Openplan Kitchen & Living Room Ceiling And Walls Plastered

At a seafront property in Margate, Kent, two walls have been removed to create an open space for a new Kitchen and Living Room area. The previous artex ceiling has been plastered. The damaged walls have also been repaired and plastered to a smooth finish.

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Finish Coat Plaster

After 2 days of drying, the top backing coat of sand & cement is now hard enough for the finishing plaster coats to be applied.

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Laying The Base Coats

The exposed brickwork has now had 2 base coats of a sand & cement mixture applied. When this top coat is dry and hard (normally takes between 1 - 3 days), I'll lay a finish coat plaster over the whole wall area.

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Successful Plastering

For a successful plastering job, preparation is the key. Here is a project I'm about to start. It involves plastering the exposed brickwork of the chimney breast and alcoves.

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Kitchen Walls

In the kitchen at a home in Ramsgate, Kent: the damaged wall and window  reveals have been repaired and plastered.

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Floor Tiling

This hallway in a home in Canterbury, Kent has recently had quarry tiles laid.
Here's my top tip: Whatever layout you decide on ie brickwork, basketweave, diagonal course or herringbone, always start in the middle of the room. While you might start actually tiling from one corner, you don’t want one side of your room to have full tiles and the other side to have cut tiles, it will look off-balance.

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The Art Of Plastering

After years of experience, I can make plastering a wall or ceiling look easy and effortless. When done well, smooth creamy plaster glides onto the surface and dries out evenly and perfectly flat. Hers's the first of 5 top tips that won't turn you into a Master Plasterer overnight, but will make plastering a wall or ceiling less tricky in the future.


Plastering Tip 1: Ensure your surface is properly prepared before plastering

 Plaster will not adhere securely to any surface that is damp, dusty, wallpapered or unstable without some prior preparation. You must remove any loose areas of existing plaster, dust or paper. Next, the surface must be treated with a mixture of PVA glue and water (this should be 3 parts PVA to 1 water). Allow to dry until the surface becomes tacky, then apply the first coat of plaster 

Plastering Tip 2: How to mix your plaster perfectly
 Mixing plaster is not "rocket science" but there are some basic rules to follow. Always use clean water to mix the plaster as any contamination can cause the plaster to go off before you've applied it. You MUST always add the plaster to the water (on roughly a 50:50 basis so half a bucket of water will make a full bucket of plaster).
My top tip is to first add just enough plaster so that it heaps on top of the water and mix in until lump free. Then add smaller amounts of plaster by hand until the consistency is smooth and lump free ("like melting ice-cream")
  A great way to test the consistency of the mix is by standing a stick in the mix....if the stick can stand on its own then the plaster is mixed perfectly. 

Plastering Tip 3: Don't try to take on too much!
When attempting to plaster for the first time - it's good to start on a small wall -  i.e. an area that can be covered with a single coat in 20 minutes or less.
 Don't try and get the surface perfect during this first coat. Allowing the plaster to dry before applying the second coat will greatly improve the final finish. Using this technique not only makes plastering quicker but you will end up with a better finish every time. 

Plastering Tip 4: Cleanliness is key to creating that perfect plaster finish
The best tip I was ever given while learning the trade is to always clean up as you're plastering. Let me explain: Any contamination in your plaster mix will result in either the plaster setting or going off too quickly, and since plastering is generally a race against time, anything that reduces the time you have to complete your job is ultimately going to cause more work than less. Therefore it is essential that buckets and equipment are washed up as you go.
 Remember, even the tiniest fleck of dried plaster from a previous mix can cause pulls and drags in your plaster finish and lead to frustration. Always ensure the water used for plastering is clean. 

Plastering Tip 5: Get the perfect finish - but don´t over polish
The perfect plaster finish looks and feels like eggshell, and there is one very important reason for this - paint and wallpaper will peel away from a highly polished surface.
On the final trowelling DON´T get carried away - you don´t want the situation where paint will peel easily in some areas and stick rock hard in others - completely ruining the plaster finish. www.plastering4u.com