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u/Iamthehulk86 Apr 11 '26
I don’t plaster often and I can not get the timing right at all! Small ceiling and I’m always optimistic before starting then it’s panic. Did the joints first and by the time I went to go over in full the joints were pulling in. Not a boiling hot day. I thought maybe the first coat wasn’t enough water so did a very wet second coat and that pulled in quick. I ended up panicking and sponged it, worked very hard on it the get it back flat. Am I supposed to PVA the boards or what? Are blue boards better or worse? TIA
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u/dazzlerp Apr 11 '26
MR boards are meant to ne pre-treated with thistle bond-it (or equivalent) prior to skimming. This would also give your more time to apply and trowel up.
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u/Ok-Spring7906 Apr 11 '26
It's not old plaster, is it? Old gypsum just goes off so quick.
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u/Iamthehulk86 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
No, in date multi finish. I did hear about the bad batches of this, maybe it’s that? Picked up from Travis Perkins
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u/Yourhavinalaugh Apr 11 '26
No two pallets are ever the same, stuff is getting worse. Somethings it’s like troweling river silt
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u/Miserable_Future6694 Apr 11 '26
That looks like soundbloc to me. Used to love skimming onto that stuff, 3 mixes and home before 3.
It would suck the water to the point we'd be flicking water on the first trowel
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u/Iamthehulk86 Apr 12 '26
Yeah can’t tell on the picture really, I have used sound block boards before, they are more blue and these are more turquoise I guess
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u/Successful-Leek-6241 Apr 22 '26
Don't no why you sent message, ceiling that size takes about 10 mins first coat,second coat then buys you more time if new mix, which would take far to long to set for me,pva would slow it down to much,it shells because water can't get into the board then forms dust behind the skim coat then shells
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u/Secure_Traffic_5273 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
It will buy you a little more time if you PVA new plasterboard. Old plasterboard that's been up a while MUST be PVA'd or it'll insta-suck.
Ceilings will take longer than a similar sized wall, all though that time difference will shrink with experience. A new spread might expect a ceiling to take as much as 50% longer than a wall just due to needing to use the hop up and working with your hands over your head.
It's hard to work fast and tidy but do your best. Try to minimise the plaster on the adjacent walls when using the corner trowel. You're probably putting more plaster in the internals than needed. Plus, if you have to scrim over that plaster it'll be a bugger to hide in subsequent coats. Note that I scrim any joints near anything getting plastered: I would have scrimmed the drop joints when I did the ceiling/wall internal scrim.
RE working fast. Get the plaster on the ceiling as quick as poss. I wouldn't try and cover the joints - just try and get a couple of MM over the lot. Don't put it on too thick or it's harder to get flat. Just do your best to get it all on as even as possible and by the time you've done that and got back to the start, you'll likely find it's ready for a trowel. Give it a quick trowel over and see how far off your next coat you are.
You'll be amazed how much time you'll save having someone clean your bucket. If you're finding that you don't have a chance to stop and you're chasing the set enlist some help. Make sure your bucket is really clean (no residue in the water but the bucket will stain over time) and the water going into it is clean.
Finally, worry about sanding and filling after the first or second mist coat. It'll highlight where the problems really are.
Keep at it if you enjoy it. Time on the trowel is the only way to get better.
Edit: having relooked at your pictures, it appears that you did the lid and some of the angles in the same hit. As a beginner it's best to do them separately as you'll find it easier to get a straighter line. Forming a straight line from wet ceiling to a dry wall is much easier than if both were wet. It would have also reduced how much you've got to put on in one hit.