon.co.uk/dp/B001RNAIB0/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_33GBYMPB3FA1TR2BM24Q]],]] reviews are mixed on these)
5. repeat skim coats until the wall is smoothed to your liking
6. allow to dry then do 1-2 mist coats of watered down emulsion

We have a similar issue and have gone with filling the worst holes and then using thick lining paper.

I have. I did DD2's room, and one bathroom so far. Doing the downstairs toilet next week hopefully.

I will say, I have had no training, just watched videos and thought I'd give it a go. It can be hard work. You have to finish each wall in one go, no 15 minute breaks to rest your arm and have a cuppa. Having it done professionally does look better, but doing myself costs a faction of paying a plasterer, and still looks a lot better than when I started.

I have used this;

www.diy.com/departments/diall-fine-finish-ready-mixed-smoothover-finishing-plaster-4kg/1849578_BQ.prd

It works, it does what I need, and it gives quite a nice finish.

My tips would be, prep! Make sure you pull out wall plugs and fill the holes with poly filler, and give them a quick sand back. Make sure you also sand back any bits that stick out. Drips of plaster are a pita, so dust sheets, etc. Just start on the easiest wall, one where you don't have to stand on step stools, or work around windows or doorways. Have a go, get the feel for it. Then if it's awful, sand it back (masks essential, lots of dust) and try again.

I tend to do the whole room, then give it a gentle sand, then go back over the whole thing again with a very thin finishing coat. I should probably use different plaster for the first layer, but hey, it works.

Also, finish the edges with decorators caulk after you're done and decorating. Helps the overall effect.

My husband has plastered our whole house after learning via YouTube. He uses PVA first then Multifinish, 2 coats and a polish. He’s done so well he’s moved onto outdoor rendering. He says it is a lot like icing a cake with buttercream 😂

Give it a go on a wall you don’t see too much. If it goes badly wrong you know you can’t.

@AGreatUsername, he's not wrong!

I have seen some dreadful diy efforts....just practice lots on an area...i wouldnt tackle ceilings...my friend just watched some plasters and had a go and did an amazing job....it really is a skill though !

Plastering is easy so long as you have some ability & are able to gel with the process of doing it - the only way you will know is to give it a go. I personally picked it up instantly but many people can't seem to.

It's easier if you are tall/have a long reach so can run up/down the wall in one pass.

It's a nice DIY job to do as good plasterers are expensive & the knowledge/ materials/equipment barrier to entry is essentially nothing.

@FurierTransform

Plastering is easy so long as you have some ability & are able to gel with the process of doing it - the only way you will know is to give it a go. I personally picked it up instantly but many people can't seem to.

It's easier if you are tall/have a long reach so can run up/down the wall in one pass.

It's a nice DIY job to do as good plasterers are expensive & the knowledge/ materials/equipment barrier to entry is essentially nothing.

Yeah, I definitely get the impression from reading about that it's something that some people just have the knack for and some people will never be able to do.

Thanks all, sounds fairly achievable. Think i will try it out on one of the bedrooms to see how it goes. If it's any good I may consider a career change cos jeezo they make a fortune!!

Let us know how you get on. I got so desperate looking for a plasterer that I even thought of doing it myself, but have reverted back to 'plastering is the one job on a house that I/we can legally do but which I will not do'. If the plasterer who has so far taken four weeks to come and look at it, and whose quote is now a week overdue since it was promised, and said a week ago he was already booked for the next six weeks, doesn't get back to us soon, I may have to break a rule I've had my entire life and try it myself.

I brought a new house and did a plastering course (£185) so I could attempt to plaster it myself after seeing the prices of plasterers. I am quite DIY minded and have done up a few houses in the past. It was an excellent course and I loved it. I got to practice without messing up my own walls. As it turned out I wasn’t too bad and got better with practice. If the walls are back to brick you will need hardwall plaster and to key the surface before skim coats. If they still have plaster on them you will just need multifinish plaster for the skim coats. The difficulty is in getting the plaster consistency right and getting it on the wall before it dries. You need to ‘get a feel’ for it really and the easiest way to do this is is to actually be shown. Plaster always needs to be much runnier than you’d expect and you need to flatten in the first coat and get the second coat on at the right time. Always plaster from the bottom of the wall to the top, and make sure all you equipment is clean as a little bit of grit will spoil the whole wall! Having professional tools also helps, I use a marshalltown permashape trowel, which doesn’t need wearing in, which I love. Also it’s worth hiring or buying a professional mixer and mixing bucket. You will also need a mortar board and stand and a water brush for the polishing coat. However I usually just use a mist water spray bottle. Just have a go, a bag of plaster isn’t expensive. If it goes wrong you can always chip it off again!

Don’t do it, I have seen some terrible diy plastering, it’ll devalue your house if it’s not top notch, there is a real art to doing a good job, the bigger issue is time though, a good plaster will do a couple of rooms in a day, i have done every job in my house except plastering because it’s hugely time consuming, my time was better spent elsewhere

I gave in and got some rooms plastered! Getting 2 main rooms done as they're the ones guests will see. I'm filling, sanding then painting the other rooms with primer before emulsion. Hopefully they'll look OK as I'm not paying out for any more plaster jobs. If I had more time i may have tried it myself, but sounds like I'd need a lot of equipment!