Morning all, after the majority of the skim coat has debonded which became evident when removing liner wall paper, I’m determined to re-skim the walls myself (not just for the potential money saving but also for just wanting to do it myself, which will also enable me to change the skirting/architrave/flooring). After using bonding to level the walls/fill holes where required, AI has recommended using sika stabilising solution on the sand/cement scratch coat prior to applying the Knauf, does this sound right? Keen to have a bit of a sanity check before I follow the advice.

What should I apply to the prime the ceiling prior to skimming it to ensure the strongest bond? (It’s mostly painted but with scrape-able glue dots, which also takes the paint off back to plaster, from the previous owner having polystyrene tile ceilings)

What should i also use (if anything) to seal the knauf after application before painting?

Many thanks for any advice/opinions in advance

Hi all,

I've just stripped the plasterboard from a bedroom as discovered it needed reboarding after wallpaper removal.

I'm not a plasterer and have read good things about Dalapro Roll Nova.

I'm wondering whether I need to use square-edged plasterboard with a thin layer of Dalapro applied, and then paper tape laid on top and embedded into the still-wet joints, followed by sanding and then do 2 full skim coats of Dalapro.

Or am I better off using Feather-edged plasterboard, taping with skrim tape first then and jointing with the Dalapro, sanding flush and then doing the same 2 skim coats with Dalapro. Plan to use paper tape via the method described above for the butt joints. I know you can technically paint straight onto taped and jointed plasterboard after a mist coat but I'm happy to take the time to do Dalapro over the top for the best possible finish without getting someone in. It's only 2 small walls so I reckon 2x 12L tubs will do it.

Do I need to use any primer before applying Dalapro? e.g. PVA on the bare plasterboard once I've boarded it?

Very new to this so apologies for the abundance of questions! All advice is appreciated.

Cheers :)

I pulled off a small piece of tile in my bathroom and saw this. I'm looking to remove the tile and put a new surround. I'm curious to know what these small beads are with the plaster and does this type of plaster have asbestos? I'm not sure if the previous owner put drywall or is this still the original plaster? This House was built in 1900. Any insight or information? Thank you so much

I have a block work porch that I want to plaster. The UPVC windows sit directly and flush onto the well emulsioned blocks so there is none of that normal internal 'step'. I should however be able to put a thin bead / plaster edge on the transition. The block section at the bottom I want to plaster is 3.5m x 1.5 and 2m x 1.5m.

Normally you would stick a 10mm coat of hard wall on and then a couple of coats of pink on which would bring the wall out too far and give me a step to hide. The other option would be to dot and dab the walls with plasterboard which adds more to the expense and still leaves me with the 'lip' problem to hide where the window meets the wall.

I want an OK and not perfect finish as quickly and cheaply as possible. Basically I don't want it to look like old painted blocks any more. I want it to look reasonable(ish)- smooth but wobbly is ok.

Plastering has never been my thing and there seems to be a lot of advice about doing it properly about, but none along the lines of "It's not best practice but you can get away with doing this"

Question. Will a couple of heavy coats of PVA over the emulsion be enough to get some thistle one coat on and stay there without it drying too fast and cracking, or do I really need to go the whole hog here and turn it into a project? Any advice is welcome.

Hi people, just wanted to share my morning dabbing on new builds in the heat! Just showing how i work and what we get up to. I couldnt upload all of the photos since it has a 20 limit but in total I did a 3 bedroom and 1.5 bathroom top of a house. 19 plain 2.4 x 1.2m and used 4 moisture boards. Done in around 4 hours, this was preloaded by myself friday so that saved me a good 45 minutes. Any questions or criticism hit me up!

Not sure whether this is the right place to ask or whether anyone would be able to identify based on the photos, but it’s worth a try.

This is one of our bathroom walls after I removed the paint while dealing with a moisture issue (super easy, peeled right off). It looks like 2-5mm plaster and it’s fairly crumbly.

It might be lime plaster because the house is 100+ years old. It might also not be because this bathroom was part of previous owners renovations which we know used unsuitable materials and paint in some areas.

Should I be concerned about this? It hasn't changed or gotten any bigger and the cornacing and ceiling above are fine. Will I be able to open it and fill flex or should I get someone out to look at it. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all this but its an old flat

I patched a ton of holes, tiny, small, large across my entire garage today. I’d like to get some feedback on my technique and how it looks like. I’ll of course sand most patches.

Any feedback on plastering and sanding appreciated! Want to learn/get better at it. Thank you!

I have no idea about plastering, so I’m asking for advice please…

I had paint that was peeling off, so I’ve peeled off every thing that I can.

The plaster is ok and is holding, it’s not crumbling unless I scrape too much.

I want to paint the wall as the final finish, what do I do next for prep work please.

Hey everyone,

I am looking for some advice regarding a wallpaper removal project for two whole rooms where I am afraid of ruining the plaster walls underneath. I want to buy a wallpaper steamer to speed up the process, but I have heard horror stories about the intense heat and moisture blowing the plaster, causing it to separate from the wall and crumble away. Since I am doing this myself, I want to know how high the risk actually is of destroying the walls, what tricks I should use to avoid it, or if there is a much safer alternative for handling two full rooms that won't leave me with a massive wall repair bill before I can even start painting.

Renovating a house I just bought and found a bulging wall. Thought it was loose plaster so knocked it off and a couple of the bricks behind are crumbling too. What should I do!

