Errors when working with plaster

To achieve smooth walls and ceilings, no repair and construction work is complete without plastering surfaces. Sometimes we may encounter problems such as cracking, shedding or peeling of material, even of such high quality as from the manufacturer Mapei or Tekno.

Let's look at the most common mistakes when working with plaster mixes:

Mistake #1: Speeding up the drying process

Under normal natural conditions, the plaster layer dries in an average of 24-48 hours, depending on the time of year, temperature and humidity. But sometimes you don't want to take long breaks between repairs and finish the rough finishing as soon as possible. To do this, both masters and amateurs resort to the method of artificial drying, using a construction hair dryer. Thus, the plaster really dries faster, providing an opportunity to proceed to the next step of finishing work without taking long breaks. But the desire to finish the repair as soon as possible most often leads to the need to redo it due to the formation of cracks on the surface, which will appear 100%.

Mistake #2: neglect of priming the surface

Most often, manufacturers write in the instructions for applying the material that the primer is not a mandatory step. But it is necessary to take into account the air temperature when performing repair and construction work. For example, at a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and above, it is strongly recommended to prime the concrete surface to avoid peeling or cracking of the plaster in the future. You can use the Teknolatex 200 primer, which is considered a universal high-quality and, at the same time, affordable material.

Also, before plastering, no one excludes such a working method as moistening the surface with water. The main thing is not to overdo it. But, of course, water will never replace the effect, as when using a high-quality primer before plastering.

Mistake #3: pouring water into a container with a dry mixture during mixing

An elementary mistake at first glance, unfortunately, is quite common. In each instruction for the use of any building material, it is written that first you need to pour the necessary amount of water into the container and only then pour out the dry mixture and start mixing with a mixer. Having done the opposite, it will not be possible to make a mixture of the necessary consistency.

Also, you can not add water to the already mixed mixture, otherwise an inhomogeneous mass may result.

And a favorite mistake, which, unfortunately, almost every second master makes and which every manufacturer struggles with – mixing the mixture "by eye". You don't have to do that. If you are too lazy to read the instructions, it is very likely that you will go to buy dry mixes for the second time.

Mistake #4: applying a thick layer of plaster for reliability

Both saving on the material and excessive application of it can negatively affect the quality of the finish. Since ignoring the recommendations, including about the minimum and maximum thickness of the plaster layer prescribed in the instructions, it is possible to make such repairs, which will have to be redone soon. It's not for nothing that they came up with instructions and print them on each package with the material.

You can learn more about the instructions for working with plasters in the article “Plaster application technology".