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What is The Most Cost Effective Way to Re Plaster my Kitchen

Whether you are repairing damage or competing a refurb, before plastering or re-plastering a kitchen you should consider a few things first so you can make the most of your opportunity to do a proper job and account for things now that will likely save you time and money in the long run.

Heres a simple list of what I consider to be the most important things to consider.

is there a chance the walls could get knocked (Children playing or items will be carried into the garden for example or is the kitchen used as a communal area or any other activities like games etc?)

Moisture.  Will there be a lot of moisture from steam, washer, dryer, oven?

Wet areas around sinks and stop taps and even account for them around pi-work as a safe guard.

If its a Brand new Extension

If your kitchen is an extension on new blockwork you may have been advised the quickest and most cost effective way to replaster it is for dot and dab plasterboard onto theblockwnrk and then a skim finish.

   And this is right but quickest doesn’t mean best.

Don’t get me wrong a very solid high quality job can be done with dot and dab but if you have new blockwork walls I would have as much of the services as feasible chased into the walls and then a good 15mm thick sand and cement coat applied with skim finish (speak to a damp expert first though to see if and areas need treating before they are plastered).

Sand and cement is hard, very hard and you can add a water proofer to the mix to make it even more ideal in a moist environment.  And it is very easy to repair compared to plasterboard.  The water proofer is not required but like I said earlier this is your opportunity to get a good a quality as possible at this stage because you cannot go back and change it after.  If water proofer is used then a primer called “thistle bond-it” shock be used or else the skimming will not easily be applied to the sand and cement coat.

It may cost more than the dot and dab because it requires more skill than dot and dab but if you are looking for a rock hard proper traditionally plastered wall that will out last anything else in under any conditions then this is your best choice.

If its a refurb on uneven brick, block, old plaster, tiles or a mixture of all of them and maybe more then I would recommend Dot and Dab.  But take note of the following if your walls are very uneven because amongst other things you will probably end up with a very uneven and large void between the boards and the background.

You will need to consult with your electrician to make sure the depth of sockets and other fixtures are okay for the thickness of dabbing required.

if you have any areas of moisture on the existing walls get them checked out by a damp proofer.  Once resolved you could in theory dab over the area but personally I would use an independent liner (a liner that is only fixed to the ceiling and floor and not to the wall).

The plasterboard to use is a 15mm thick moisture resistant board for the dot and dab and a 15mm thick moisture resistant Duplex foil backed board to the independent liner.

The 15mm board will give you protection from hard knocks and the moisture resistance does what is says on the tin but do not think it means water proof because it doesn’t.  Although it will take a severe water ingress to damage this board.

The duplex board has foil on the back so it is impenetrable from water which will protect your construction in the event moisture does start to seep through over time (ventilation may also need to be considered here as well so speak to your plumber to get advice).

 I must express I am only advising on my opinion from my own experiences and every job is different and requires specific considerations and so whilst my opinions are fundamentally correct they may need to be adapted to suit you project and so make sure you get professional advice before proceeding with your project.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this interesting and helpful. 

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Repairing Holes in Plasterboard for Beginners - A Step By Step Guide to to a Professional Quality Job.

I have advised in a previous Blog that plaster patching is skilled work that should be carried out by a Professional Plasterer.  And that is correct.

However by adhering to certain steps even someone with no experience can still fix a quite a large hole in a plasterboard wall or ceiling.  

When i say large, if you have no experience at all I would not try to fix a hole over about 300mm x 300mm using this method or you may end up with a mess that then requires a professional anyway!

Their are many different way to repair the hole but I will show you my preferred method for fixing small holes up to a maximum size of about 300 x 300mm.

It is my preferred method because

It doesn’t require any timber support work

There is hardly any cutting required

It is exreamley strong when done correctly

Will not crack when done correctly.

The only down side is it takes longer than most other methods but it is in my opinion the best quality job and because of the process required it gives anyone the chance to do a great high quality robust patching job.

Materials Required (there will be too much material here but these are the minimum amounts you can buy but is you have somewhere dry to store them they will keep for a long time and will be fine to use for other patching jobs).

