Help with ridiculously awkward wall in Victorian house...suggestions?!

[FReaK]

Evening

I'm working on an old Victorian house I bought recently and have encountered a problem with two rooms downstairs. I can't for the life of me work out how I'm going to get them done. I'll do my best to explain...if you can offer any suggestions that would be great.

Ok...

The top of all the walls curve tightly and blends into the Victorian cornice that attaches to the ceiling. I can skim curves effortllessly usually, however the cornice has a decoative edge that drops making it impossible to get a trowel in. I've tried a mini trowel, a flexible taping knife, a small scraper, a flexible filling knife...I literally can't get a smooth layer of plaster on the curve. It's simply too tight an angle.

It looks like a couple of the walls have been skimmed in the past and feathered up to the curve. I really dont want to go down this route as the curve is cracked and looks unsightly.

Can anyone offer me a suggestion as to how to tackle this?!

I was cutting up plastic bottles earlier in an attempt to try and get to it! Desperate times...

:RpS_lol:

 

[potatoe]

get a pic of it

 

[uveco]

I think you are on the right track with a piece of pvc.
A plastic flexible tool would work well, sand the edges with fine (1500) sandpaper for a smooth finish. There used to be plastic artex spatulas with a wooden handle that would work.
Failing that, easyfill, can save frustration if you dont mind a bit of dust

 

[lucius]

Yep no problem mate get a spread in who knows wat they are doing i think there is an Irish lad near you who might help.

 

[Bagrat]

Just thinking the same as uveco he's bang on!

 

[Jace]

try one of these mate i have one in the van for these kind of things then once its almost finished and taken the shape i run the trowel over it to polish it up to the standard of the rest of the wall (rough as arseholes:RpS_lol Paint Guard - Decorating Tools - Decorative Accessories -Decorating & Interiors - Wickes

 

[lucius]

Easyfill, grip fill, sillicone, half of London is held up with this s**t, what happened to proper work.

 

[rockhardsolidplastering]

Easyfill, grip fill, sillicone, half of London is held up with this s**t, what happened to proper work.

only brendankelly is doing that allegedly

 

[spunky]

Maybe it's condensation mate and you should do that wall with a condensation mix of 6 con 2 den 1 station

 

[essexandy]

This is an easy one to answer. What you need is an old well used stainless steel finishing trowel (the grey handled Ragnis' are ideal) which is not of the Perma shape variety. If as a plasterer you for some strange reason don't have one already just get a new one and use it on a wide range of jobs for a few years after which the trowel will have taken on a lovely tight curve and you will have the skill (should have by then) to use it on awkward tight curves such as those described and stair winders etc.

 

[brendankelly]

only brendankelly is doing that allegedly

What are you on about. I never use anything other than lime plasters and lime renders.?????/

 

[Handtoolsxpress]

Sorry to but in newbie here Didn't think any of you plasterers liked Ragni trowels. Tight curves perhaps I need to design something.

 

[spunky]

Really I thought you won Wimbledon in 78

 

[Handtoolsxpress]

Really I thought you won Wimbledon in 78

Actually I won Wimbledon in 1976 against
" the ball was in McEnroe" lol