Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodhound31
Today I got into plastering the joints of the plasterboard, a job I've never attempted. To tell the truth, it was childishly simple, helped by the fact that all the boards are level and flush.
|
Always time to learn. The main thing with flushing (or as you east coasters call it setting) is to feather off between coats and apply an even pressure with your index and middle finger to the center of the broad knife (the spatula you are using in the image). Work the plaster with another larger trowel or a hawk in a pattern similar to kneading doe.
Are you using tape on the first coat? If not you will need to do this all again as the plaster will crack. The tape has to be applied with a firm mix (like whipped cream) with the air bubbles removed but also some plaster left underneath. In other words not to sloppy and not to firm.
Ceiling fixing is how I make my money now (well actually I don't work on the tools anymore; I run the business for the blokes I employ but I have worked on the tools before). If you can butter bread with a knife, you can flush.
If you feather between each coat you don't need to sand. Also each of the first two coats should have a tiny gap between the broad knife and the coats in the center of the flushing joint. The last coat (using topping coat) will fill that. Each coat also needs to cover the last coat, hence the need for larger knives between coats.
Also for butt joints you need to go two trowels wide for the second coat and a larger trowel width for the last coat.
Good luck.