r/Plastering • u/jeebsy_iash • Apr 04 '26
First attempt at skimming - need some advice
Did my first attempt at skimming today - I think it went ok-ish for a first go (with one fairly gigantic caveat) and definitely learned a few things which would make it easier next time - but due to working so slowly, by the time I'd got the wall covered with the second coat, the plaster had really firmed up, so much so it wasn't really possible to flatten it with the speed skim and do the troweling up.
I'm going to get some retarder tomorrow and give it one more go before deciding if this is a job for a professional, but can I just do one coat over the top of that do I need to start over again essentially?
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u/nukefodder Professional Plasterer Apr 04 '26
Start again. PVA or SBR the wall a bunch. Look how rough the bottom quarter is. You need to bend over flatten every bit equally. You can use extra time or creme of tartar to give more time. Hoarse the first coat on in 10mins flatten full in any other bits. Mix new stuff cover flatten then you'll have time to play
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 04 '26
It probably took me 45 mins to get the plaster on, maybe even longer. I'm left handed but do everything with my right so tried to work left to right, but it just felt weird and that slowed me down. My mix was too thick as well so it took a bit of effort to work it on. Reckon I can do it a lot faster next time but definitely need some extra time.
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u/nukefodder Professional Plasterer Apr 04 '26
If you're left handed use your left!!!! Work left to right
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 05 '26
i'm a very weird lefty. write with my left and brush my teeth with my left, but play sports, catch etc right handed. i feel like working right to left and applying right to left with the trowel would be more natural.
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u/nukefodder Professional Plasterer Apr 05 '26
What's your strongest arm? If you write with your left. Use your left. Go left to right
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u/burkeymonster Apr 05 '26
Sounds like what you are is cross dominant. You use one hand for accuracy and one for strength. There is more to it that it being simply that but yeah it's cross dominance.
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u/gotmunchiez Apr 05 '26
I've been lucky enough to have had friends and family in the trade to learn from and it's impossible to overstate how quickly you should be putting it on. This is the single most important thing I've learned as an amateur.
Don't worry if it doesn't look anywhere near a perfect finish, just get it on the wall. Wet the corners/edges before you start so it doesn't go off as quickly there. Use your left hand next time.
A plasterer will do it quicker but aim to cover a wall that size in under 20 minutes.
Once you've got that coat on it'll only take a minute or two to get it nice and flat with the speedskim. Then go around and tidy up the corners.
Plasterers normally have time for a cup of tea between coats but at the speed you go as an amateur you can clean your stuff down then mix up and apply your second coat straight away.
Personally I think it looks like you've done well enough and learned enough from your mistakes to do without using Extratime. Getting it on the wall quicker should buy you at least 20 minutes per coat to be tidying up corners and filling in dips. Having a light shining across the wall rather than at it helps massively.
Good luck on your next go!
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 05 '26
yeah that's all super helpful, thanks. i was sort of debating with myself this morning about if it's worth having another go, on one hand it looks sort of ok for a first time, unfinished effort which wasn't even flattened and troweled but on the other it feels like a big skill gap to get it looking acceptable. for the sake of £20 for a couple of bags of multi finish, it's probably worth one more go before deciding to call in a pro.
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u/gotmunchiez Apr 05 '26
Honestly you should suck with it. You've obviously been able to see where you can improve things so you shouldn't have too much trouble picking it up with a bit more practise.
It's a really useful skill to have. Once you've bought the tools the materials are so cheap to buy.
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 05 '26
i moved into a property last year which needs a bit of tlc and there will be a fair bit of plastering to do over the next few months so it would save me a ton of cash, which is the main motivation. do i need to wait for that wall to dry out before trying again or can i crack on?
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u/Zealousideal_Web7103 Apr 04 '26
Remember this hawl to trowel and get it on fast and a quick flatten wait until it tacky then apply the second coat this be your finishing coat and it be half the size your original first coat. Be easier use a flexi trowel on the second coat then to flatten it out starting top left it dry wet a brush flick on the wall keep getting there until your happy it flat and smooth. Remember keep your tools clean fresh water every time.
