Archie the Pub Bore, a character created by Paul Whitehouse some years later, had done every job under the sun. Thirty years, man and boy...
Next up was the adjacent wall. This was a small set step up in complexity. The area was larger, not a simple rectangle, and the existing surface
onto which I would be plastering was a mix of different finishes. Some of it was previously plastered and painted, some of it (the alcove was for many
years a shower cubicle) had previously been tiled. There used to be a light switch to the left of the door which I had removed and filled the hole with
Bonding Plaster. This is a not the same thing as Finishing Plaster, it's a kind of rough plaster which can be applied more thickly, for filling gaps and
holes to provide a suitable substrate onto which the Finishing coat can be applied.
The surface onto which you apply Finishing plaster matters,
particularly if it is very porous. If it is, it will suck the water out of the applied plaster quickly, which will mean the plaster goes off more
quickly and gives you less time to work with it.
You also need to ensure that the surface will allow the new plaster to bond well, otherwise it
will soon start peel off again in big sheets. When skimming on top of painted plaster walls, it's best to first score the surface in a criss-cross
pattern, then paint it with two coats of watered-down PVA (wood glue, basically). The first should be allowed to dry completely, before the second is
applied. The skimming should then be done while the second coat is still a little tacky.
In Bedroom 2 I had built a new stud wall to divide the room into a bedroom, ensuite and cloakroom. The wall was installed as a continuation of an
existing wall, therefore the whole thing needed to be plastered to hide the join. This was a larger piece of work, this time with two doors and three
switch plates to deal with, so it is fortunate that by now my confidence was growing and I was getting faster.
The two different substrates also
needed different preparation. The new section was bare plasterboard, which can be plastered without any other preparation. The section of existing
wall had to be scored and painted with PVA. I also actually glued the edge of the plasterboard to the wall when I fitted it, to prevent any
movement, and finally, as one should do with any joins or screw holes underneath plaster, I applied Scrim Tape. This is a flexible self-adhesive mesh
tape which provides a framework for the plaster over the join and prevents hairline cracking.
Again in the new Bedroom 2, the window wall needed quite a bit of preparation before plastering. This had been part of the old kitchen, with cupboards and a worksurface running the full width and beyond into what is now the ensuite. Even longer ago, before that kitchen was fitted, there had been a radiator underneath the window, the evidence of which can be seen. Directly under the window, along the worksurface, the wall was tiled and there were multiple sockets. When these were removed, all the plaster came off too, and some of the bricks under the window sill were so loose and damaged that I had to remove the window sill entirely and re-lay replacement bricks (this has already been done in this photo), which I rescued and reused out of those removed when the new doorway from the landing to the first floor cloakroom was knocked through. There was also a now obsolete vent hole which I bricked up and various other holes and channels that had to be made good before the whole wall could be skimmed.
This wall in Bedroom 5 had to be plastered because originally there was a window in the top left corner of it, letting light through into the landing area which, this being a terraced house, did not have its own external window. Post-extension, walking up the new stairs into the loft would mean you could look through it (not great for privacy), plus it was not needed any more as the landing now benefits from much more light coming through the skylight above it. I removed the glazing and architrave, fitted plasterboard over each side flush to the wall, and plastered both sides (not in one go). By now my confidence had greatly increased and these two bits of work felt quite easy.
Here is the finished result, taken some time later after decoration (note at this point the new flooring was still to be fitted). Again, I am pleased to say that the join, this time at surface level between new plaster and existing plaster, cannot be seen at all. I must admit though, that in this case there may have been just the tiniest amount of sanding involved ! Needs must...
Having by now done many small pieces of work and whole walls, the time came to plaster my first ceiling. Ceilings are much more difficult because you are
working with your arms raised above your head the whole time. All the same time pressures apply, you cannot stop and take a break once you have started,
and it is extremely physically demanding.
This, the ceiling of the first floor ensuite, was a small-ish area, and I was pleased with the
result, but it absolutely exhausted me. I decided then that for the larger ceilings of all the second floor bedroooms, which had been completely
trashed by the builders while doing the loft conversion and needed replastering, I would pay someone else to do it.