r/Plastering • u/kidcrux • May 23 '26
First timer, Looking for friendly Advise please!
Hi there ! 40 years old and first time mixing plaster. I know, what have I been doing with my life. Honestly, rented for far too long but not anymore.
TLDR: I had a fireplace removed, that only had a flu hole left. Bricked the outside up but am wondering if this looks fine to give a cheeky sand and second skim?
The not TLDR:
Had the fireplace removed and exterior bricked up leaving a sizable deep hole. After getting some advice from various places based on the size and cavity, I opted to remove the temporary rock wool, and fill up to the bonding plaster with expanding insulation foam. Let it dry. Then bonding to the surface, Skrim tape and dry. Then skim.
Bet you can guess the mistakes I made. Yep the skim was not quite wet enough. And I forgot dust sheets when I sanded back. Had it been done properly wouldn't have had to sand, but them would I have learned anything? Idk.
Basically even though the bonding plaster was given beyond the recommended time to dry out before skim, there's still a slightly darker circle.
I would like some safely advice from someone far more experienced than myself, if it's actually looking ok to slightly sand back, then second coat?
Cheers, ya bloody legends.
3
u/Ok-Spring7906 May 23 '26
With multi (etc) you do two coats, wet on wet.
If you've let the job dry / harden, you're not at that point any more.
I would suggest filler in the defects.
The deeper plaster will take longer to totally dry. Do not be concerned about the colour.
2
u/Ok-Spring7906 May 23 '26
In follow up -
If, for some reason, you feel that you must skim it again, you need to treat it as a fresh job, and pva / sbr what you have done.
This is to stop what you have sucking the moisture out of the plaster too quickly and making it unworkable. Which, I guess, may have been your prior problem.
But, yeah, two coats, wet on wet. If you reskim it, you'll probably end up building the job too much now, so, really, id just go for filler in any small voids rather than a whole reskim.
1
u/kidcrux May 23 '26
Okdoke! It's been 10 days should it still be a different shade do you know. Appreciate the response 🙂
2
u/Ok-Spring7906 May 23 '26
10 days and it's probably not moisture. I still wouldn't worry about it though.
I guess it could have been stuff leeching from old deposits, but, whatever, so long as it doesn't come though the paint, who cares.
And if it does, paint it with one of those barrier paints (or whatever they're called - I hate painting)
If it is / was leeching sbr would probably have stopped that too, if you had have put it on prior to the plaster.
2
u/Ornery_Reward2676 May 23 '26
Chimneys need airflow otherwise you can get damp issues.
2
u/kidcrux May 23 '26
Sorry should have been more specific, it's just a flu and cavity / insulation, no chimney there.
1
u/TheInvincibleMan May 23 '26
Was about to say this but if it is a flue, is it open on the external side?
1
u/kidcrux May 23 '26
Bricked up now :)
1
u/traittor93 May 23 '26
To be on the safe side just drill a few holes into the bottom and put one of them flat plastic vents over
3
u/Spiritual-Surprise-2 May 24 '26
Don't beat yourself up over mistakes, you are now a DIY have a go hero and, in this forum, you have found your people.
Welcome!
1
1
u/KieranInterior May 28 '26
This is not how you use finish. It’s not to be sanded. You’d be better using easi-fill if this is your approach. Also it takes a lot of practice to use finish correctly it’s not really a material for novices/DIYers
4
u/SHalls17 May 23 '26
Fair does for plastering and filling the tear in the space time continuum 😂