Tools and Materials
There are not many tools that are required for your average every day plastering but if you were an expert in this field you would more than likely carry a plethora of instruments such as trowels, floats, hammers, screeds, hawks, scratching tools, stanley knives, laths etc. If you are looking for any specific plastering tools you can use our search facility or visit an online tool shop who specialise in such implements.
Methods
Overall there are plenty of methods that a plasterer can undertake, many being made up or refined due to the particular workmans techniques. The following techniques/methods are standard proccesses that plasterers use for the different areas of plastering.
External Plastering
When talking about external plastering, Stucco is the term that is used most of the time as the general expression. Generally Stucco is composed of different varieties of sand mixed in with a fixer the most common being three parts sand and one part hydraulic lime. Obviously when external plastering is to be planned, consideration of ware and tare has to be acknowledged and accounted for in the method you use.
Rough Stucco is used to imitate stonework and is based upon leaving a sandy surface to the finish. To execute this method the plasterer needs to use a hand float and mark out the lines that are to represent the joints of the stonework. If the hand tool has a rough felt on it then it will make it easier to aquire the required finish and easier to implement the marks that represent the stonework at the end before setting.
Trowelled Stucco consists of three parts sand and two parts fine stuff and is executed using a hand tool followed by a finishing trowel. It is also used as a finishing coat to some harder techniques. Bastard Stucco is almost exactly the same technique as trowelled stucco except that it is laid on with two coats by a skimming float and then immediately scoured off.
Colored Stucco, as it may suggest, allows the pasterer to use various types of lime oxides to create a nice colour finish to the plaster. Mixing to find the right colour is fairly durable and can be continued without problem until the right shade is found.
Pebbledash is a common term used for a common type of plastering. In Scotland the term is called harling and the methods behind it are as follows. A coat of well rendered plaster is firstly spread across the wall after which the layer is well scratched to give a mark to attach to on the next coat. This next coat is of a smoother consistency and needs to be laid accurately as it will be used as a guide to the pebbling stage. Small gravel, shingle or any other small rocks/stones/pebbles are then distributed (thrown) evenly using a small scoop and then brushed over using thin line mortar to give the final finish.
Moldings
In order to complete a particular moulding effect on the desired surface, the plaster has to be made out of the most common type of plaster nicknamed as plaster of paris. The mould itself has to be formed in zinc and is used in quick succession with the plaster. To apply the finish jointing tools are used to make sure a good, clean edge is applied . These jointing tools are usually made of sheet steel and can be found in an array of lengths to meet the plasterers requirements.
Cracks
Cracks are formed by the use of bad materials, inproper consistances of the plaster, general ware and tare of the areas and also when the material the plaster is laid onto sucks out all the moisture in the plaster before it has set properly. Obviously if the foundation of a building is unsettled then cracks can form and in some cases split. Cracks can be dealt with effectively using a filler but are liable to re-occur around the area in not treated properly.
Slabs
Plaster slabs are very common these days when a particular job has to be completed with haste. This is because they are quick to fit using wires and rods. These are then fastened into place using a semi-fluid plaster as a grout or a standard tiling grout. |
