Plaster/Render
Discussion
I'm having huge difficulty finding a plasterer to do a bit of rendering around an exterior chimney breast - not a huge area, maybe chopping out and re-doing an area that's 4 foot wide by 3 foot deep. Ground level - easy access.
Finally found someone to come up to the house the other day who said it would be two days work - chopping out, scratch-keying/preparing the area and then another day to re-plaster.
I'd have thought it was a days work at most - but I'm not a plasterer. I'm not being miserly, just curious.
What say you?
To be fair there will be a bit of drying time involved.
He will (or should) put two coats on. First coat will be scratched and allowed to go off ideally overnight. Second coat will then go on but it will need to dry out quite a bit before he can rub it up to a decent finish.
Maybe not 2 days solid hard work but he will be there for 2 days.
He will (or should) put two coats on. First coat will be scratched and allowed to go off ideally overnight. Second coat will then go on but it will need to dry out quite a bit before he can rub it up to a decent finish.
Maybe not 2 days solid hard work but he will be there for 2 days.
If he's half-decent, he'll know what backing to use (thicker first/scratch coat) to let him skim it same day.
Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
tony m said:
it wont be two full days but it will be two visits,depending on the suction with the second coat you could be hanging around for a while,
Agree.Prep and scratch coat one morning and return the following morning for second coat. Only enough work for one guy and allow somewhere in the region of £250-to low £300 based on your brief. Im sure thats what they ment by two days work.
andy43 said:
If he's half-decent, he'll know what backing to use (thicker first/scratch coat) to let him skim it same day.
Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
skim coat outside?you dont know what your talking aboutTwo days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
tony m said:
andy43 said:
If he's half-decent, he'll know what backing to use (thicker first/scratch coat) to let him skim it same day.
Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
skim coat outside?you dont know what your talking aboutTwo days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
Okaaaay, our last house - 3 sided rendered extension - all the first coat done first - rough scratch coat/backing coat/whatever.
Then top/skim/whatever coat put on days afterwards. Fair enough.
But when we had an old guy fix up a bay window area that had loosened and had bits drop off after the windows were changed.. there was about a chimney breasts worth once the loose stuff had been knocked off... thick layer on first, a good half an inch to an inch thick, he hen made the surface rough with a pronged trowel, had his lunch and newspaper, then did the top coat, smoothed off with a bit of carpet on a plasterers trowel. And I definitely remember he did say it was easier doing the top coat with the bottom one still damp. What materials he used - no idea. He was gone in a day, and the stuff didn't fall off (well, for the two years or so we had the house afterwards anyway...).
But I bow to the voice of experience - I'm not a plasterer
Then top/skim/whatever coat put on days afterwards. Fair enough.
But when we had an old guy fix up a bay window area that had loosened and had bits drop off after the windows were changed.. there was about a chimney breasts worth once the loose stuff had been knocked off... thick layer on first, a good half an inch to an inch thick, he hen made the surface rough with a pronged trowel, had his lunch and newspaper, then did the top coat, smoothed off with a bit of carpet on a plasterers trowel. And I definitely remember he did say it was easier doing the top coat with the bottom one still damp. What materials he used - no idea. He was gone in a day, and the stuff didn't fall off (well, for the two years or so we had the house afterwards anyway...).
But I bow to the voice of experience - I'm not a plasterer
andy43 said:
If he's half-decent, he'll know what backing to use (thicker first/scratch coat) to let him skim it same day.
Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
What you have described is float and set and yes that is the correct way of doing it. However this is only for internal use and you would use bonding or hardwall followed by multifinish.Two days for 4 foot square is nuts.
Plasterers I've had let the backing go off for a couple of hours then skim it when there's still some moisture in the first coat - stops the skim coat going off too quickly.
A day.
Sand and cement rendering is a completely different animal with drying times to match.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff