Artex & Bubbles ...HELP

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180 wizard

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Hi guys, im new to the forum Ive been plastering for a good few years now doing my own house's up ,and doing work for family and friends etc.In the last few months Ive taken the plunge and gone self employed,work has started to come in lots from word of mouth.

Now i have skimmed over artex before with no real problems (i scrape off the high spots then pva and skim ) but the last two jobs i have had on the artex has been very thick and customer dint want to over board due to cost !!,
so i give it a coat of bonding then skimmed the next day.i pva'd the bonding and skimmed two coats of multi on it after the first coat of multi the trouble starts BUBBLE'S all over the wall and it sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies "snap crackle & pop" after the 2ND coat of skim and when it starts to go off the bubbles settle down a bit ,in the end i managed to give it a real firm push to sort it out ...the walls turned out ok but i would like to find a way round this happening cos it sends me crazy !!!! why does this happen is it the bonding drying out ? not enough pva ?

should i be pva ing the bonding coat ?
or should i just wet the walls down ?
should i be pva ing the artex before i bonding coat ?
 
Suction my friend !!! That noise of snap crackle & pop is the bonding coat sucking all the moisture out of your skim coat - If you can, always try and skim onto bonding the same day - its normally firm enough after 3-4 hours depending on heating conditions - that way, whilst its still green, it wont pull in like a dry coat of Bonding will.

You can PVA bonding but its not really designed to - if it happens another time, just give the bonding a good drink of water - that normally sorts it.

The worst thing you can do is panic and play with the blisters - leave them alone - as you have found out, they pull in as the ceiling starts to set and then on a final dry trowel they tend to disappear completely - Ive gone back the next day in the past and just gone over any blistered areas with a firm trowel - turns out perfect
 
Love that sound...NOT! Yeh usually give it loads of water first then it'll be ok but as above try and skim it same day. The longer you leave it the faster the plaster will dry out and on big walls /ceilings that can be a pain in the arse.
 
cheers for that guys !
so am i wasting my time pva ing the bonding, and its best to wet the walls down instead or do both ? do you guys pva the artex before you bond it ?
 
P.V.A first for me also. Not really into bonding it as by time i have done that its half skimmed
 
Try and skim the bonding before it turns brown and is still a little tacky but firm underneath and it will pull in the the same time as the skim and goes perfect and no blisters.
 
Bod said:
Try and skim the bonding before it turns brown and is still a little tacky but firm underneath and it will pull in the the same time as the skim and goes perfect and no blisters.
Click to expand...

this is good advice mate and i also do this, works a treat.
i go like this
. bonding on
. give bonding a trowel then scour with devil float
. go and have dinner
. first coat of multi and first trowel
. second coat
. three more trowels and a polish
. clean up, cash
. PUB
 
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