A first timer on the trowel.. advice for a skim coat

N

noopaleon

New Member
Looking for some help from the brains trust

I have a small laundry renovation (1.3 x 3m) I am tackling and had a really hard time trying to get help finding someone to skim coat the walls, job is too small. Quotes I did get back are higher than I want to pay. I think I want to DIY and learn some plastering for myself.

The walls are white-set plaster which have been painted (paint peeling in some spots). I have removed tiles and there is a fair amount of damage and holes and in them.

Tools I have:
- Hawk
- 12" Stainless steel trowel (probably need something bigger like 14"?)
- Mixer
- Bucket trowel
- Plastic trowel
- Brush

Anything I should have? Would a speedskim be good for a newbie? Seem quite expensive but if I do well this time I have a few other walls I want to knock out as well.

Questions:
1. Been told that it's easiest to use Thistle Multifinish product instead of skimming white white set, sound right?
2. Can I apply to all surfaces if I use a bonding agent first? i.e would apply bonding agent to the bare plaster, existing paint, and bare spots back to where base concrete is showing
3. Do I PVA over the bonding agent? Or need PVA at all? is this just for a plasterboard application? (I see this mentioned a lot and am confused)

If it helps at all I am in Perth Australia. A lot of our homes here are white set plastered, gypsum based plastering is not that common here. From what I have researched it looks like it should work well for my purposes (correct me if wrong).

I have watched a tonne of videos on technique and think I've got that mostly figured out. The room is small and being a laundry I wont be in there much to cringe at my work too much lol.

Cheers

Leon
 
noopaleon said:
Looking for some help from the brains trust

I have a small laundry renovation (1.3 x 3m) I am tackling and had a really hard time trying to get help finding someone to skim coat the walls, job is too small. Quotes I did get back are higher than I want to pay. I think I want to DIY and learn some plastering for myself.

The walls are white-set plaster which have been painted (paint peeling in some spots). I have removed tiles and there is a fair amount of damage and holes and in them.

Tools I have:
- Hawk
- 12" Stainless steel trowel (probably need something bigger like 14"?)
- Mixer
- Bucket trowel
- Plastic trowel
- Brush

Anything I should have? Would a speedskim be good for a newbie? Seem quite expensive but if I do well this time I have a few other walls I want to knock out as well.

Questions:
1. Been told that it's easiest to use Thistle Multifinish product instead of skimming white white set, sound right?
2. Can I apply to all surfaces if I use a bonding agent first? i.e would apply bonding agent to the bare plaster, existing paint, and bare spots back to where base concrete is showing
3. Do I PVA over the bonding agent? Or need PVA at all? is this just for a plasterboard application? (I see this mentioned a lot and am confused)

If it helps at all I am in Perth Australia. A lot of our homes here are white set plastered, gypsum based plastering is not that common here. From what I have researched it looks like it should work well for my purposes (correct me if wrong).

I have watched a tonne of videos on technique and think I've got that mostly figured out. The room is small and being a laundry I wont be in there much to cringe at my work too much lol.

Cheers

Leon
Click to expand...
First bit of advice for you is chuck the plastic trowel in the bin.

Second bit of advice will require payment first. (y)
 
noopaleon said:
Looking for some help from the brains trust

I have a small laundry renovation (1.3 x 3m) I am tackling and had a really hard time trying to get help finding someone to skim coat the walls, job is too small. Quotes I did get back are higher than I want to pay. I think I want to DIY and learn some plastering for myself.

The walls are white-set plaster which have been painted (paint peeling in some spots). I have removed tiles and there is a fair amount of damage and holes and in them.

Tools I have:
- Hawk
- 12" Stainless steel trowel (probably need something bigger like 14"?)
- Mixer
- Bucket trowel
- Plastic trowel
- Brush

Anything I should have? Would a speedskim be good for a newbie? Seem quite expensive but if I do well this time I have a few other walls I want to knock out as well.

Questions:
1. Been told that it's easiest to use Thistle Multifinish product instead of skimming white white set, sound right?
2. Can I apply to all surfaces if I use a bonding agent first? i.e would apply bonding agent to the bare plaster, existing paint, and bare spots back to where base concrete is showing
3. Do I PVA over the bonding agent? Or need PVA at all? is this just for a plasterboard application? (I see this mentioned a lot and am confused)

If it helps at all I am in Perth Australia. A lot of our homes here are white set plastered, gypsum based plastering is not that common here. From what I have researched it looks like it should work well for my purposes (correct me if wrong).

