www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Hi,
I skimmed a wall with multifinish, its smooth, but it isn't quite flat.

Yes, that's my fault. it was a mistake. However, my only defence is the wall was in a mess to start with.

I would like to apply another coat of multifinish, and I think that would be enough to make it pretty good, but when i tried to do this the scratch coat started to crack within a few minutes, so I abandoned and scraped it off. I had PVA'd, let it dry and then re-PVA'd and waited until tacky.

There had been two weeks between the first and second coats of multifinish.

How long do I have to wait for the suction to reduce before applying the second coat?

Any advice is appreciated.

Dave.

I am not a plasterer but my first thought was that the multi finish plaster is either getting near to the use by date or the date has expired or the opened bag was stored in a damp area before you tried to use it. I don’t think you did anything wrong but I would buy a fresh bag that is well in date and store it in a dry place before you are ready to use it the carry on as you are. Remember suction is your friend and if the wall was over polished then you may have to use blue grit or a bonding agent to get it to adhere properly.
And to get a nice even finish, buy a speedskim rule ( watch a few vids first) it will make the job much, much easier.

Mike

Hi Mike,
Thanks for responding. It was a fresh bag, but I will try another.
What bonding agent do you suggest? I keep seeing SBR mentioned but I'm not sure.

Thanks,
Dave

SBR is very good but so is the wickes version https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Ready-M ... g/p/221807

To get more tips and the like , I suggest you join https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... oAnc5rQdT7 as there are loads of information on there and a lot of trade talk . The banter is a bit rough and lively but most are helpful to diyers.

Mike

Hi,
Just for completeness, I waited two weeks, used a fresh bag of plaster and two coats of PVA, leaving the first to dry. This second attempt worked.
Thanks for all the advice.
Dave