Making plaster

D

diyshed

Active Member
What's the right receipe for making plaster. I have about 40 4 inch blocks that I need to plaster. I built two walls inside a shed which a diesel tank is sitting on. Want to plaster these walls.

I read its sand, cement and lime. Would I get away with cubical lime or does it have to be a specific lime?

Is there any mix that one can buy in the coop and just add water to it?
 
Deerehunter said:
Hydrated lime, eg white rhino, 25kg bags. Ground finer than stuff in tonne bags. If you don't have lime can use plasticiser in the water.
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Its called agrical lime for cubical is what I have. Not sure if that will do or not.

Would the plasticiser make an easier job out of it to stick to the wall instead of falling off while working it ?
 
diyshed said:
What's the right receipe for making plaster. I have about 40 4 inch blocks that I need to plaster. I built two walls inside a shed which a diesel tank is sitting on. Want to plaster these walls.

I read its sand, cement and lime. Would I get away with cubical lime or does it have to be a specific lime?

Is there any mix that one can buy in the coop and just add water to it?
Click to expand...
Have you ever plastered a wall before?
I say that with the greastest repect to plasterers as its not a job for a complete amature
I cant get it to stick either
 
diyshed said:
What's the right receipe for making plaster. I have about 40 4 inch blocks that I need to plaster. I built two walls inside a shed which a diesel tank is sitting on. Want to plaster these walls.

I read its sand, cement and lime. Would I get away with cubical lime or does it have to be a specific lime?

Is there any mix that one can buy in the coop and just add water to it?
Click to expand...
Do you need to plaster it? Plaster is a weather shield. It wouldn't be of any benefit to the wall if its inside a shed in my opinion.
 
headcase said:
Have you ever plastered a wall before?
I say that with the greastest repect to plasterers as its not a job for a complete amature
I cant get it to stick either
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Never but I'm keen to through my hand at it and try it out. I felt this would be a good project to try it out on. Won't really matter if I make a balls of it.
 
I do most of my own building work. Everything from foundations, blockwork, roofing etc I am slow but quality is always good. One job that I can’t do is plastering, it one of those jobs where there is a skill required, just doing it slowly doesn’t really work too well.
 
Plasticiser makes the mortar bind together. For example when bricklaying the mortar can hang down the wall from under a brick and stay there. Without it the mortar just breaks off and falls. You waste a lot less mortar with plasticiser.
It would help a lot plastering too. Lime has a similar effect as does washing up liquid if you are stuck for a small amount.
 
First thing we do is scud the wall, make up a small amount and take like a trowel full at a time and fire it at the wall so that the wall basically is all little splashes of plaster, they bind to the brick work and then when you go to plaster the wall it has something a bit more than the smooth of the block to stick too. You don’t want them too big or too thick but just enough to get a bit of grip!
 
4 sand 1 cement with plasticiser, don't mix it too wet, it's easy add a drop of water if its a bit stiff to work, I wouldn't bother with scud on a concrete block, never scudded a block wall here and the plaster stuck the finest if you use enough pressure when applying it, trowel it on in a coat about 8mm or so working from the ground up, wait a bit for it to go off as in dry a bit before attempting to float it off, once again you can add a bit of moisture with the flick of a paint brush dipped in water if its slightly too dry, really trial and error to get to realize the point where its good to go.
 
Arthur said:
4 sand 1 cement with plasticiser, don't mix it too wet, it's easy add a drop of water if its a bit stiff to work, I wouldn't bother with scud on a concrete block, never scudded a block wall here and the plaster stuck the finest if you use enough pressure when applying it, trowel it on in a coat about 8mm or so working from the ground up, wait a bit for it to go off as in dry a bit before attempting to float it off, once again you can add a bit of moisture with the flick of a paint brush dipped in water if its slightly too dry, really trial and error to get to realize the point where its good to go.
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+1 Although a proviso they must be ne blocks. Also I would scud external walls off a house just to be sure. Never bother internal walls.
If weather is cold and bad would sometimes have to reduce to 3 to 1 to get it go off. But the scratch and finish coat need to be same strength or it will crack.


diyshed said:
Does plastiscer make it much easier to get it to stick?
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Get a gallon of plasticiser. Is not expensive and its alot better than lime. Lime is gone from plastering 50 years ago unless plastering stonework.
Plastering is not an easy Job just to pick up.
 
My brother and I are pointing walls and he is going to slake this to make lime mortar. We were using readymade stuff we bought off the Traditional Lime Company but where is the fun in that.
Apparently if you go into A&E with an alkaline burn they bring you in ahead of everyone else.
 

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Deerehunter said:
Agrical isn't suitable
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The brother had a look at some of the limes were not suitable. He explained it to me and this Lime came from Clogrennan and had to be bought through a third party as they do not deal directly.
Plastering is a skill and easy to make a mess off . The brother did lime plaster with horsehair on a ceiling repair job . We could have been on television Renovating Ireland.
 
Plasticiser is a must.
I use Feb mix in everything including concrete. Makes everything easier to work. It's highly concentrated, so a half litre goes a very long way.

I had father mixing plaster for me to scratch coat a wall. He forgot the plastisiser on one mix and could tell instantly. Was almost hard instead of silky. Had the same with concrete.

One thing I would do is spray the blockwork with water as you go. Or even flick it on with a brush. Makes it bond so much easier.
And a shiny trowel. A half rusted or uncleaned one is useless.
 
Bog Man said:
My brother and I are pointing walls and he is going to slake this to make lime mortar. We were using readymade stuff we bought off the Traditional Lime Company but where is the fun in that.
Apparently if you go into A&E with an alkaline burn they bring you in ahead of everyone else.
Click to expand...

Must be some job if you need 2t of it :lol:
 
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