1 bag of Dri Wall Adhesive (£6.14)

1 bag of Multi finish or Board Finish (£6.14)

1 bag of ease fill (£18.50)

2 litre of PVA (£4.00)

1 roll of Fibre Mesh Jointing Tape (£4.00)

1 1220 x 900mm 12.5mm Plasterboard (£4.00)

2 small builders buckets (£2.00)

1 Bucket Trowel (£10.00)

1 small plastering trowel (£10.00)

1 6” flat brush (£3.00)

1 Plasterers Handboard (£10.00)

1 sanding pad and 120grit sand paper (£10.00)

1 large sponge £1.00

You don’t need professional grade tools and all the above should cost you about £80 to £85.

The Hole Size for this treatment (Max 300 x 300)

Cut the Hole to a neat shape with a Stanley knife. (doesn’t have to be perfect)

Make sure the area of the wall surrounding the hole is clear of any loose paint and doesn’t have any wall paper on.  Ideally you could scrape any paint off completely to the surrounding 400mm. (but if it doesn’t want to come off just leave it, it will be fine)

Cut a piece of plasterboard the same height but about 200mm longer than the hole.

Make 2 holes in the centre of the plasterboard about 50 – 100mm apart (a large screw driver would be best to use)

Take the roll of fibre tape, cut about 12” off and then, length-ways, fold it in half a few times so it can pass through the holes and push it through the front and back in through the other hole so it comes through the front.

Fill a builders bucket half with water and fill another ¼ with water.  Slowley add some Dri Wall Adhesive and mix with the bucket trowel to a consistency about the same as a very thick yoghurt. (maybe slightly thicker and get rid of as many of the lumps of powder as possible

Then clean the bucket trowel off in the half full bucket (this is your cleaning bucket to always keep your tools clean)

Using the Bucket Trowel place about 1” to 2” thickness of adhesive on to each side of the board and press down slightly so it doesn’t fall off when you pick the board up (if you mixed it to the right consistency it will not fall off)

Immediately place the board into the hole by holding the fibre tape tightly and pull it towards you hard enough so you feel it is secure

Leave to Dry for about 3 hours and then pull out the fibre tape leaving a nice solid surface inside the hole which will be flush with the back of the existing plasterboard

Scrape about 20mm of the existing plaster off all the way around the hole (your new plasterers trowel should do a good job of this)

Mix about half a builders bucket of driwall adhesive to a THICK CONSISTANCY, THICKER THAN THE FIRST MIX, and then use the bucket trowel to put some on your hand board then use the plasterers trowel to apply the driwall adhesive to the hole.  Repeat until the hole if illed and make sure it is scraped flush with the surrounding surface.

IMPORTANT!  Driwall adhesive can bulge slightly whilst setting when used to fill a hole like this so scrap the surface back so it is about 5mm set inside the hole rather than flush.

Whilst the Adhesive is still wet place pieces of fibre tape around the perimeter of the hole so it is half on the area where you cut the plaster back and half on the wet adhesive. (ensure you keep the fibre tape with the area you cut back so it stays Set back from the existing Plaster surface.

Soak the sponge in clean water and wring out thoroughly, then gently wipe over the fibre tape to make sure there are no high spots. Clean the sponge and then wipe around the edges to make sure there is no adhesive on the existing plaster.

Take a look at the patch you did, are there high points?  If yes then clean off the trowel and gently flatten them if no just leave it to dry.

Clean all the tools and the buckets. And fill one half way with clean water for the tools and another 1/8 full and add about half of the PVA and mix until the bits have gone and the water is just white.

Paint the PVA all around the patched area, about 400mm all the way around, but don’t put too much on at once you don’t drench it just enough to apply a thick coat without it running everywhere.

Return in a couple of hours and it should be dry enough to start the next step.  If its tacky on the surface but looks darker in places and hard underneath then it’s okay to start the next step.

Start to slowly add the multi finish into the ¼ bucket of water and mix with the bucket trowel.  When mixing skimming with a trowel mainly do so by scraping the trowel around the edges and make sure you don’t get a build-up of powder on the bottom. When it gets to a thick creamy texture your you may have enough powder in there.  The Texture for this operation should be thick enough so when you pass the trowel through the mixture it leaves a trail with it disappearing, but not so much that it is difficult to pass the trowel through.  If you put too much powder in its fine just slowly add the water and keep mixing.

