Knowing how to properly plaster a wall can save you a lot of time, effort, and money. Not to mention, it will make your finished product look better.

You don’t want to have imperfections on your walls that will bother you for many years. So, first, when plastering a wall, follow The six stages of Plastering correctly, keep your tools in good condition, and always make sure you have the right equipment.

The ultimate guide for plastering walls will walk you through all the steps, explain exactly what is needed and explain precisely how can master the perfect plaster layer.

Kit Required

You might be wondering what you need to get started. It’s always best to prepare well in advance so that you won’t need to stop the work midway to buy more tools. You should therefore ensure that you have:

1. Plasterer trowel bucket trowel

2. Plasterers Float

3.Corner trowel

4.Hawk

5. Bucket x2

6. Mixing stick or paddle

7. Plaster

8. Clean Water

9. Sandpaper

10. Stepladder Stilts

11. Flat Mask

How To Plaster A Step-by-Step Wall

It can be difficult to use a trowel or hawk at first if you are not familiar with them. So, before you start plastering, practice using the tools to avoid a mess.

Check the wall’s suction to ensure it is not too porous. This will cause the wall to suck moisture from the plaster, preventing it from having a chance of working before it dries. Control the suction by using water or PVA to quench the thirst of your wall. This will stop it from sucking the moisture out of your plaster.

Use a fine mist sprayer to wet your walls. This will save you from having to reach down and re-wet the brush. You’ll know that you have controlled the suction when the water begins to run down the wall.

For surfaces with low suction, like painted surfaces, you will need to prepare them properly. You can do this by mixing PVA glue with water, to ensure that the plaster adheres to the wall. Add sand into the PVA mixture for a rougher texture. This will improve adhesion. Then you’re ready to plaster your wall.

Plaster and water are mixed roughly half-and-half. So, a half bucket (clean) of water will make a bucket full of plaster. It should be a thick, creamy mixture with no lumps. Add just enough dry plaster to create a small heap over the water. The dry plaster should be added to the bucket of water and not the other way round.

Then, you can mix the plaster using a special mixing paddle or stick. But always keep another. Buckets You can use water to clean your tools. It’s not fun to try and remove hard plaster from your tools.

TIP: Avoid plastering two walls adjacent to each other. You could damage one wall by plastering the opposite. To prevent the plaster from drying too quickly, turn off all the radiators in the room. Beginners are advised to start small and ensure that they have the right technique. Start with a small surface which takes less than 30 minutes for the first coat.

Skim a small amount from the hawk to your trowel with a single, smooth and swift movement. (This may take some practice.) Next, run a horizontal border along the top of the area that you want to plaster. Work from left to right. Plaster the edge of the area you want to plaster, creating an even flat layer. At this stage, don’t worry about ridges or small holes, just make sure the first coat is smooth and flat. It should only be 2mm thick.

As soon as you have finished the top border, continue to plaster the wall in a vertical or upward motion that curves up and around until it reaches your border. As you apply the plaster, tilt the trowel’s leading edge away from the wall. Then flatten it closer and closer as you go along. Keep curving the trowel as you overlap the top border.

You should flatten the surface after each sweep. Use a flat trowel and an angle between 10-15mms. You want a smooth, flat surface with no bulges. Don’t worry about trowel marks yet.

If this is the case, you may have flattened your trowel too early or overcompensated. This could explain why the mess was so bad. You can flatten the area if you end up with many layers of thickness. Use a flat trowel that is angled about 10mm. Use the flat trowel and apply firm pressure to the entire surface.

You may experience a scraping effect if you are going too fast and not flattening your trowel quickly. This means that the edge of the trowel will be pulling away from the wall. It is important to bring it in a little. It’s important to move slowly, and use firm pressure while you do so.

Remember to keep your trowel clean and sand off any annoying grit immediately after plastering a wall. Next, you will need to clean your trowel and flatten out the first coat. This stage is solely to flatten your wall and remove the ridges. If you do not, you will end up plastering an uneven wall after it has dried.

Wait until the plaster has dried and then run the trowel along the wall. Wait until the plaster has reached a tacky consistency. This can take anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes.

Keep an eye out for how fast the top layer of plaster dries. Once the first coat has been applied, the surface is ready to be trowelled and a second coat of the plaster can be applied. It is best to plaster only certain areas of the wall to avoid drying out before applying your next coat.

Try a small piece of plaster and see how fast it dries. Then, you can try to remove the imperfections with a trowel when the wall is tacky. Only sanding will remove holes and ridges if the plaster is completely dry. This can be a laborious and painful task.

After you have flattened your first layer of plaster, it’s time to apply the second. It’s similar to the previous layer, but thinner. Use smaller amounts of plaster on your trowel. You should aim for a 1mm thickness with a flat, even coat.

Remember to press firmly again with the trowel, as if you do not, you may end up with holes. Firmly press the trowel to the wall and push plaster into the holes. Use firm pressure to move the trowel with a flattish edge along the wall.

You may notice that the trowel marks are getting worse, but they will be removed in the next step when the plaster has a chance to harden. Focus on leaving a few holes, and ensure that everything is flat when you finish the second coat.

Then, clean your trowel again. When the wall becomes tacky, use a trowel with a brush to clean your borders.

Once the excess plaster has been removed, you can shape it with a paintbrush. Paintbrushes are useful for this. Wet them with clean water and then blot off any excess. Paintbrushes are useful here – wet them with clean water and then wring out the excess. Use a bit of pressure as the plaster is usually quite wet at this point.

You can lightly trowel out any brush marks in the corners, but if the area is very wet you may want to wait until the next step. Water can be used to clean the walls, but only if necessary. Otherwise, you could end up with a slurry-like effect. Look for any hollows or holes on the wall, and then use the trowel to fill them. As you move from left to right to cover the entire area, work the plaster around to flatten the wall and fill any hollow areas.

Later, the trowel marks are revealed. The trowelling process is the result of letting the wall get tacky again. The colour of the plaster will darken as it sets, indicating that it is time to apply the final trowel.

If your plaster is setting too hard, you can help it by applying clean water to the wall with a wide brush and following behind it with your float to give it a nice smooth finish. If your plaster is too hardening, you can help it by using a large brush to apply clean water and then following behind with your float for a smooth finish.

Remember that the float will pull plaster down from the higher spots to the lower ones as you finish the finishing. You can add more plaster if needed, or you can wipe the excess plaster off your float with your hawk. When plastering, it is important to take each stage one by one and remember that the process gets easier once the wall starts to set. This will reduce the amount of sanding required once the wall is dry and you’ll save time, energy and frustration. Quick guide to corners… It’s important to pay attention to your corners. This will help you ensure that your walls look great.

Follow these steps for help. Use a trowel to apply the first coat of plaster to the gap between the walls. Make sure you scrape away any excess. After the first coat has dried, use a trowel or scraper to remove any small ridges. Cut a paper tape the same height as your wall. Fold the tape so that there is a crease down the middle of it. Apply a thin layer of plaster basecoat to both sides of an internal corner, and then press the tape on top.

Use the trowel or scraper after it’s been placed to flatten the plaster onto the wall. Squeeze out any excess and then let it dry. Apply a plaster topcoat to both corners using a paint scraper or trowel. Use an internal corner tool to smooth out the surface of the top coat.

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We has over 50 years of experience in the Plastering in North Shore industry. We are always looking for the best tools and techniques that there are. We have over 50 years of experience in the plastering business and are always on the lookout for new tools and techniques.