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Old 30-11-2016, 23:13
beth0o0
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Is it easy to do. I have been quoted £100 to do a 10"x7" plastering of an old air vent in bedroom. they also said I'd be better off having the whole wall plastered as it would show when painted. so is it quite east to do thanks
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Old 30-11-2016, 23:47
Supratad
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It's easy to do.
It's difficult to do well.
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Old 01-12-2016, 00:36
barbeler
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There's no way I'd pay that. I'd rather cover it with a blanking plate, or if the hole has already been filled in, having a go at it myself. I once made a decent job of a slightly smaller hole that that, even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I carried out a rough job with some patching plaster and an old plastic ruler, then very delicately smoothed it over with a damp sponge. Once painted over it was good enough so that nobody would ever notice it.
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Old 01-12-2016, 08:38
Supratad
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It might seem a lot for a small piece of work but whether its a 70sq.in panel or a whole room, the guy has still got to come out to your house, he's still got to open a bag of new plaster and mix it up and actually do the work to a professional standard, which is going to be far better than the OP, who has never done any plastering.

Think of it like the first part of your taxi fare that you'd have to pay even if you were driven 10 metres up the road. These people work for a living and need their costs covered for the tiniest of jobs.
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Old 01-12-2016, 08:46
njp
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It's easy to do.
It's difficult to do well.
I agree with that, but would note that a small area neatly bounded by existing plaster is much easier to do well as a DIY job than an entire wall, or (shudders) a ceiling. Even if you fail to get the levels matched initially, you can always sand it down after.
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Old 01-12-2016, 10:43
jmclaugh
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It's easy to do.
It's difficult to do well.
Yep, it is one those things you can either do well or you can't and it is the finish that is the tricky bit. For such a small area as the one the OP is talking about I'd have a go myself using patching plaster.
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Old 01-12-2016, 10:54
Maxatoria
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A proper plasterers trowel certainly helps but it does seem like a skill thats either you can master or you're useless at.

For less hassle i'd just put a grill over it and be done, you do need a certain amount of ventilation in a property to stop damp and mold.
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Old 01-12-2016, 11:58
njp
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For less hassle i'd just put a grill over it and be done, you do need a certain amount of ventilation in a property to stop damp and mold.
I assumed (possibly wrongly) that the vent was no longer needed because the windows have that new-fangled trickle ventilation...

It does remind me that a friend has recently had the box room in her house redecorated. She had always complained that it seemed cold and damp in there, and attributed it to there being two outside walls and it not being heated much. When the grill just below the ceiling was removed prior to plastering, it turned out that at some time in the distant past a previous occupier had put a piece of cardboard behind it (IIRC it was part of the packaging from some ancient toy), and then poked holes through it with a knitting needle or similar implement. Over the years, these had all become completely clogged up, leaving no ventilation at all.
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Old 01-12-2016, 18:50
Orangecrab
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When I moved into my house there was a small alcove off the bathroom where the ceiling had been wallpapered over. When I removed the wallpaper it turned out that part of this ceiling had lost its plaster and you could see all the laths.

I plastered that myself, it isn't a perfect job that I've done but it works after I'd painted it. I wasn't going to pay a tradesman for that.
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Old 01-12-2016, 21:14
bart4858
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Is it easy to do. I have been quoted £100 to do a 10"x7" plastering of an old air vent in bedroom. they also said I'd be better off having the whole wall plastered as it would show when painted. so is it quite east to do thanks
I read that as 10'x7' at first.

10"x7" is about the size of a large paperback. I'm sure you can have a go at doing that yourself, and save £100. But what are you plastering over? It needs to be reasonably solid underneath.
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Old 01-12-2016, 22:33
Tassium
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The hole will need to be filled first.

10x7 inch is just a bit less than A4 size. I imagine the back of an old picture frame will have a piece of hardboard that big.

Hardboard can be cut with a craft knife, but it's dangerous because quite a lot of pressure is needed.

Using a piece of corrugated cardboard instead would not be a good idea because it will flex.

Even if the hardboard could be cut to size there is then the problem of fixing it inside the hole...

-----------------------
So I assume the plasterer is going to do all of this, probably using a piece of plasterboard and some kind of support in the hole. Then he will plaster over the whole thing.

It's not a trivial job because it's a hole in a wall rather than just a bit of damage that anyone could fix.
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Old 01-12-2016, 23:51
Brian The Dog
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Firstly what are you plastering onto? Has the hole been filled and if so with what?
Plaster needs a firm surface or else any movement (things expand and contract with changes in temperature) will end up with the plaster cracking over time.

Also the plaster has to stick to whatever the surface is. Also if the surface sucks out the water in the plaster too fast, cracking will appear. That is why when plastering onto a brick surface, you usually apply PVA first as it acts as a barrier to stop the brickwork sucking the moisture out of the plaster too fast and as an adhesive to help stick the plaster to the brickwork.

It is a job that many could do themselves. Just remember if it's a thick layer you need then do it in layers making sure that you make scratches in the first coat before it dries to provide a key for the top coat to grip onto. Get it as level with the exiting plaster as you can as any dips you will have to re-fill and any plaster standing proud of the surface will have to be sanded down. Sanding can create load of dust, so the flatter you can get the plaster before it dries the less you have to do later. If the patch does dry differently when you paint it apply a special paint call stain sealer which when dry and painted over will make the patch invisible.
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Old 02-12-2016, 00:41
Flora_McDonald
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I think plastering a small area isn't that hard. You can fill most of the depth of the hole with a piece of wood, or foam filler. Then mix your plaster ( I bought a 25kg bag for next to nothing, and it's fantastic) and wet the area you'll be filling with a wet sponge, then push in the plaster, preferably using a trowel, but an ordinary knife could be used too. Smooth it over as far as possible (you get a smoother finish by going over it with a wet sponge. Once it's dry, you might want to apply another thinner layer of plaster to finish the job off.

