Rob-GB
Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2009
- Messages
- 1,101
So I volunteered to do something a bit different in order to move the job along having only had limited experience of doing it, mostly as a kid helping out my father but having done some patching work over the years.
Plastering. [blink]
Normally you open a bag, add water and smear it all over the walls and yourself, the floor, any uncovered furniture and your Festools.
Well that’s what normally happens on site when you get the ‘spreads’ in. ;D
This,
required something different. Lime plaster, to local conservation specs’ .
First mix is sharp sand ( a coarse sand with tiny pebbles in) and lime with a handful of goats hair, teased out, that first handful of hair at 7am smelling of rancid urine is such a pleasant start to the day we should all take it up. ;D Quit your whining commuters. [big grin] Oh! And, those tiny pebbles, huge pain in the rear. [mad]
The goats hair aids bonding and acts like steel reinforcing in concrete castings, in miniature. Too much hair and the plaster looks in need of a Brazillian or an attack from the wife’s ladyshave..... N.B. using the ladyshave on urine soaked , lime coated goat hair will do you more harm than good and may entail lawyers. [oops]
Getting into the narrow bits was a challenge, taking a bit of dextrous play with an artist’s pallet tool.
I found it best to put some mix up top then work up from the bottom to it, this prevented dragging off some of the newly applied mix.
Feeling very pleased with myself I went home and was awake and at the computer at 7 minutes to 3. A.M. when mother nature decided to see if my work was up to scratch. [eek]
Earthquake. earthquake in Kent
Okay it was a small one but our home shook and the chairs moved, visibly, across the fumed oak floor.
Well pat me on the back and call me a ‘spread’, it stayed put. Gobsmacked. [thanks]
Next step was to put a top coat of pure lime over the goat hair mix, which is done in two parts. In the pic’ below you will see my trusty friend T15, hard worked but loyal, resting against a panel that was ‘set’.
(setting the hair mix requires rubbing the area with a ‘float’ to remove loose plaster and high spots including those stupid pebbles that will drag across your hard work scoring deep grooves into it, or wait until you apply the lime coat then pop out and do the same...gits!)
The panel to the right of T15 has had a smear coat of lime to fill the low areas, this is because applying the mix to the lath’s causes it to squeeze thru’ the gaps that form a key to hold it all in place, this leaves a rippled surface that needs evening out. It also takes care of the all but most stubborn hairs, laying them flat. To the right of them are two top coated panels, smoother and whiter coloured.
Next step is a white wash, literally, to cover any small drying checks in the top coat. That is for another day though.
While doing this I had a courting couple visit and had a task getting them to leave.... [embarassed]
Some days are beyond magical. [big grin] [big grin]
Rob.
Plastering. [blink]
Normally you open a bag, add water and smear it all over the walls and yourself, the floor, any uncovered furniture and your Festools.
Well that’s what normally happens on site when you get the ‘spreads’ in. ;D
This,
required something different. Lime plaster, to local conservation specs’ .
First mix is sharp sand ( a coarse sand with tiny pebbles in) and lime with a handful of goats hair, teased out, that first handful of hair at 7am smelling of rancid urine is such a pleasant start to the day we should all take it up. ;D Quit your whining commuters. [big grin] Oh! And, those tiny pebbles, huge pain in the rear. [mad]
The goats hair aids bonding and acts like steel reinforcing in concrete castings, in miniature. Too much hair and the plaster looks in need of a Brazillian or an attack from the wife’s ladyshave..... N.B. using the ladyshave on urine soaked , lime coated goat hair will do you more harm than good and may entail lawyers. [oops]
Getting into the narrow bits was a challenge, taking a bit of dextrous play with an artist’s pallet tool.
I found it best to put some mix up top then work up from the bottom to it, this prevented dragging off some of the newly applied mix.
Feeling very pleased with myself I went home and was awake and at the computer at 7 minutes to 3. A.M. when mother nature decided to see if my work was up to scratch. [eek]
Earthquake. earthquake in Kent
Okay it was a small one but our home shook and the chairs moved, visibly, across the fumed oak floor.
Well pat me on the back and call me a ‘spread’, it stayed put. Gobsmacked. [thanks]
Next step was to put a top coat of pure lime over the goat hair mix, which is done in two parts. In the pic’ below you will see my trusty friend T15, hard worked but loyal, resting against a panel that was ‘set’.
(setting the hair mix requires rubbing the area with a ‘float’ to remove loose plaster and high spots including those stupid pebbles that will drag across your hard work scoring deep grooves into it, or wait until you apply the lime coat then pop out and do the same...gits!)
The panel to the right of T15 has had a smear coat of lime to fill the low areas, this is because applying the mix to the lath’s causes it to squeeze thru’ the gaps that form a key to hold it all in place, this leaves a rippled surface that needs evening out. It also takes care of the all but most stubborn hairs, laying them flat. To the right of them are two top coated panels, smoother and whiter coloured.
Next step is a white wash, literally, to cover any small drying checks in the top coat. That is for another day though.
While doing this I had a courting couple visit and had a task getting them to leave.... [embarassed]
Some days are beyond magical. [big grin] [big grin]
Rob.