Now add just one small bucket trowel full on to the hand board at a time and put one edge of the hand board against the wall.  Then with the plastering trowel push the skimming across the hand board, into the wall and spread it upwards (just pretend its margarine) and repeat a few times until you have covered the entire patch and there is not fibre tape visible.

Then clean your trowel and your hand board and as if you were buttering a piece of toast blend the skimming into the surrounding area taking care to stay well within the location you applied PVA

If you find the fibre tape is showing through or any of the adhesive then you have not applied a thick enough coat of skimming and you can put some more on, you should have a 5mm thick coat (maximum of 5mm and minimum of 3mm) going to nothing where it is blended around the edges.

Once you have enough on clean all the tools again and then blend into the surrounding area again.

If when you try to blend it it is too dry.  This is because you didn’t apply enough PVA or you went over the location where you have PVA but don’t panic.  Just clean the tools off again and scrape off any dry and apply some more skimming.

Do not spend more than a couple of minutes blending it in because you will not get it perfect at this stage, the plaster is too soft.  The process is done in stages and the plaster is flattened more as it drys so leave it for a bout 5 mins now and clean the buckets out and fill one 1/8 with water and one half full for your tools.

You can probably quickly pass over the centre now and get it as flat as you can but only pass the trowel over it 3-4 times and leave it, now you will concentrate on the important part which is around the edges.

If you applied more than enough PVA it will be just as easy around the edges to flatten as it is in the centre and in this case just pass the trowel over it so it is as blended as possible (no more than 4 passes on this stage) and use the damp sponge to wipe away any excess water so the surrounding area is clean as possible.  It should be looking quite nice now and you can leave it for a while to dry.

Or if it is drying quicker around the edgesthen you will need to apply some water with your brush and flatten it down with the plastering trowel.  If you have difficulty getting it flat with the side edge of the trowel then use the front edge of the trowel.  It may not look pretty right now but that is not a concern, the aim is to get it blended so just keep applying water (not loads!) and keep flattening with the front of your trowel.

Once it is blended as best you can get it take the damp sponge (clean) and wipe around all the edges cleaning off the dirty water.  If it is dry enough you can [ass the sponge over the blended area as well to get any high points down.

Now leave to dry for about 20 mins then go over it again then leave for about another 20 mins and go over it again.  Repeat this until if dry and you have gotten it as flat as possible.

Use the sponge to wipe over it and clean all the surrounding area and leave a neat job.

Now mix the easy fill in the 1/8 full bucket and mix it to the same consistency as the skimming.

When you apply the easy fill you do not apply it like the skimming.  With easi fill the clue is in the name, you just fill you don’t spread it.

So before you start to apply it just look at the patch you did.  These steps are for a total beginner so what you are looking at is probably not pretty but that is what the filler is for, you are going to use it to fill all the imperfections and deviations to make your patch flat and perfectly blended

But take note you are not trying to get it perfect whilst ot is wet, you just need to get it good enough to sand down after which is when you get it perfect and when you have plenty of time to do so.

Apply the filler initially in the same method as the skimming but just about 1-2mm thick if you can then as soon as it is on use the edge of the trowel to scrape if off and tou should have filled in a large amount of the deviations.  Repeat this until the entire patch is covered but remember you will have to sand it down so don’t leave it more than 1-2 mm thick around the edges.  It does not matter so much in the middle because you can sand this flat easier.

Then don’t mess around with it trying to flatten it, as long as it’s all covered just leave it to dry until the next day and then sand it down.  Take your time to perfectly blend it into the surrounding area so once its painted you don’t even know it’s there!

This patch will actually be stronger than the surrounding wall and will easily allow you to nail or screw something into it.  And if you managed it properly you will have a seamless finish into the surrounding wall than cannot be noticed easily or even at all.

Of course you could just fix some plasterboard into it with timber and fill it but its no where near as good a quality job and will likely crack easily / eventually whereas this will not crack at all if done correctly.

Although this may seem a long process, it is only described in such detail so a beginner can follow the process.  A professional will be able to complete a large amount of holes in a short amount of time using this system.

Its as simple as cutting all the boards in advance mixing the gear and one large hand board full will nip round loads of holes in minutes then just add the fibre tape and leave to dry ready for skimming.  It is a very quick system and I like it because you don’t need a screw gun as well.

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