Rough plaster

[brendanbreeze]

Hello all

Very new to tiling (recently done a 4 week course) and went to price a job up yesterday. It's a small bathroom and the guy wants all the floor and walls tiled. The walls have recently been plastered but not to a smooth finish, in fact there very rough. The ceiling has been finished perfectly smooth as I'd expect. The guy who done the plastering knew that the walls were to be tiled so is that why he's left them as they are?

I will have to smooth it down in some places as there are some lumps that would be impossible to tile over. This is not a major problem but just wondered if this type of plaster finish is ok to tile on? I hope I've explained myself well enough. Cheers, Brendan.

[Oli]

It is rough or is it uneven, It should just be ruff surfaced to give you a good key, if plaster is too polished youd find yourself having to sand the surface to get a key, if its uneven however so much so that you wont get a level finish then maybe more work needs to be done with it.

By the sounds of it the plasterers left the ceiling smooth becuase he knows its getting painted and the walls rough to give you a good key as he knows its getting tiled.

You could ask the question on the new sister forum for plasterers launched today

Plastering Forum | A Forum for Professional and DIY Plasterers in the UK


Oli

[whitebeam]

This tool should in every tilers tool kit, angle plane for reducing high spots Refina Ltd Plasterers Scrapers Scarifiers & Planes

[brendanbreeze]

Thanks for the reply.

I hoped that would be the case. but it ireally is pretty rough and just looks like it's been done in a hurry. I guess it is un-even too, especially round the window reveals and will definately need sanding down all over as I ran my fingers across it and small grit size pieces were coming off.

[doug boardley]

do you know if it is a sand and cement or a gypsum basecoat?

[Dave]

No disrespect to plasterers but never tell them it's getting tiled.......the phrase OH!! the tiler will get over that with Xtra adhesive...

[brendanbreeze]

not too sure really, but it's dried to a kind of pinky brown colour.

[doug boardley]

it sounds like bonding plaster, in which case, it is not suitable uneven or flat to tile onto. See if you can find out the substrate for definite

[doug boardley]

No disrespect to plasterers but never tell them it's getting tiled.......the phrase OH!! the tiler will get over that with Xtra adhesive...

unless of course the plasterer is tiling it himself!

[whitebeam]

Yer, Doug told yer

[brendanbreeze]

on my tiling course they had a plastering course running next door and we spent a morning in there. this plaster is not as rough as the stuff which has all the lines scratched into...hope you know what I mean and this makes sense.

[whitebeam]

That must be a really rough finish then, bonding can be wetted and the fat can give a smoothish finish

[doug boardley]

best to see if you can find out for sure Brendan,it does sound like bonding (gypsum) basecoat to me

[Dave]

unless of course the plasterer is tiling it himself!

Yer, Doug told yer

Look after yourselves eh?.......I wish all pinky applicators did the same..

[brendanbreeze]

I'll try and get the guy to ask the plasterer what he's put on then. Mind you I havent even got the job yet. But at least I know to ask next time...cheers all.

[doug boardley]

Look after yourselves eh?.......I wish all pinky applicators did the same..

any plasterer that goes with the attitude of "oh, the tiler will get over it" isn't a real plasterer imo