How To Plaster A Wall - Plastering For Beginners

Learning to plaster at home can have a ton of benefits. It can save you money, allows you to decorate and renovate your house and can also provide a new profession for certain people.

However, I’ve found that many people don’t plaster because they just don’t know how to. People think its impossible to learn and only professionals can plaster your home. This isn’t true!

I’ll walk you through the exact process to start plastering.

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Step 1 - Preparation
You need to PVA the walls with a 3:1 water to PVA ratio. You apply 2 coats with a paint brush or a roller (the 2nd coat of PVA can only be applied when the 1st coat is completely dry).

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Step 2 - 1ST Coat of plaster

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Step 3 - 2nd Coat of plaster (20 mins after the 1st coat)

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Step 4 - Closing in (trowel out any ripples or marks on your wall).

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Step 5 - 1st Trowel (85 mins after your mix)

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Step 6 - 2nd Trowel (105 mins after mixing)

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Step 7 - final Cross trowel (120 - 140 mins after mixing)
A Cross Trowel is where you trowel horizontally across the wall. This is a great way to provide a good finish.

(Times and process provided from British Gypsum)

It takes time and practice but with enough effort you have the ability to start plastering your own home.

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[melallmark]

Cheers Blaine for this, absolutely great tutorial. Will you be doing more of them at all mate, with other tips etc ? I'm in the process of renovating an old 50's house, and after stripping the walls (and I mean every wall, incl, ceilings) of wallpaper, I intend plastering myself. The walls and the plaster appear quite old, and after tapping all around the walls, it sound like some have blown, but only in certain areas of the same walls. For a plain wall, for example, where some of the old plaster seems solid, and other areas sound blown. Would you recommend taking all of the wall back to bare brick.... just knocking out the areas that appear blown....or can I plaster over the whole wall as it is, with solid areas and blown areas ? Hope you don't mind me asking these questions. Thanks in advance for any help mate. Cheers, Mel :)

[donb]

A craftsman like you makes it look so easy. I remember in my twenties and with the misplaced confidence of youth thinking I could do anything. Well there was a bit of a chimney breast needed plastering after I had bricked it up, I mixed the plaster and my missus said "have a cuppa before you start" I went back to it and had made a lovely plaster bucket lol. I'm in my sixties now but still enjoy watching and hopefully learning a bit from your excellent videos the fact that you do it FREE for people to learn is both noble and admirable, a big well done to you, if there were more people like you in this world what a wonderful place it could be.

[ramsayross]

I liked your consideration for the other trades that would come after you. The electricians, the carpenters, the painters and decorators. Good work.

[wacom]

good plastering, that is ben a long time I didn't enjoy watching somebody doing plastering and explain the way you do, you are very calm and have a very nice way to talk, keep the good work and have good one

[SailingUla]

WOW a plasterer who cares about us carpenters... thank you 👍😀 Great tutorial by the way!

[ceciliacopley]

Nice demonstration, Thanks Blaine. I’ve been plastering for family and friends for many years, but still nice to pick up on anything new and see others techniques. I’m helping my brother board and skim his kitchen at the moment. I am female and one of my other brothers is a plasterer by trade, but I end up doing most of the plaster work for family/ friends. Find it very rewarding to get nice polished surface finish.

[mikehandyproukltd.]

Best plastering channel on YouTube. No waffle, just straight to the point advice. As a tradesmen of 30 year's I just plastered my 1st room using this system and it turned out brilliant!!! Thanks matey 👍

[paulkennedy]

Big thanks to youself blaine..
I did a 4 day crash course about 6 years ago just so I could plaster my own house .I've been on and off plastering for friends and bits of stuff for myself .I've decided to put myself out there and try and pick some work up.watching your videos has given some great tips .I start a full house next week and I'm still watching your video for tips...keep up the good advice it's invaluable..

[dalwright]

I have watched so many tutorials about plastering and have always come back to yours....today 28/02/2019 I took on my first job at home it was quite a large wall and it turned out really good....many thanks for your help

[dennell]

Good video and tutorial. I used this tutorial and another one I found which shows how to mix the plaster to get the right consistency and I spent the weekend plastering a small box room ready to be an office. I have my own tips here tho just in case someone is thinking about doing it themselves:

1. Make sure you pva the walls prior to plastering as it help stop the plaster drying too quickly which might form cracks.
2. You will create a right mess on the floors so make sure that you have something down. I used tarpaulin that I bought from wickes for £5 (very easy to clean and get plaster off).
3. Don't faf about with the first coat, JUST GET IT ON THE WALL (I was doing a ceiling and the plaster started going off because I was faffing)
4. Like in this video make sure you wait before applying that second coat (20 mins). If you don't wait then when you apply the second coat you might get bubbles which are a pain in the arse.
5. If when you flatten the plaster you create more lines than you are trying to get out then the plaster is too wet and you need to leave it a bit longer.
6. The angle of your trowel is key.... when applying you want to make sure the plaster is going on and you are not taking it off. The trowel should be as close to the wall as possible but at a very slight angle... that angle changes however when smoothing the plaster.
7. Keep everything clean... your tools the buckets etc etc (it makes the job easier)... so like after a coat go and clean everything and get ready for that second coat.
8. Get a a garden water spritser spray... spray the wall down if you think it's drying too quickly
9. Use a brush on those edges as it creates a nice neat job.
10. Be prepared to get pissed off.. if you have a short fuse or you are a pain in the arse perfectionist, get a plasterer in. A decent one should charge about £100 a day (but give him a tip, as by god they deserve it).

Enjoy.

[peterbutlin]

I would like to say a thank you to the fellow here for these videos, he is teaching me to plaster bit by bit. 2 years ago started watching these, I am improving. I am still applying it a bit thick, sort of the 4mm thickness so I only get half the coverage, but my walls on the occasions I do them have improved greatly, flat with far fewer faults, still struggling in places with the wet gunk drying out to leave a hollow, but at least I know the problem now. The sponge float, skim and browning videos are memorable, but like I say it's been 2 years. Thanks again fella, don't worry either, any big areas I'll be getting in a pro.

[jayrollo]

I've had my old marshalltown for 16 years, bought myself one of these new ultraflex, now I have become a God, 6m X, 6m ceiling two hours done, the heat helped it dry so fast.. you gotta love plastering in the summer 👍🏼 the more good plasterers the better, don't let this ancient trade disappear

[mickburton]

I just watched this before plastering my kitchen ceiling this afternoon and it seems to have turned out half decent - so thanks for the video mate. Much appreciated

[thesquidly]

Great tutorial, cheers mate...about to venture into a fully artexed be watching all of your video's.wish me luck!!!!

[ryandavis]

Cheers for an absolute Tutorial Blanie I whatch all your videos

[mtcleaning]

Just wanted to drop you a thank you for you instruction, gave it a go and really pleased with it. Thanks again

[vidbarber]

Great video Blaine.  I've watched it several times just get your advice set into my old head. Thanks for all your advice.

[antonygilbey]

Have just followed this method and have just completed a full bedroom over 4 days, well pleased with myself its that good my son thought I had got someone in, thanks for the video it worked for me.

[kevinlee]

Blaine you are the man your videos are spot on mate 👍

[jimcameron]

This is the best plastering video I've watched, I think I'll have another go at it lol.