How to Plaster a Wall

Plastering is one of the final steps in finishing an interior or exterior wall. While applying plaster
is a highly technical process that is usually best left to professionals, any homeowner can do it
themselves provided they follow a few key guidelines. First, start with a batch of thick, freshly-
mixed plaster. Spread the plaster onto a clean wall with a trowel, then use a handheld float to
smooth it from corner to corner. After you’ve worked out lumps and inconsistencies, the wall
will be ready for paint or wallpaper.

Part1
Preparing Your Work Area and Materials
1.

1. Start with clean tools. 

One of the most important (and often overlooked) requirements of a professional
plastering job is avoiding contamination. Before you begin mixing your plaster, make
sure your buckets, trowels, floats, and anything else that will come into contact with the
wall are spotless. If you wouldn’t be willing to eat off of it, it isn’t clean enough.[1]
 If even a small trace of plaster leftover from the previous job finds its
way onto the wall, it could interfere with the plaster’s ability to stick to
the wall or set properly. Use cold water, let it soak in and mix as little as
possible if you want the plaster to set slowly. Use hot water and mix a lot
if you want the plaster to set very fast.

2.
2. Lay out drop-cloths to keep your work area clean. 
Some cheap canvas sheeting or a couple plastic tarps will provide a barrier against dust,
spills, and muddy mortar footprints. Plastering can get pretty messy, so this simple
measure can spare you an exhaustive cleanup process later on. Plaster is hardest to clean
off dark walls because you will have to wash of any plaster that dropped with rags and
water later.[2]
 Plaster can also damage or scratch wood or laminate floors, so be sure to
cover your floors well.
 For airtight protection, use painter's tape to secure the dropcloth directly
to the floor beneath the wall.
 When you're finished, just roll up the drop-cloths, take them outside, and
spray them clean.
 The biggest cause of plaster falling off of the tools is mixing in too much
water. As you get better, you will drop less plaster, you will get less on
your hands and cleanup will be less.

3.
3. Clean the wall to remove dust and debris. 
Scrub the wall from top to bottom with a dry stiff-bristled brush. Pay particular attention
to the areas with heavy buildup, or where stripped layers of old plaster have left behind
clumps. When you’re done, wipe the wall with a damp cloth to pick up what you
loosened with the brush.
 Prime over stained areas to ensure the plaster will adhere properly.
 Repair any cracks in the wall before plastering it.
 Make sure the wall and ceilings are plumb and flush before you start
plastering. Otherwise, there may be bumps and indentations on the
finished wall.[3]
 To test whether the wall is ready to accept new plaster, run your finger
over the surface. If it comes away caked with dust, it still needs some
work. Spraying the wall with water will help the new plaster to adhere to
the old wall.
 You should always begin by cleaning your work surface, whether you’re
resurfacing an old wall or plastering over brand new lath. Dust, soap, oil,
tar and mold all cause the plaster not to adhere to the surface. Also a wall
that is too dry causes the water to be absorbed out of the plaster and set
before it has time to stick to the wall.
 4.

4. Brush on PVA glue to prepare the wall to hold the plaster. 

Combine one part PVA glue with four parts water in a disposable paint tray and mix
thoroughly. Roll or brush the PVA over the entire wall, aiming for total coverage. For
best results, the plaster should be applied while the PVA coat is tacky but not completely
dry.[4]
 PVA glue is necessary to help the new plaster adhere to the wall.
 A preliminary coat will also prevent the substrate from leaching moisture
from the plaster, which can cause crumbling.
5.
5. Mix your plaster in a 5 or 7 gallon (18.9 or 26.5 L) (19-26L) bucket. 
Fill the bucket to the halfway mark with cool, clean water. Open a new bag of plaster mix
and shake it into the bucket until it forms a mound above the surface of the water. Then,
use a plunger or stirring rod to begin incorporating the dry plaster particles.
 Always add the plaster mix to the water, not the other way around. If you
add water to the plaster, you will have to apply pressure to mix the
 plaster at the bottom of the pail and you will over-mix the plaster and it
will set too fast to work with. Stir the mixture as you add in the plaster.
 An electric drill with a paddle attachment can save you a lot of time if
you're mixing up large or multiple batches. You must know that mixing
the plaster with an attachment on your drill will cause the plaster to set
much faster. Use the attachment for large jobs, where you will apply a lot
of plaster in a short amount of time. If you are doing small patch-work,
use a smaller bucket and mix by hand so that the plaster will set slower
and give you time to work.
6.

6. Stir the plaster continuously to thicken it. 

Keep mixing until it's perfectly smooth and free of lumps. Every now and then, scrape the
sides of the bucket to loosen any clinging dry pockets. By the time you're finished, the
plaster should be roughly the same consistency as peanut butter.[5]
  A good way to determine whether the plaster is thick enough is to stick a
wooden paint stirrer straight down into the bucket. If it stands up on its
own, it means your plaster is just right.[6]

Part2
Applying the First Coat of Plaster

1.