I have watched a tonne of videos on technique and think I've got that mostly figured out. The room is small and being a laundry I wont be in there much to cringe at my work too much lol.

Cheers

Leon
Click to expand...



To be honest mate,


Where you're currently at, and what you need to know would take up pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages of info.

But

12" trowel will do

Don't worry about a speedy

1 wall at a time

Prep properly



Watch s**t loads of YouTube video hours and hours BEFORE starting anything


Watch til you're bored then Watch some more

Then again - Watch some more!




If you don't!



It'll cost you more than you were quoted initially to sort it out.


I usually charge for this advice , but f**k it.


This one's free.



For now.
 
Put it that way, it'll look better if you pay a decent spread to wack two coats on and flatten it without troweling than if you just go at it and half way through realise you can't do it. Some people will get it after 6 months to acceptable standard, some will take years to learn and still be lacking. Its really not as easy as it seems, trust me.
I had countless jobs people asking to sort out their mistakes (watching YouTube tutorials). Most of them were shockingly bad. I had one where a client and he's mate had a go at artex ceiling, 3x3 ceiling, it took them 6 hours from start to finish, countless coats and no breaks, it looked like surface of the moon.
 
You're in Australia, so products will be different and advice on here will be based on the products we use in the UK.
 
Cockney1 said:
First bit of advice for you is chuck the plastic trowel in the bin.

Second bit of advice will require payment first. (y)
Click to expand...

lol cheers. i'll give it to the kids to make cakes with or something

Kasper said:
Put it that way, it'll look better if you pay a decent spread to wack two coats on and flatten it without troweling than if you just go at it and half way through realise you can't do it. Some people will get it after 6 months to acceptable standard, some will take years to learn and still be lacking. Its really not as easy as it seems, trust me.
I had countless jobs people asking to sort out their mistakes (watching YouTube tutorials). Most of them were shockingly bad. I had one where a client and he's mate had a go at artex ceiling, 3x3 ceiling, it took them 6 hours from start to finish, countless coats and no breaks, it looked like surface of the moon.
Click to expand...

If I could find a decent spread to do the job i'd let em have it. I had 5 quotes and only two who bothered getting back to me wanted ~$4k AUD. I've got 20sqm to skim, seems really high to me?, maybe if the walls tickled my balls each time I entered the room.

100% acknowledge it's not easy. I'm a welder / fabricator and even my most technical work doesn't come close (no material time pressure with what I do. most of the time if I f*ck up I can grind my mistake off and try again). Not afraid of hard work and to always keen to learn.
 
bobski said:
To be honest mate,


Where you're currently at, and what you need to know would take up pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages and pages of info.

But

12" trowel will do

Don't worry about a speedy

1 wall at a time

Prep properly



Watch s**t loads of YouTube video hours and hours BEFORE starting anything


Watch til you're bored then Watch some more

Then again - Watch some more!




If you don't!



It'll cost you more than you were quoted initially to sort it out.


I usually charge for this advice , but f**k it.


This one's free.



For now.
Click to expand...
yer watch the ego tossers on utube...great advice that
 
Cockney1 said:
First bit of advice for you is chuck the plastic trowel in the bin.

Second bit of advice will require payment first. (y)
Click to expand...
3rd by time he.s bought all that silver line gear to f**k it up may as well have paid a plasterer for all ear ache er indoors is gonna give him
 
noopaleon said:
lol cheers. i'll give it to the kids to make cakes with or something



If I could find a decent spread to do the job i'd let em have it. I had 5 quotes and only two who bothered getting back to me wanted ~$4k AUD. I've got 20sqm to skim, seems really high to me?, maybe if the walls tickled my balls each time I entered the room.

100% acknowledge it's not easy. I'm a welder / fabricator and even my most technical work doesn't come close (no material time pressure with what I do. most of the time if I f*ck up I can grind my mistake off and try again). Not afraid of hard work and to always keen to learn.
Click to expand...
Just have a go mate! Just do 1 wall and see how you get on. What’s the worse that can happen? We ain’t talking about brain surgery.
 
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