trowelling up process

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Always nervous when asking for opinions on here but thought id ask about how different people trowel up. I usually lay second coat on and then do a basic flatten straight away to get the basic shape, another flatten, then a wet trowel getting my edges in, another wet and then dry. The reason I asked was starting to experiment and after my first wet gave it a little dry trowel then another wet and the wall seemed to come out really lovely, dont know if it was just chance but all seemed to dry so lovely and even as it turned. Just wondered what different people do....i know its variable and sometimes a wall needs one more or one less but just your general rules of thumb
 
theclemo said:
I found when you give a wall 2 coats with the same mix and speedskim it and then 2 trowels with my mt and a quick cross trowel with the s*p*r*lex gets the wall to dry out the one colour.
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im a bit scared of the speedskim, ive got one but cant bring myself to use it...want to free a week up and go out with pete so I can get to grips with it without anything going wrong
 
Tbh lodan...

I think its great to have general system that suits you...however it's far more important to read the wall/area that your working on and again adapt your troweling up process to suit...

Different if skimming boards day in day out as you get into a routine... Overwork to many variables...

In time it will become 2nd nature!
 
Lodan said:
Sounds G**, but im a bit scared of the speedskim, ive got one but cant bring myself to use it...want to free a week up and go out with pete so I can get to grips with it without anything going wrong
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Can't go wrong . Try this out. 1st coat a wall. Straight away 2nd coat it then speedskim it that's it. Repeat the same on each wall. Try keep the same mix for each wall. It's a good system for working on your own. Here is a up close picture of skim drying out all the one colour.

trowelling up process
 
zombie said:
Tbh lodan...

I think its great to have general system that suits you...however it's far more important to read the wall/area that your working on and again adapt your troweling up process to suit...

Different if skimming boards day in day out as you get into a routine... Overwork to many variables...

In time it will become 2nd nature!
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Yeah fair enough mate, I know what you mean, every wall is a bit different, just trying to get people talking about the questions I have as on my own im pretty much guidence free most of the time
 
theclemo said:
Can't go wrong . Try this out. 1st coat a wall. Straight away 2nd coat it then speedskim it that's it. Repeat the same on each wall. Try keep the same mix for each wall. It's a good system for working on your own. Here is a up close picture of skim drying out all the one colour.

View attachment 12666
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Is that skim green or am I colour blind....you paddy's try and make everything green
 
Shouldn't be nervous pal ... I adapted my technique from advice from people like @scottie5 and a few others, varying from timings for using a refina s*p*r*lex / speedskim etc to even mastering using a refina plaziflex (stiff blade) to trowel up.

For me just bang your hit on then just speedskim it, twitch angles if doing a ceiling and back to back walls then mix a new coat and fire that on ... speedskim again then within 5 mins s*p*r*lex your set with bearly no pressure ... as said timings vary but by this stage finishing is easy with another pass /twich etc etc . Doing it this way I use next to no water and sets dry pretty much all one colour ...

Never ever got the lads that have to hard trowel there walls to the point where there shoulders nearly pop out and you see fat trowelled in etc ... no wonder peoples elbows / shoulders are fooked etc ... as said this way your not straining anything other than deciding how much gear your banging o but again this is my method and its not even a struggle really and ive not been going half as long as many on here.
 
theclemo said:
Can't go wrong . Try this out. 1st coat a wall. Straight away 2nd coat it then speedskim it that's it. Repeat the same on each wall. Try keep the same mix for each wall. It's a good system for working on your own. Here is a up close picture of skim drying out all the one colour.

View attachment 12666
Click to expand...

Its a picture of the summer dull sky @theclemo 's taken when deciding whether to get out his van :sorprendido3:
 
Lay on first coat and use same stuff on second coat and lay in second coat flat if its a normal sized set.

Lay on first coat then second coat with a slightly wetter mix and lay flat on bigger stuff.

Clean tools off

Two flattening trowels over

Have a cigerette

Another trowel over leaving some fat on beads

Kill another 10 minutes by having a chat, coffee, phone people, arguee with those idiotic people on the radio who do the competitions on there and get all the questions wrong, bit of air guitar, dance, maybe a sniff around the knicker drawer

Then another flat over, sometimes ill bring the edges in with a brush if there pulling in

Then a little tidy up if needed otherwise another fag break, air guitar, arguerment, dance, Jeremy Kyle or whatever for 10/15mins

Slight flick of water bring it all together with another trowel, edges, beads all brought right in nice with this one

Go prep the next set, water, skim, sheets, beads etc or air guitar, phone calls, abuse, knicker drawer, hide the kids toys, MAKE MY OWN COFFEE AGAIN, etc

Another trowel over keeping they edges nice, clean edges of the beads off, cloth the window revels etc then about 15 minutes after that one last hard/ polishing trowel.


That's how I do It anyway.
 
Lodan said:
Always nervous when asking for opinions on here but thought id ask about how different people trowel up. I usually lay second coat on and then do a basic flatten straight away to get the basic shape, another flatten, then a wet trowel getting my edges in, another wet and then dry. The reason I asked was starting to experiment and after my first wet gave it a little dry trowel then another wet and the wall seemed to come out really lovely, dont know if it was just chance but all seemed to dry so lovely and even as it turned. Just wondered what different people do....i know its variable and sometimes a wall needs one more or one less but just your general rules of thumb
Click to expand...