1. Heap some fresh plaster onto your hawk board. 

Scoop the plaster out of the bucket with the edge of your trowel. If you’ve transferred the
plaster to a separate surface, like a tarp or mixing table, you can simply drag it straight
onto the hawk. Pile it on so you won’t be forced to interrupt your flow to add more.[7]
 When properly mixed, the plaster shouldn’t stick to the hawk. If you
want, however, you can wet the hawk slightly to help it release.
2.
2. Use your trowel to ready a small amount of plaster. 
Slide the flat edge of the trowel under one end of the plaster and pick up enough to layer
on a strip from floor to ceiling. To ensure accuracy and efficiency, make sure the plaster
is sitting directly in the center of the trowel.
 Start with a conservative amount of plaster and add more as needed. It’s
much easier to build the coat as you go than it is to even out an oversized
glob.
3.
3. Smear the plaster onto the wall, starting with the bottom corner. 
Crouch down and push the plaster up the wall in a gentle arc, standing as you go to reach
the higher parts. At the top of your stroke, slide the trowel over 2-3 inches (5-8cm), then
reverse the motion and bring it down again. You’ll use this same technique to smooth on
the plaster a little at a time.[8]
 If the plaster is soft and slides down a little on the wall, let it set 5
minutes to harden a little, then hit it with the trowel again and it will not
slip.
 Keep your trowel at a slight angle. Holding it flush can pull plaster away
from the wall.
 For the first coat, aim for a thickness of roughly 3/8" (1cm).[9]
 4.

4. Plaster the wall in sections. 

Continue working your way along the wall, spreading the plaster from bottom to top.
Pause as needed to scoop more plaster onto your hawk board. Repeat this pattern until the
plaster has been spread evenly over the entire surface.[10]
 You may need a step ladder to hit the upper corners of the wall.
 Don’t worry too much about getting the thickness perfect at this point.
You’ll be going back over the plaster later to smooth and polish.
5.
5. Smooth the first coat of plaster. 
Once the plaster is in place, clear your trowel and run it over the wall in all directions.
Apply a consistent amount of pressure, focusing on spots where the plaster is thicker or
the higher edges have created seam. Imagine that you’re icing a cake—each sweep
should leave the surface more polished and level.[11]
 If necessary, use a spray bottle to re-wet the first sections of plaster. This
will make them respond better to the trowel.[12]
  A wet high-quality paintbrush can come in handy for touching up tricky
edges and corners.
6.

6. Scrape the plaster to add texture before adding the second coat (optional). 
Consider scoring the wet plaster to create a better base for the second coat. Rake the
plaster vertically from one end to the other with a deviling float or notched trowel. Now
 that you’ve given the rest of the plaster something to hold onto, you won't have to worry
about it cracking or separating.[13]
 If you don’t have access to either of these tools, you can also use an
ordinary fork, though this may take quite a bit longer.
 Scoring creates shallow grooves that increase the overall surface area of
the wall and allows the second coat to adhere better.[14]

Part3
Spreading and Polishing the Finish Coat
1.

1. Spread on a second and final coat of plaster. 

The outer "skim" coat can also be around 3/8", though you can get away with a layer as
thin as 1/12", or about 2mm. Apply this coat exactly as you did the first, making sure
there are no obvious gaps or seams.[15]
 You can smooth the skim coat with your trowel or trade it out for a float
to take care of the finishing touches.
2.
2. Use a float to get an even finish. 
Glide the float lightly over the surface of the wet plaster in all directions to work out any
lumps, lines, holes, and inconsistencies in thickness. When you’re done, the wall should
have a smooth, uniform appearance.[16]
 Take your time. Smoothing plaster is a painstaking task, but one that is
important to do correctly.
 Be careful not to polish the plaster too much. Eventually, it will begin to
take on a glossy quality, which can weaken the hold of paint and
wallpaper.
3.
 3. Allow the plaster to set.
 Depending on various conditions, plaster can take anywhere from 2-5 days to fully
harden. Avoid handling the fresh plaster as it dries. Any imperfections it picks up during
this time will be visible in the finished wall.[17]
 Factors like the composition of your plaster, the temperature of your
work area, and the amount of moisture in the air can all have an impact
on drying times.
 The wall should be totally dry before you add paint, wallpaper, or any
other decorations.

Tips
 Use plaster on interior walls. Plaster decomposes with a lot of moisture. Use stucco for
exterior walls. If you apply plaster in a damp room like a kitchen or bath be sure and
paint it well to keep the moisture out or it will decompose the plaster over time. You can
use white cement (fix-all or qwick-fix) in baths and kitchens (and exterior fixes in eaves,
stucco and siding) because it will not decompose with water. The drawback of white
cement is that it cannot be sanded after it sets so you have to apply each coat smooth.
Applying the last coat more watery than the first coats makes it easier to get the surface
smooth.

 Practice on a small section of the wall to get your technique down.

 Plaster does not shrink much and is easy to sand flat. Spackle is even easier to sand but
will take 24 hours to dry, will shrink a lot and cause you to have to re-apply Spackle to
remove the cracks. Both Plaster and Spackle are indoor products and cannot be used
outside because they rot with moisture.

 Beginners should use sand-based plaster (plasticiser) for the first coat. It’s much more
forgiving to work with and is slower to set up.

 Cover wood and weathered brick walls with wire lath before applying new plaster for a
more secure, longer-lasting hold.
  Plastering is a time-consuming effort that requires a high degree of skill and expertise. If
you aren’t confident in your ability to do the job correctly, you may be better off hiring a
pro.

 Don’t forget to clean your tools thoroughly when your project is complete.

Warnings
 In many ways, working with plaster is a race against time. You’ll need to work carefully
to avoid making mistakes, but not so slowly that the plaster begins to dry before you’re
finished.

 Do your best to get it right the first time. A botched plaster job can be very expensive to
repair.

Things You'll Need

 Plaster mix

 Plaster hawk

 Flat steel trowel

 Plastering float

 Stiff-bristled brush

 Disposable paint tray

 Paint roller

 Paint brush (optional)

 PVA glue

 5-7 gallon (19-26L) bucket