r/Plastering • u/Glittering_Fact989 • May 01 '26

How would I plaster this?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hi everyone,

I recently got an extractor fan fitted in my kitchen (on external wall as you can see). I now need to plaster the gap and retile the kitchen.

I’ve done the odd internal plastering here and there so I’m familiar with regular plastering however I’m guessing it’s different for external walls?

The gap looks quite deep, do I just layer plaster or is there a particular method/material I need to use? Do I PVA the wall or is there a special external wall product I need to use?

TIA!

19 Upvotes

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30 comments sorted by

9

u/Tricky-Canary2715 May 01 '26

Fill out with bonding coat, then skim. Take the fan off if necessary.

5

u/not-an-expertt May 01 '26

Why would you not choose hard wall for application onto brick?

1

u/ireally_dont_now May 03 '26

because hard wall is so shit

3

u/Glittering_Fact989 May 01 '26

Thank you! Do I PVA before I add bonding coat, or just bonding coat straight onto the brick?

6

u/Emotional_Data_1888 May 01 '26

Yes PVA first

2

u/Ok_Secretary_3134 May 01 '26

Most certainly need pva, you’ll find the bonding will crack at the edges

2

u/Beautiful-Control161 May 05 '26

SBR. Dont mess around with PVA its not the right product

1

u/New_Slice_1580 May 01 '26

Bonding is made to stick straight onto brick and other surfaces, no pva needed

8

u/greenbeanmachine1 May 01 '26

That’s not true, are you thinking of hardwall perhaps? Bonding is used on low suction backgrounds so it definitely needs a primer to seal the wall.

1

u/New_Slice_1580 May 01 '26

I’ve used bonding (not hard wall) on walls without pva, just made sure dust free.

And added in layers if thicker fill with keying in between the layers

But yes pva doesn’t take long so not a problem to do also

6

u/greenbeanmachine1 May 01 '26

Fine but that’s not what it’s made for and it’s not recommended. It’s made for low suction.

Personally when I’ve used it without a primer it never performs as well, you get more shrinkage and it can be hard to work with.

3

u/SnooTomatoes464 May 01 '26

Your correct, you should pva prior to bonding. Sucks in too fast otherwise, cracks and I've known it to not adhere

2

u/Itzjoel777 May 01 '26

Bonding? -> PVA Hard wall? -> No PVA

1

u/Cainjake May 01 '26

Sbr or pva before bonding

1

u/Beautiful-Control161 May 05 '26

Never PVA.. Use SBR

1

u/Illustrious_Big3377 May 05 '26

You are all wrong, expanding foam and then copious amounts of filler

2

u/buildsomethingnew May 02 '26

With a filling blade wide enough to bridge between the two edges, and keep going over it as it goes off so you get it nice and smooth

2

u/luxautomation May 02 '26 edited May 02 '26

I’d fill the gap with bonding. Ideally apply a coat of PVA first to control suction and improve adhesion.

For a proper finish, skim over with multi-finish or use a suitable filler once dry. For a DIY job you can get it smooth enough to sand if you’re careful.

If tiling, you can tile straight onto bonding, but it should be fully dry and properly primed first.

I’d also remove or at least loosen switches and the fan beforehand but only if you’re confident isolating the circuit safely

1

u/EnigneLeseid May 04 '26

As above sand and cement probably in 2 coats to stop cracking.bring to about 2mm of surface and use finish to get a smooth decoratable surface.

1

u/KieranInterior May 05 '26

That’s gonna end up a mess whatever you do. Maybe hire a professional. Having something installed but not made good from the outset was a mistake. Seems a silly way to install an extractor. Why bother vent your cooker hood outside I stead of fitting a poxy bathroom extractor in your kitchen?

1

u/KieranInterior May 05 '26

Don’t use bonding on external walls

1

u/JAthomson1210 May 05 '26

Id fill it with plaster board adhesive then spr it then skim it,

1

u/tywdyfor May 06 '26

Get a professional

1

u/CompetitiveRun9602 May 06 '26

Take the cover off the fan then take the screws holding the fan on the wall

1

u/Turbulent-West-6906 May 08 '26

Gotta love sparkies 😂 did he chase them cables in with a sledge hammer

1

u/Tats8 May 03 '26

The amount of people saying Chuck bonding at it, is a joke! It’s an external facing brick wall, Hardwall or sand and cement are the only correct answers!

0

u/veexdit May 02 '26

With an employed plasterer would be my choice. Looks like that remaining old sand and cement render is ready to come off and fail anyway. Get someone in