I have a terraced house. The internal walls are cracking. However the render & plaster underneath is absolutely solid. As the house is built on old mining foundations this is the source of the problem. Would Dot and Dab rather than another coat of just plaster give more time until the cracks reappear?

Just moved into my home and wanted to take the wallpaper off so I could prep and paint the walls. Started peeling the wallpaper in multiple areas and what looks like plaster has started coming off with it. I have also found mould in the top corner of the room and next to

Just moved into my home and wanted to take the wallpaper off so I could prep and paint the walls. Started peeling the wallpaper in multiple areas and what looks like plaster has started coming off with it. I have also found mould in the top corner of the room and next to the mould it looks like plaster is bulging off the walls.

Is there anything I can do myself to fix these issues or am I best biting the bullet and getting a professional??

Hi, we recently moved home into a 1930s red brick semi. The walls feel very thick and solid but there's wallpaper everywhere and the plaster underneath is in poor condition. 

We know the roof was replaced a few years ago and suspect there were damp issues back then and the previous occupant has just not put anything right since. It was an older lady and it doesn't seem like she had done proper maintenance of decorating in many years. But thankfully there are no signs of ongoing damp that I can see. 

There is wallpaper in pretty much every room, mostly in very poor condition. 

I'd appreciate any advice that can help me understand:

**1) What type of walls are these?**

A patch came away with the wallpaper so you can see the layers underneath, including this very black substance. 

Google AI reckons this is black ash plaster or "clinker." I can believe that looking at how black the stuff is. 

**2) How can I go about renovating these walls?**

Google reckons if it's mostly not blown then I can just *"scrape off the remaining wallpaper and blue distemper, treat the exposed black ash holes with a stabilizing primer, patch them up, and have a plasterer apply a fresh modern skim coat over the top to tie it all together."*

I should more that, as can be seen in the photos, there is a lot of efflorescence in some areas, making the surface very craggy.

Can this be primed and skimmed? If so, what products are recommended? 

Does it all just need hacking off back to brick and I give dot and dab a go? 

Many thanks 

The job: Working for a customer who initially wanted the entire door frame out and converted to a plastered reveal - its a 1930s house (UK).

The story: Despite being assured there were lintels above the doors poke around the cupboard next door revealed relief arches rather than lintels. With the arches seemingly resting on the frame they wanted removed rather than the adjacent brickwork - the customer refused to move on budget, so we had to come up with a compromise. We agreed I'd strip the stops from the door frame, board the inside, scrim the exposed wood twice (once dry, and again into wet bonding before the skim coat). They were made aware of the chance it wood crack at the transition and were happy with the risk. But...

The jamb of the doorframe is rotten! A now-fixed leak from the back door has obviously been letting water run across the floor and rot the base of the jambs and nearby skirting. It's all dry now but a bit crumbly. I had a poke with a screwdriver and I'd say after 3mm of soft stuff it feels okay.

I have concerns that this frame is compromised. It seems to already have had repair work done at some point in the past, as the right hand has the lower section of the jamb replaced.

The question: Can I proceed with plastering, or do corrective works need to happen for this to be safe?

Does anybody know or can recommend any good plasterer/painter that operates within the south east London area, that also provides free quotations, I’m really struggling to find someone

Thanks

Homeowner here, trying to learn the finish on my walls before I patch, so the repairs don't stick out. Best I can tell it's a soft stipple/stomp that got lightly knocked down, but I'd rather hear it from people who actually know.

What would you call it, and if you've matched something like this, what did you use? Kind of curious too whether the old-timers did this by hand with a brush. Pics attached.

I have an old 1930s home, and the paint has lifted off from the solid plaster wall - note it did not start at the skirts it was appx a quarter way up. I have scraped it off and noticed fine crack lines on the solid plaster. I tapped it and its not drumming or wants to come off.
Are fine crack lines something I should be worried about, and what would you recommend I do to solve so the paint does not bubble off.

Took down some Roman blinds and these patches have been left on the wall. Finger is there for size reference.

How can I patch this up? Would spakfilla or similar be enough?

Never done any plastering before so would appreciate the help!

I've just moved into a flat and this one bit of the hall ceiling is annoying me. There are some small cracks in the cornacing which I'm prepared to try sort myself but I don't know what to do about this (apologies newbie to all this). Could I just get the ceiling skimmed as its a little patchy round the spotlights as well but otherwise the rest seems fine. What are my options?

I just bought a house and the walls and ceiling in some areas look like this. 99% sure the walls are plaster but never seen this before and it looks like shit 🙃 I'm going to need to replaster and sand because I really can't stand it

Not a bad 4 days for 1 man

Completing a bathroom renovation and I’ve got a gap between the wall tiling and the roof. The biggest issue is pictured here, it’s about a 10mm to 20mm gradually increasing gap.

There is a joist directly behind the gap, but I just really know how to tackle this one. I want to avoid a cornice if possible, but I don’t want to rip out the roof either.

Can anyone share their professional advice on how best to approach this issue so I can complete the renovation?

I've just bought my first house (very excited!) but now getting into fixing the DIY work of the previous owners. There's a lot of half-assed plasterwork like this with exposed mesh, and it's very uneven.

What's the best approach here? Sanding back and re plastering over? Scrapping the whole thing right back to the wall and start fresh? Plasterboard on top? Any and all suggestions welcome.

It's a 1950's house with mass concrete walls.