Getting Plastered

The big day arrives and this is where the shell of our build begins to look like something resembling a house, 'THE PLASTERERS ARE IN'

Six big young lads turn up, trowels at the ready and are straight in, sheets of plaster board everywhere, mixing buckets and baths in every room, materials in every corner. These guys mean business!! The first day sees all of the top floor boarded out ready for the skim coat. The second day the boss takes over fixing plaster board with the dot and dab method whilst several of the others start the skimming on the top floor. A sight to behold, the way these guys handle the plaster, rapidly mixing, skimming the plaster evenly onto the plaster board and after a ten minute break for drying, polishing off to a fine finish. A wondrous sight!

Two days work and the second floor is boarded and plastered

 Preparation is everything. Boarding out the landing on the first floor and covering up the banister. Notice the pink fireproof plasterboard for the ceilings, part of building regs for three floored buildings

 Master bedroom boarded out ready for skim. Boy do these guys work quick.

 Another room skimmed.

Of course the downside to this onslaught is the mess. What was once pristine chipboard flooring was now a patchwork of plaster stains. Next time (if there is such a thing) a proprietary protective floor covering will be applied. Lesson learnt?

Meanwhile whilst all this pandemonium was going on my wife and myself were demoted to tea boy and assistant as there was little else to get on with, however we were already planning the next phase, 'second fix'. 

Ground floor preparation

A week later and all the plastering was done, every room in pink, well not quite! the plaster is very dark and has to dry thoroughly which may take days if not weeks, meanwhile my wife was dying to put on a first coat of paint.

The finished product. Very neat.

This part of our build was the largest item which we did not do ourselves (for good reason) however it was also the most expensive single item in the build amounting to approx £12000. So to all you would be self builders out there, be aware!

Anyway that was a major milestone in our build and as I said the next phase would be second fix, however that's for the next time on 'The Real Self Build Blog'

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