Plastering by:Joanna Harris

Plastering is a job of creating a plasterwork

Plastering is a job of creating a plasterwork. Plasterwork is the construction done with plasters and may be ornamental in nature. Plastering is like adding finishing touch to a newly constructed wall or surface. It is important for providing protection from the temperature variations in the atmosphere. It also provides protection against the attacks of sulphates and chlorides. Beside all these protections, it also provides a smooth and neat look to the brickwork or RCC surface.

Plastering Tools

Plastering tools and the plastering materials are the most important requirement for the perfect plastering job. The most basic tools required for plastering are buckets, hawk, straight edge, string line, level, splash brush, trimming knife, plasterer trowels, steel floats and claw hammer. Bucket used for mixing plaster should be clean. Also keep the plasterers float clean all the time. Steel float is the best as others may get rusted. Hawk is used to hold the plaster and float helps transfer it to the wall. Perfect mixing of the plaster is a very important feature. For mixing a large quantity of plaster use a mixer drill. For mixing lesser quantities, you can use piece of wood.

Kinds of the plaster

Gypsum based and cement based plasters are two main kinds that are used commonly. Cement based is mainly for plastering exterior walls. For indoor, gypsum based plastering is used but if it is done on the damp surfaces it will crumble down. For those damp surfaces, cement based plaster should be used. On damp surfaces, thick layer of plaster is required.

Plastering Tips

Two basic coats of plaster are required. For backing coat which is the first coat, bonding or browning plaster is applied. Instead of backing plaster you can apply a plasterboard. Second and final coat is the finishing plaster and it covers the backing plaster. Use only clean and cold water for mixing for plaster. Do not add water to plaster, rather add plaster to the water, otherwise plaster will get lumpy. Apply plaster when it is still creamy. To achieve the desired thickness, you can apply the base coat in two layers. Apply second layer while first layer is still damp but set firmly.

For plastering internal walls and ceiling, plasterboard is the popular choice. Available in various sizes and thicknesses, plasterboard is easy to apply. It is cut with the help of special tools.

After applying first coat, final coat is to be applied and it is called skim. Skimming requires more efficiency and skill. Go for it slowly. Ensure evenness of the surface, cleanliness of the plaster, buckets and other tools. To start with, go for a hidden wall of your house. Various textures can also be given to the wall surface while plastering.

Take care of few things like using just sufficient water while mixing, avoid using dry cement over the plaster surface, and make the surface wet before plastering.

About the author

Joanna is a well renowned Polish journalist specialising in Polish, Russian and English translation services. She has been residing in the UK for 3 years where she has made her home among the Polish community in Tooting, South West London.

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