Lime plastering

[Wozzaaah]

Our house needs a fair bit of work and one issue is there’s still loads of old horse hair plaster. Chatting to someone who specialises in lime plaster he’s quoted me £140 + vat per m2 which would mean a small room like our hall would cost in the region of £2.5k.
How difficult would it be for a competent and keen diyer to tackle a job like that? I’ve done a small bit of rendering and skimming in the past and have had ok results though I know I could have done better.
The house is 1890s and built on clay. No foundation and no dpc.

 

[Johnnybravo]

How hard can it be? Not rocket science. Give it a wizz, Wozz

 

[mtt.tr]

It's dead easy, mainly because you have weeks between coats to get it right.

This was a patching In post timber repairs.



Not very flat but it matches the rest of the crap cement render last owner did.



To plaster with it is lovely. Find a good guide and read it I'll see if I still have some.

 

[8ob]

No gaztube vids ?

Bob

 

[Wozzaaah]

No gaztube vids ?

Bob

That’s going to be my research source if I decide to tackle it.

 

[Barking Mat]

Wear gloves, it'll munch your hands.

Same an any other plaster / cement render.

 

[mtt.tr]

Wear gloves, it'll munch your hands.

Same an any other plaster / cement render.

And a lung full of lime when mixing is awful.

Wear a dust mask

 

[julianf]

As above, its much slower than gypsum.

Ive done a lot of ours with NHL base (onto stone) and then putty skim. Its neither exactly usual, nor wholly wrong to do it like that, and it is quite a bit cheaper than getting in tubs of premixed haired.

You might find that the skim is available in different grades, at a few quid difference per tub. Id suggest just going for the finest as dragging stones through the job is just tedious, even though the limewash is pretty forgiving in the end.

Lime is harder to get a glass flat finish with, but youll never get the same "ive messed up and its all going off" panic that you might with gypsum.

If youre confident of getting it flat enough for your level of perfection, then theres not a lot else to worry about, other than -

Dont have leaking gloves, dont breath it in, and have some eyewash to hand.

 

[gaz1]

dont tackle it yourself wozzaaah it may look easier but it isnt

ive been a mixer most of my life and have put it on when needed and floated up whilst i can do full rooms i know how to do them and to get them really close enough

whilst ive taken this into account

I’ve done a small bit of rendering and skimming in the past and have had ok results

im going to ask you what sort of wall or skimming have you done before best is to give a size reference to what you have done

 

[Wozzaaah]

As above, its much slower than gypsum.

Ive done a lot of ours with NHL base (onto stone) and then putty skim. Its neither exactly usual, nor wholly wrong to do it like that, and it is quite a bit cheaper than getting in tubs of premixed haired.

You might find that the skim is available in different grades, at a few quid difference per tub. Id suggest just going for the finest as dragging stones through the job is just tedious, even though the limewash is pretty forgiving in the end.

Lime is harder to get a glass flat finish with, but youll never get the same "ive messed up and its all going off" panic that you might with gypsum.

If youre confident of getting it flat enough for your level of perfection, then theres not a lot else to worry about, other than -

Dont have leaking gloves, dont breath it in, and have some eyewash to hand.

Thanks, I seem to recall you’d done a fair bit of it in your place.
We’re end of terrace and the wall to the outside has been boarded with cement sheet to stop the damp coming through at some point many, many years ago.

 

[Wozzaaah]

dont tackle it yourself wozzaaah it may look easier but it isnt

ive been a mixer most of my life and have put it on when needed and floated up whilst i can do full rooms i know how to do them and to get them really close enough

whilst ive taken this into account

I’ve done a small bit of rendering and skimming in the past and have had ok results

im going to ask you what sort of wall or skimming have you done before best is to give a size reference to what you have done

If someone was going to try and talk me out of it, somehow I just knew it would be you.
I appreciate your advice as I know you know a lot about building work but I’m really keen to give it a go.

 

[gaz1]

its actually not that im kinda wanting to know what you have done before

plastering is one thing rendering is another whilst lime plastering is another thing altogether

haveing a scale on what you have doen before with plaster can aid or advise better than a small scale 2ft wall with skimming as a rough reference in plastering if bigger walls have been atempted like say 6ft walls of plastering and skiming i can say better than just avoid it

 

[Wozzaaah]

Ok, I rendered our entire lounge then got someone in to skim it. Not glass flat but definitely more than presentable. I also rendered and skimmed the (smallish) wall outside our bathroom. Again, not to the standard a pro would achieve but I’m certainly not disappointed with it.
I’m extremely practical and just not phased whatsoever about learning/trying new things if I think they’re within my reach.

 

[tommullin]

Ok, I rendered our entire lounge then got someone in to skim it. Not glass flat but definitely more than presentable. I also rendered and skimmed the (smallish) wall outside our bathroom. Again, not to the standard a pro would achieve but I’m certainly not disappointed with it.
I’m extremely practical and just not phased whatsoever about learning/trying new things if I think they’re within my reach.

there's a few rooms at my place that you could practice in if you'd like.

Ill let you out when you're good enough to tackle your place.

 

[brightspark]

half the battle is buy a good quality float. i rubbed mine up on the belt sander before use and wore it in there useless when brand new .i have a tyzac and a marshaltown lite refina are good as well . stainless even better

 

[Wozzaaah]

half the battle is buy a good quality float. i rubbed mine up on the belt sander before use and wore it in there useless when brand new

I’ve got a half decent Marshalltown one that has already seen some action.

 

[gaz1]

Ok, I rendered our entire lounge then got someone in to skim it. Not glass flat but definitely more than presentable. I also rendered and skimmed the (smallish) wall outside our bathroom. Again, not to the standard a pro would achieve but I’m certainly not disappointed with it.
I’m extremely practical and just not phased whatsoever about learning/trying new things if I think they’re within my reach.

you will be fine then as you already have the experience enough of pre plastering the walls and also getting them close enough to flat

i prefer an older float myself and many of us arnt going to pay 50.00 for a new float but they are better to use them than new steels

best to do a 2 coat system though get a thinnish layer on and then another layer over the top so your actually dong a bonding coat view of it

 

[angellonewolf]

Ok, I rendered our entire lounge then got someone in to skim it. Not glass flat but definitely more than presentable. I also rendered and skimmed the (smallish) wall outside our bathroom. Again, not to the standard a pro would achieve but I’m certainly not disappointed with it.
I’m extremely practical and just not phased whatsoever about learning/trying new things if I think they’re within my reach.

if like doing a few differant jobs the work gets better as you do it mine i normaly learn how to do it after i dont need to do any more

plastering is an art its one of the few jobs where practice gets you every where its hard to teach to get perfect its only pratice to get it right

only thing i can say remove all obstacles you can before starting a blank room is ideal leaning over stuff makes very hard work

 

[Wozzaaah]

you will be fine then as you already have the experience enough of pre plastering the walls and also getting them close enough to flat

i prefer an older float myself and many of us arnt going to pay 50.00 for a new float but they are better to use them than new steels

best to do a 2 coat system though get a thinnish layer on and then another layer over the top so your actually dong a bonding coat view of it

The outside wall is rubble so that one will be the most challenging.

 

[gaz1]

as long as you do it in layers you will be fine rushing and trying to dump too much material on the wall in one go is a good way for it to come straight off

layering gives you chance to level off per layer as you build up each layer it also gives you chance to check levels as you build up each layer so thinner and thicker coats can be used by layering