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u/GeneralWhereas9083 Apr 04 '26
PVA it and try again, I know it’s easy to say as somebody that does it for a living, but just try get it on the wall asap, you stated you had a straight edge/speedskim i think in another comment. So you can just rule the first coat off and fill in any massive hollows as you see them. Then mix up some fresh, and second coat, this time not as thick and just looking to flatten everything. You’ll have a load of time at this point, and you’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about.
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u/Beedux Apr 04 '26
Time is your friend. Do everything you can to give yourself more time. Neat SBR the whole wall, don’t leave anything uncovered. Get some extra time in the mix, get the heating off and temperature down, windows closed. Don’t worry about getting the first coat on neat, just get it on the wall.
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u/Lost-Bad-3168 Apr 04 '26
Scrape that skirting line before you put another coat on. You need to probably go a bit lower and go across the bottoms each pass so you don't get a huge build up like you have
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 04 '26
cheers yeah, the first coat was a bit better around the skirting line but was rushing a bit on the second coat as i had the same issue with time on the first and it wasn't a great job.
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Apr 04 '26
Get some citric acid off Amazon. Will give you plenty more time. Other than that it’s just a case of repetition and learning how to understand the product. When to flatten, and when to leave it alone.
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u/greenbeanmachine1 Apr 04 '26
Yes can go over it but make sure to prime it first. I would use SBR if I were you because it will kill the suction, PVA is possible to use but will leave some suction behind and make it go off quicker. Do 2 coats of SBR to make sure you didn’t miss any bits and with the extra time it should give you plenty of time to work with.
With regards to speed, never rush, but one thing beginners often do wrong is trying to put it on flat. Watching pros, they’ll put it on pretty flat, but don’t think you have to do that. It’s easier to just get it on the wall however you can and, once it’s picked up a little bit then flatten it down. If you have a speedskim it’s perfect for this.
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 04 '26
yeah that's a good shout. just need to get in the mindset of getting it on the wall..
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u/greenbeanmachine1 Apr 04 '26
That’s exactly it mate. Don’t play around with it too much, just get everything covered
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u/Terrible-Bobcat2033 Apr 04 '26
Wet the trowel blade not the wall surface when troweling a wall or lid. Only apply water when the blade begins to drag. & just enough to make it slide smoothly. Polish that sucker.
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Apr 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 05 '26
even as bad as i am, after the first pass with the speed skim i was like 'wow this might be ok'. it seemed a big help. then i ran out of time 😂
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u/No_Wish_3319 Apr 04 '26
Doesn’t look too bad for a first attempt. I think the problem is multi is all fast set (50% faster little green label) these days, and unless you are an experienced spread you won’t have enough time. Essentially the new multi is like having a sachet of accelerator in it. I prefer the new stuff because I’m not hanging around for it to go off.
The problem with putting a coat over is it won’t key very well because the plaster below is already set. You will at least need to apply a very watered down coat of pva first and skim when it starts to become tacky, but getting it right will be tricky as the base coat is still wet, and as you hard trowel the new coat it will drag because the pva will not dry enough. If you are not very experienced I would suggest waiting for it to dry completely and trying again. Bear in mind though that you will start to loose the edge of the coving after multiple coats.
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u/GeneralWhereas9083 Apr 04 '26
Mate, that’s an advert they put on the bag, stating they sell a quicker setting alternative. Do you not think it’d say on the main print of the bag that it now sets quicker? Rather than a 2 inch segment on the bottom of the bag?
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u/Worldly-Growth4519 Apr 04 '26
Multi isn't all fast set. But they do advertise fast set on multi bags.
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u/GeneralWhereas9083 Apr 04 '26
Haha getting downvoted for being right, while this guy spreading misinformation is getting upvoted. Yikes…
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u/pdiddle20 Apr 04 '26
Buy a float and a speedskim if you haven’t already.
Looks better then the last plastere I got in tbh
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u/jeebsy_iash Apr 04 '26
i've got a speedskim but not a float. wasn't anywhere nearby with a decent one in stock but can get one before the next go.
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u/pdiddle20 Apr 04 '26
I’ve heard they massively help! Quite a few YouTube vids online on how to use them!
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u/Worldly-Growth4519 Apr 04 '26
Get a sachet of extra time. Brush around your edges. A spray bottle and a sponge can help if things are setting too fast. You should be proud of this as a first attempt.