Being a good plasterer is like being a good baker; knowing how long to knead the dough,,when to put it in the oven, when to take it out. It all comes with experience. You develop an instinct for what is the best approach and what timings to use.
 
roryston said:
Lay on first coat and use same stuff on second coat and lay in second coat flat if its a normal sized set.

Lay on first coat then second coat with a slightly wetter mix and lay flat on bigger stuff.

Clean tools off

Two flattening trowels over

Have a fag

Another trowel over leaving some fat on beads

Kill another 10 minutes by having a chat, coffee, phone people, arguee with those idiotic people on the radio who do the competitions on there and get all the questions wrong, bit of air guitar, dance, maybe a sniff around the knicker drawer

Then another flat over, sometimes ill bring the edges in with a brush if there pulling in

Then a little tidy up if needed otherwise another fag break, air guitar, arguerment, dance, Jeremy Kyle or whatever for 10/15mins

Slight flick of water bring it all together with another trowel, edges, beads all brought right in nice with this one

Go prep the next set, water, skim, sheets, beads etc or air guitar, phone calls, abuse, knicker drawer, hide the kids toys, MAKE MY OWN COFFEE AGAIN, etc

Another trowel over keeping they edges nice, clean edges of the beads off, cloth the window revels etc then about 15 minutes after that one last hard/ polishing trowel.


That's how I do It anyway.
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Can we have a picture of you on your air guitar please :guitarra::frio:
 
Would be good to have another week with @Lodan now that you been on your own a bit we'll have to look at diary's and plan another skim off
 
I get it on flatten then just keep going til I'm happy but lately I've been putting on with my mt flatten twice then super flex few times then on last one go back to mt basically cos I didn't like the final finish and felt that the last one had to be with the rigid trowel, always adapting lodan just depends on how I feel might go same way for couple months then change again just find what's good for you and always try a new way you have seen or been told that's how they do it and use to suit
 
The thing is @Lodan in domestic work every job, every walls difference with board work you could write a system down and use it ridgidley if that makes sense....

However example today for me small befroom x4 walls...

X2 walls needing remedial work ie deep chasese to fill...well I don't f**k about so really well pvad the chases and just 1st coat those 2 walls with probably 1/5th bag bonding to 3/4 bag skim including the chases all as 1 mix/coat...

Then top those x2 walls with skim only..

Wall 3...1 coat skim only on a painted surface with the 2nd mix from above

Wall 4 window wall got its own mix x2 coats from same gear!!!

All flawless and A1...8-3pm good earner...

However without experience and thinking outside the box you would spend half a day prepping remedial and either have to pull your plonker out and run around trying to put 4 walls on...or put couple on and return tomorrow...

Just trust your instincts pal and get a feel for how different surfaces work...

Its no point listening to someone saying use same mix and do this and that if your working over an artex ceiling or likewise a surface with no key etc!

Use the force young Luke!!!

Luv yoda xxx
 
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Just to add @ lodan when your feeling More confident....

A good little tip is to try and have a few different areas on the go but only very small manageable amounts and get into the habit of mixing up and laying Gear on in between trowels some areas may be on there 1st coat, some 2 and some wet trowel and so on...

As a quick starting point to which you can't f**k up would be next time your 2nd coating an area knowingly mix a bit more up and 1 st coat a little wall etc...doesn't matter if you don't top that area for couple of hrs providing its flattened off and edges are left tidy etc...

Your then already a good hour plus up on your day etc
 
Said it before on here and got ripped. But after its been laid in with 2nd coat it gets 2 trowels. As simple as that. I think the reason might be I trowel up abit later than most. So when you guys are giving it 5th polish I'm giving it 2nd trowel and it looks same as the skim is at same setting stage. No water on either trowel. All done very neat.
 
JohnDoe said:
Said it before on here and got ripped. But after its been laid in with 2nd coat it gets 2 trowels. As simple as that. I think the reason might be I trowel up abit later than most. So when you guys are giving it 5th polish I'm giving it 2nd trowel and it looks same as the skim is at same setting stage. No water on either trowel. All done very neat.
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Don't u have to chase it at times? Me personally only do what I think I can cope with sometimes ain't enough on but I like easy life
 
JohnDoe said:
Said it before on here and got ripped. But after its been laid in with 2nd coat it gets 2 trowels. As simple as that. I think the reason might be I trowel up abit later than most. So when you guys are giving it 5th polish I'm giving it 2nd trowel and it looks same as the skim is at same setting stage. No water on either trowel. All done very neat.
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5th Polish..... Pmsl
 
Pagey said:
Don't u have to chase it at times? Me personally only do what I think I can cope with sometimes ain't enough on but I like easy life
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Why would I be chasing mate? I've got more on because I wasn't fannying about flattening piss wet skim. I 1st Trowel as soon as I've washed out as it's ready because I put it on tight as fcuk. Then I 2nd trowel it probs at the stage where you guys are on 3 or 4 trowel. It looks bob on. Then get next gague on.
 
It's was a genuine question mate no offence meant and Pete I done 2 bags at once today was very proud of myself
 
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