Should we really attempt lime plastering ourselves ?

[masochists-r-us]

We have a 17th c stone farmhouse and would really like to lime plaster it all, but at £25 -30k to do the whole house with a professional it's simply out of our reach. We were thinking of going for lime on the ground floor only done by our 'have a go' plasterer, but are recent conversation with an on site trainer has made me wonder whether with the support of said trainer, have a go plasterer and my 'extreme DIYer' of a husband that perhaps we could manage to lime the whole house.It's not as if we need a perfect finish with our house being something between a 'rough' and a 'smooth' cottage (see Hugh Lander books if you don't know what I mean).
Has anyone else similarly lacking in experience tried something like this that can help us to decide whether to go for it or not or offer any words of wisdom?

 

[LadyArowana]

I haven't needed to attempt plastering, but in your situation I probably would. If you don't need a completely perfect finish and have the time to practice on the less visible areas first and would be saving plenty of money then it seems well worth it. A lot depends how handy you are, I certainly wouldn't want his lordship anywhere near such things, he isn't even allowed pointy scissors.

 

[Lime]

It is not particularly difficult to plaster a wall.
Good tools and the right tools for the difficult areas make it a job for anyone prepared to practise some practice.
(A tip. Beforehand go over the entire wall with the trowel/s you intend to use before making up any plaster... see if you can get right into the corners etc.)
Plastering is a skill where pratice is vital.
Most people have no idea of how hard the work is however.
to do the job well you need to be fit and have strong arms and wrists.
After some practise you may surprise yourself.

Start in a small area first, have a board under your work to catch what hits the ground. It gets easier eventually.

 

[AMc]

Faced with that quote I would go on a course, perhaps even paying for my "have a go friend" too and then evaluate from there. If after a day of proper tuition you're brilliant at it, then you're quids in. If you find it impossibly difficult then you can adjust your budget/schedule accordingly.

 

[andrew gayton]

all of the above with the added bonus that if it all goes a bit wrong, you can take it off and start again. You cant do that so readily with gypsum and opc. Go for it.

 

[MdB]

Go on a course - I did the Mike Wye one day course then have a go and see what happens (expect it all the fall off until you get the right consistency for the lime and the right thickness to put on). Once you have sussed it out, it is very satisfying to do your own walls.

 

[Zebra]

I did the Ty-Mawr one day course and have done plenty of my own lime plastering since. I've done ceiling sections between the beams, and one entire outside wall. I wouldn't say the finish is perfect, but often that is because I mixed one or two poor batches, rather than inexperience at applying it. I too might hesitate when it comes to doing whole rooms, it does seem rather daunting. Probably will though.

 

[MatthewC]

I did the Mike Wye one day course as well which was very useful.

I think doing such a lot of plastering yourself is quite possible so long as you have the time and energy. This house took my professional plasterer 40+ days, so it will take you or I somewhat longer. And it is quite tiring holding a loaded hawk in one hand for ages, and then pushing up the loaded trowel; it certainly would develop some muscles in both arms!

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Lime plastering is one thing where the quality of preparation and aftercare is as important as being able to trowel the stuff onto the wall. Getting the wall cleaned off properly, getting it nicely damped, dubbing out any big holes, and afterwards keeping the new plaster damped and consolidated - these are the things which take time and are easily overlooked by some tradesman.
Whilst the DIYer will rarely match the speed of application of a professional they do have a greater interest in getting it right, and after a bit of practice (expect to do your first wall twice - at least!) you may be producing pleasing results. As others have said a one-day course is a valuable experience, either to imform your own efforts or to enable you to supervise your tradespeople.
Have a go, but be realistic in your ambitions. Start with a small wall and build up from there.

 

[eezageeza]

I learned to plaster watching/labouring for the builder who helped us rebuild part of our house. It's not so difficult - my first couple of walls were pretty average (okay, poor) number 3 was better, and by wall number 4 I was matching the "professional" plastering elsewhere in the house.
I think you do need training - its not something you can work out how to do yourself, but faced with a potential £30k bill, its got to be worth having a go hasn't it?
Oh, and Lime is right - its blimmin hard work, both mixing and the actual plastering, so you have to be prepared for some real graft!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Yes - I would be attempting that, but asbothers have said be prepared;

A) for it to take s long time. Break it into smaller phases so you see progress, otherwise it'll be a psychological battle as well as a physical one.

B) it is a physical battle. The two hardest things I have done are lots of fencing of the fields on my own, and lime plastering. The hawk gets very heavy after hours at it.

 

[Johnboy]

I would say it definitely pays to go on a course, It gives you a up-close idea of just what is involved. And yes, it makes you ache in places you only previously imagined!

 

[Alex]

I am currently lime plastering our sittingroom. I did the Ty Mawr one day course about 4 years ago, I was the only female until the Tutor arrived. I had plastered before (in a different house), well skimmed over artex, after my friends husband showed me how to do it. On the one day course they taught us to plaster on lathes, we don't have any here as we are currently living in a rubblestone cottage. I found it much harder to get it level because of the shape of the stone. It took us months to finish the room but I am still proud of it. In the sittingroom, when we started drilling the modern stuff off, we found that the walls underneath were limewashed straight onto the stone. Knowing that has given me more confidence to have another go and we are doing the same on three walls, the 4th wall is a later partition wall and is brick, laid on its side with the frogs being face out into the room so that is being plastered smooth. I have found it easier to get the lime plaster smooth on the brick but harder to get it on in the first place. I tend to put the plaster on with my hands then when I have a decent sized square, I smooth it over with the float, it will probably be frowned on but it works for me. My metal float is also a smaller than average one and is referred to as my "ladies float."

Good luck and why not give it a go, you never know until you try.

Alex

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Well done Alex.

"ladies float."

I'm not sure that is universally true. :wink:

 

[Alex]

FamilyWiggs wrote

"ladies float."

As soon as I clicked the submit button, I thought, "I wonder who will be the first to mention Emily Howard"

You have let me down as I thought it would be you :lol:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

8)

 

[plasticpigeon]

I'm having a go. If you want straight walls (as I do) it is prudent to plan what you are doing. Perhaps put in skirting grounds and then a few screeds on the wall to get it all level and true. I have found that with the base coat the trick is just to get the damn stuff on the wall and make sure it is thick enough, and then level it with a screed stick. This is better than trying to get it on level with the float. However I am a novice myself, it is just what I have found works for me so far. I then have gone over with a plastic float to consolidate it. It sort of evens things out a bit more too. The next coats are thinner, made with finer sand and easier to deal with. If it is just over stone as some kind of covering that follows the contour all that is irrelevant. I have been using hydraulic lime as it is what I can get from my local yard and is good for brickwork. I guess it has to be better than cement, and doesn't seem much stronger than the original stuff on my 1900 house. With the hydraulic stuff, when first mixed it isn't too nice to use, it's very gritty, but if it is worked up left for an hour or so and worked up again it seems to become much more workable, a bit like the difference between rice mixed with milk and rice pudding!!!

 

[biffvernon]

Should we really attempt lime plastering ourselves ? Why ever not? Don't you want some fun in your life?

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Wow, that's novel Biff. One of your posts I completely agree with every word!

:wink:

 

[LadyArowana]

Wow, that's novel Biff. One of your posts I completely agree with every word!

:wink:

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.