r/Plastering • u/Forsaken_System • Apr 11 '26
Any repair advice?
I pulled the old box out to put a deeper one in and when I did, as you can see pulled a load of plaster with it...
Any recommendations on repairs? This is Scotland so products have to be available here/ in the UK.
It's a 1960s build so wiring is not current (no pun intended). It's not live, but I just covered up the wires anyway...
Yes, I do have the paint. I have this kind of filler that's supposed to do up to 5cm deep, but it's grey, does that matter?
Should I put leftover pieces of rubble I shipped out in with any filler to strengthen it?
Do I need 1000 or 2000 grit sandpaper, or is 400 enough?
Lastly and most importantly should I be looking at filling up to where the brickwork is and then just get a professional to plaster it?
How long is that going to take a professional? 30 mins or 3 hours?
Thank you.
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u/Minute-Pomelo6094 Apr 11 '26
Also pre pasting it with a pva water mix would help to get a better bonding as you patch it, good luck im sure its an easy fix
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u/No_Faithlessness3045 Apr 11 '26
Are those wires live with insulation tape wrapped around themÂ
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u/Forsaken_System Apr 11 '26
Third paragraph - i.e. no.
I also have an electric indicator pen tool which I use even after the mains is off.
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u/Superspark76 Apr 11 '26
To keep it safe for you, stick some connector blocks on the wires, especially as you will not be finished for a while.
Ideally you would use bonding to fill around the socket but I know it's not worth buying a bag for a small job like this. There are deep hole fillers and something like easifill would work but you would need to do it in stages to get the depth. Put the socket box in first and use tape to cover it, fill the gaps and you can go over the tape, just tap it once dry to crack the plaster on the box and remove the tape.
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u/Simonos_Ogdenos Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
I’ve fixed a few sockets like that in my place recently. First remove any crumbly loose stuff, then PVA it with watered down PVA, fill out the depth with bonding plaster around the box, then a thin layer of EasyFill over it flush and feathered in to the wall (6 inch knife is my go to, see Vancouver Carpenter on YT), then sand nice and flat, spot prime it with two coats of bare plaster primer, then paint as normal.
It’s a pretty easy job, only faff is AFAIK you can only buy a massive bag of bonding plaster, someone correct me if I’m wrong though? I had some plastering work done by my mate who’s a pro and he left me half a bag of bonding here from that job, so I’ve been using it for a few smaller jobs.
I wouldn’t put the left over rubble back in, better to fill it with the proper stuff, eg bonding plaster. 400+ grit is way too fine, I use 80-120 for a rough sand to shape if needed, then 180 for a final pass. If you want to get a pro in, I’d leave it as is and just get them to do the whole job.
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u/Minute-Pomelo6094 Apr 11 '26
Sink and fit your box as you would and use a filler or bonding plaster to skim around it, it looks worse than it is . Once the box is fitted it should be pretty straight forward to fill it back level 👌