There are quite a few DIY projects that can be carried out indoors to spruce up the interior of your home or property at any time of the year. Some are simple cases of maintenance, while others are more work-heavy projects that will breathe new life into the rooms of your house.

Plastering is one such task that can be carried out in the space of a day or two and can result in a completely revamped room ready for painting and further decoration. The ease of a plastering job can depend heavily on the size and detail of a wall you are working on, but the job can nevertheless be made more straightforward with the right planning and precautions taken.

This guide will look at how to plaster a wall, giving an overview of the tools you will need, the different steps you can take to plan and prepare for the project, and a guide on how to plaster a simple wall setup from mixing the plaster to applying it and smoothing it upon your wall.

• What You Will Need
• Before You Start
• Plastering Your Wall
• Does My Wall Require Another Coat?
• Finishing Up
• Final Thoughts
• What's Next

In order to follow the step-by-step guides below, the following items are required. Most are fairly easy to obtain, and don’t forget that you can browse our wide range of plastering products and accessories if you are missing any of the tools below:

You may find yourself requiring other items depending on your situation and the condition of the wall you are tending to. It is best to gather all items needed before starting on a project.

There are a few things you will need to do before starting the plastering process. These steps are extremely important and will ensure a variety of things, including the safety of your surrounding possessions as well as your own health. Below are some of the critical steps you should consider taking before beginning the plastering process:

• Use protective sheets over your floor. These are usually made of plastic but can also be made of a variety of other materials. They also come in a variety of sizes, and it is best to purchase a range of different sizes to cover up the different components that make up your room (large sheets for floors, larger furniture and skirting boards, medium sheets for most furniture and small sheets for tabletop items and other such possessions).
• Make sure any electricity running to the wall you are plastering is turned off. You will be using a lot of water in your project, so this is a vital step for the sake of your safety.
• Strip your wall of wallpaper. Extremely important, as you cannot add plaster over old wallpaper effectively. Be sure the walls are properly stripped of any wallpaper before continuing with the plastering process. Ideally, the plasterboard should be fully exposed.
• Ensure that you are wearing the correct clothes for the job. Old, thick work clothes are best for plastering, as they tend to get fairly messy, and the plaster mix can often permanently damage the fabric. If you’re going to participate in plastering, use durable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, or alternatively purchase overalls designed for these sorts of tasks.
• Prime your wall. Combining water and PVA glue makes a highly effective primer. Some types of plaster will also have their own specially made-primers available, and it is recommended that you purchase these if they are available. Remember to check the instructions of your particular plaster make before applying it to check if it requires a primer or not.
• Test your plaster mix. Few things are more frustrating than applying plaster only to find it is incompatible with your wall for whatever reason. To ensure that your plaster works as intended, it is best to choose a small area of your wall (preferably near the bottom or in a corner) and apply a very small amount of plaster. If it works as intended, you are good to carry on.
• Prepare a bucket of water. A vital tool when plastering, a bucket of water will prove very useful for cleaning your trowel, which will need to be done several times in order to ensure it doesn’t suffer from any lumps in the plaster mix which can then be transferred to your wall.

Plastering a wall is a project that should not be rushed, as this will only shorten the time between this application session and the next time you will have re-plaster the same area. Try to apply your plaster in small areas first, spreading evenly and not too thinly.

Step 6: The mix should be thick enough now so that it doesn’t run yet and will spread fairly easily. Pour the mixed plaster onto a spot board. This will be especially important if you are working on a larger wall.

Step 7: Add some plaster to your plasterer’s hawk using a plastering trowel. Then, if you are working with a plasterboard, plaster thinly over any joints on the board.

Step 8: Use your plastering trowel to apply the plaster to your wall, spreading it firmly from left to right. Ensure to distribute the plaster as evenly as possible, though you can spread the plaster horizontally or vertically; the choice is down to you, but both are also fine.

Step 9: While it is important not to rush plaster application, it should not be too slow either, as the plaster will begin to set almost immediately. The longer the process takes, the drier the plaster will get. Work carefully around sockets. Your electricity should already be off by this point, but it is best to avoid any contact with the socket itself.

Step 10: Allow for the first layer to dry to the point that it is still damp but doesn’t move when touched. Then, go over the surface again with a clean trowel blade, and dampen each section you work on with a spray as you progress, which will keep it flexible enough for you to smooth out the surface.

Step 11: Use a damp brush on any sides and corners to further smooth them out. This softer tool will help to prevent surface cracking in the more fragile edge and corner areas of your wall.

Step 12: Repeat steps 10 and 11 again one last time if necessary. Allow for the plaster to fully dry before deciding on what to do next.

The second coat of plaster will sometimes be necessary. However, whether it will for sure depends on a number of factors, so be sure to ask yourself the following questions:

• How thick is the plaster already applied to your wall? Can you see any cracks? Are there some areas significantly more thinned out than others? You may need to apply a second coat if you see any signs of weak or thinly spread plaster.
• What do the instructions for your brand of plaster state? They may specifically state that one coat of plaster is enough. However, they may also make it clear that two coats are necessary to get the most out of your plaster wall. Be sure to consult them for the clearest idea on whether or not a second coat is needed.

Should you find yourself requiring a second coat on your walls, simply follow the above instructions again, as adding the second coat will more or less be the same as adding the first.

In order to finish up your plastering project, you will first need to wait until the walls have dried properly. It is only at this stage you can be sure the job is done, and you won’t need to add any additional layers or redo an area. Once you are happy that your wall is complete, you can take the following steps to clear it up efficiently.

• Fold your protective sheets neatly, catching any plaster in the middle of the sheets so it can be carried away to be disposed of. What you do with the sheets themselves is up to you. If you have the storage, it is certainly a good idea to save them – you never know when they will next come in handy.
• Thoroughly clean any tools you use. This is especially important as dry plaster can wreak havoc with brushes, power stirrers and other equipment you may have used to apply it to your walls. Use hot, soapy water for the best results.
• Sweep up and dispose of any dry plaster that remains. Dry plaster can be quite painful to step on, so you definitely don’t want any of it lying around. Thoroughly inspect your room and sweep up any plaster you find.

And there you have it – how to effectively plaster a wall! The process can be difficult at times, but so long as the appropriate planning takes place it is a process that can usually be carried out fairly easily once the correct preparations have been sorted.

We stock a wide range of different plastering products and accessories, so don’t forget to browse our ranges if you’re thinking of taking on a plastering project. No matter how big or small the task at hand, you’re sure to find the ideal products and accessories to help you get the job done quickly, efficiently and with minimal hassle.

What's Next?

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