Helpful How-To on Plastering

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Have you ever stopped to think about how your walls obtain that smooth appearance without any cracks or seams? Your wall's perfection was achieved through the skilled and patient application of plaster. The following how-to will give you an insight into what is entailed in plastering a wall.

The first step is to have the sheetrock carefully installed. This means that the seams are close together, and the wall has screws securing it every six inches. Once the wall is prepared, the plaster is applied.

You can purchase plaster premixed, or mix a dry compound with water into a thick, mud-like consistency. (Thus the alternative term "mud.") The first coat is applied to the wall with a flat trowel, and normally is used to stick a piece of drywall tape over the seam. After that coat dries completely, normally six to twelve hours, two to three more coats of plaster are applied over the tape. The goal is to have a wide strip of plaster as thin as possible completely hiding the tape and seam, without forming a mound in the wall.

After all coats are thoroughly dry, the plaster is lightly sanded to smooth out any rough spots. The next step is to apply a sealing primer to the wall to seal the plaster and prepare the wall for texture and paint.

Now is the time to decide what finish you want on the wall. If you are planning wallpaper, now is the time for application. If you want a standard texture finish, more plaster is used for that.

Applying plaster texture involves using a thinner consistency of plaster than what was used to apply the tape. Using a wide trowel or a texture hopper, the plaster is applied to the primed wall in the design of your choosing. Once the texture is dry, the wall is primed again and then painted.

Plaster can be used throughout the life of a home to repair cracks in the seams, or holes in the wall. Applying plaster is considered to be one of the finishing touches to a house, and the more professional the application, the better the home will look. Because it is such a crucial step in the appearance of the home, you may not want to experiment and leave the process to a skilled professional. Request free estimates from skilled drywall contractors in your area today.

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