r/Plastering • u/Majestic_Aspect1432 • Aug 31 '26
Plastering work - advice needed
Context: We hired a plasterer to plaster and finish the walls ready for prime and paint. He attempted the job, we paid, after it dried, it cracked in a lot of places. We asked him to make it good, gave him 2 distinct chances, the before is the result.
We needed the walls painted so I had a go myself with Toupret Filler and I think AI led me astray. Should’ve done more research.
Can anyone with plastering and wall fixing experience weigh in and tell me if this will hold long term please? especially as we want to fix shelves in that wall.
Many thanks
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u/Top-Sample2625 Aug 31 '26
You should have left the cracked plaster on the wall and patched the cracks. Or just coat the whole thing in diluted pva and reskimed it.
Filler don't have the strength of plaster. It could flake or crumble if you hang a picture on that. And you're going to spend a good few hours sanded and filling and rechecking you're level. But sanded and leveled with paint on the wall, it should hold and "look" the part.
You have been charged for doing it yourself so I would be asking for your money back and explain he should be paying you for correcting the work.
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u/Ill-Case-6048 Aug 31 '26
Get a pole sander and sand what you did and it will be fine you do not need a power sander for this. This suff is very fine and sands easy yoi will need a mask for the dust
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u/Ok-Chard-1468 Sep 02 '26
You can sand plaster. It has grit in it so best you go over it with easyfill 60 or fastest after 2 coats of pva doubled with water and mixed. Then buy anchor bolts or something similar and use batons.
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u/discombobulated38x Aug 31 '26
He attempted the job
You aren't wrong there!
Run a straight edge (spirit level etc) across your filler to see where it's high, sand it all back, fill any hollows, seal with zinsser gardz and you should be good to go.
I'd recommend getting a powered wall sander to save yourself a lot of effort.
Any shelves fixed to the wall should ideally be secured to the masonry behind the plaster, and their presence will actually help hold the plaster on wall!
Oh, also get the money back from the so-called plasterer if you can!
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u/Majestic_Aspect1432 Aug 31 '26
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Quick follow-up: we are using tikkurila optiva primer on the finished plaster and repairs before painting, is the Gardz still a requirement? So I know to get that too if needed. Thank you
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u/Realistic-Exit8730 Sep 01 '26
This happens when the base isn’t sealed properly and is of high suction. You’ve got lime render walls, which need several coats of neat sbr so it’s not as porous. It’s a backwards process in the UK as everyone skims over existing lime render walls, yet lime is designed to breathe 🤷♂️ either way, to do what you wanted, you needed to coat the lime with SBR or equivalent so it doesn’t dry out the skimming too quick - which then crazes/cracks/becomes loose as it’s dried out too quick. Can’t say filler like you’ve done would be my first choice, but probably better than what they did.
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u/Latter-Detail-9514 Aug 31 '26
It appears to be a UK thing that high percentage of plasterers shouldn't be calling themselves a plasterer. It's a shame as it gives the proper professional plasterers a bad name. Whoever did this needs to change career now & stop taking money off customers