I like the suggestion of fitting another grill . That would be easy enough, and you could block the air from entering from behind with some newspaper, woollens, cloth or similar.
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Old 02-12-2016, 02:11
bart4858
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I like the suggestion of fitting another grill . That would be easy enough, and you could block the air from entering from behind with some newspaper, woollens, cloth or similar.
Or just a pretend grill over the plaster if the OP makes a mess of it.
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Old 07-12-2016, 08:41
Flora_McDonald
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Or just a pretend grill over the plaster if the OP makes a mess of it.
LOLS. I'd just stick a wee table in front of it.
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Old 07-12-2016, 10:12
soma_
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Is it easy to do. I have been quoted £100 to do a 10"x7" plastering of an old air vent in bedroom. they also said I'd be better off having the whole wall plastered as it would show when painted. so is it quite east to do thanks
far too expensive. thats the daily rate for a plasterer. its actually around 30-45 minutes work at most from entering, preparing and plastering by an expert.

to be honest give it a go yourself. its not that difficult, and cost you around £10 at most for a big bag of plaster (and maybe a piece of plasterboard and scrim tape £15 tops including plaster). just be patient and do it slowly and sand when dry and fill any dips if necessary.
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Old 07-12-2016, 11:47
blueisthecolour
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far too expensive. thats the daily rate for a plasterer. its actually around 30-45 minutes work at most from entering, preparing and plastering by an expert.

to be honest give it a go yourself. its not that difficult, and cost you around £10 at most for a big bag of plaster (and maybe a piece of plasterboard and scrim tape £15 tops including plaster). just be patient and do it slowly and sand when dry and fill any dips if necessary.
Some junior plasters may only get £100 a day wages but don't confuse that with how much a job should costs. First of all they have to charge 20% VAT, so they're only getting £83.33, second they have to pay for the materials, third it take time to travel to your place.

If you don't know what you're doing then really just pay the £100, it's so much easier in the long run.
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Old 07-12-2016, 17:34
Mythica
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far too expensive. thats the daily rate for a plasterer. its actually around 30-45 minutes work at most from entering, preparing and plastering by an expert.

to be honest give it a go yourself. its not that difficult, and cost you around £10 at most for a big bag of plaster (and maybe a piece of plasterboard and scrim tape £15 tops including plaster). just be patient and do it slowly and sand when dry and fill any dips if necessary.
Utter nonsense. The setting time of plaster is longer than 45 minutes. So how can it take 45 minutes from entering to leaving
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Old 07-12-2016, 18:00
Pitman
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just stuff the hole with old newspaper then skim over the top, piece of piss, love a bit of bodging
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Old 07-12-2016, 22:08
bart4858
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Some junior plasters may only get £100 a day wages but don't confuse that with how much a job should costs. First of all they have to charge 20% VAT
Not if they only earn £100 a day they don't! As a sole trader anyway.

second they have to pay for the materials, third it take time to travel to your place.
With materials they benefit from buying in bulk, at trade prices, and, if they are VAT-registered, they get that back. They can also use left-over materials from another job. (BTW how much would the materials cost for half a square foot of plastering?)

If you don't know what you're doing then really just pay the £100, it's so much easier in the long run.
It's not electrics, gas or roofing. It can be worth having a go. (I used to be ripped off badly by plumbers until I started doing small jobs myself. Eventually I could install bathrooms etc and saved a fortune. Then I was only ripped off by CH and gas engineers.)
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Old 07-12-2016, 22:11
bart4858
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Utter nonsense. The setting time of plaster is longer than 45 minutes. So how can it take 45 minutes from entering to leaving
Do they have to hang about for hours until it's set? If so, why?
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Old 07-12-2016, 23:32
Mythica
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Do they have to hang about for hours until it's set? If so, why?
The plaster needs to start going off so they can get a smooth finish. It takes longer than 45 minutes for plaster to go off enough to get a smooth finish.
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Old 08-12-2016, 11:55
soma_
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Utter nonsense. The setting time of plaster is longer than 45 minutes. So how can it take 45 minutes from entering to leaving
the point is that the actual work is minimal. not overly difficult for a first timer to try and get a reasonable finish. if its wrong just knock it out and start again . if its slightly uneven sand it and fill the dips and no one will notice the difference.

the thing is to be patient, dont try to look for perfection in the first instance because any imperfection can be easily corrected later with fills etc. for probably £15 its worth it as a diy job considering the size of the hole.

most plasterers will have this job done and dusted within the hour - its certainly not worth £100 for this tiny job is the point.
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Old 08-12-2016, 11:58
soma_
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The plaster needs to start going off so they can get a smooth finish. It takes longer than 45 minutes for plaster to go off enough to get a smooth finish.
a decent plasterer will have got it right on a small job like this without too much effort.

what is it - a couple of swipes with a trowel?
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Old 08-12-2016, 12:23
Mythica
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a decent plasterer will have got it right on a small job like this without too much effort.

what is it - a couple of swipes with a trowel?
Do you actually know the setting time of plaster, especially in the winter or are you just guessing? Saying they would have the job done in 45 minutes is ridiculous, doesn't really matter how small the job is. The reason for the high price is because no professional would want such a small job.
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