If you’ve been meaning to hire a contractor to get that wall finished, why not do it yourself. Do it yourself lime plastering is easier than most people think, and almost anyone with good plaster, a lathe scratcher, and a trowel can get the job done. If you enjoy doing the work around the house yourself, and are interested in saving a bit of money, then follow this simple guide to apply your own lime plaster.
Step 1: Preparation
Your preparation process is the most important. First of all, you want to buy lime plaster that is well aged. The reason for this is that aged lime plaster will be less likely to crack or erupt than newer plaster, as it has slaked sufficiently. 6 month old plaster is better, but if you can find 3 month it will do the trick almost as well.
Make sure the wall you want to plaster is prepared as well. Clean all old plaster, grout, dirty, and anything else that you don’t want under your new layer of plaster away. Smooth out the wall as much as you can so that the plaster stays well and is easier to even out.
Finally, the last part of the preparation process is to make sure the larger cracks and holes are filled. Fill them in with your plaster (and rocks if the holes are really big), smooth them down to be level with the wall, and give them time to dry completely.
Step 2: First Coat
You are now ready to apply the first layer of lime plaster. This first coat should be applied with pressure in order to ensure that every little crack and indent in the wall is evenly filled. You can then use a trowel to smooth everything out again.
Before moving on to the final step, make sure that this first coat is completely dry. If it is, you can then score it in a crisscross pattern diagonally to ensure that the second coat will stay on.
Step 3: Finishing
Before apply the next layer of lime plaster, wet the first one. Apply the next layer and follow the same process as you did with the first coat before adding another layer. On your final layer, you can add a pattern or smooth it out completely as desired.
A good coating of lime plaster should last you for years. Lime plaster has been used for many years for walls both indoors and outdoors, and homeowners everywhere continue to choose it today. If you can do your own lime plastering, then you can save hundreds or even thousands of pounds and still get the job done well and how you like it.
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