Home DIY

It's a cheap'n'cheerful Dakota Router table from Rutlands:

Moving on.. I removed some tiles that formed a shitty looking splashback in my kitchen. A lot of plaster came off too and all in all my kitchen wall now looks rougher than your mum after a sweaty session with Starfish and Coffee.

Any advice appreciated as to how to move on from here. It seems to me the options here are filler, masonry filler or then there is mult-coat plaster. Or a combination of these. I've never used masonry filler before mind you. I would like this wall perfectly smooth and flat as I am considering gluing a glass splashback to it.
I am especially clueless as to what I need to do about the weird holes around the backboxes/electrical fittings.

Then there is my pipework boxed in with aquapanel. The aquapanel was awful to work with so it crumbled in places and there are gaps here and there. It seems I will have to use masonry filler before applying scrimtape? Then thin layer of plaster on top of that again?

Or should I consider paying a plasterer to come in? The area is only 3 - 4 sqm how – much would that cost? Is it realistic to hire someone to only do 'touch up' plastering, seeing as the wall above the affected area is perfectly fine.

Probably not what you want to hear but I'd redo that wiring whilst you are in there- it absolutely should not be on a diagonal- and therefore people won't expect it to be there when, for example, drilling a hole in the wall.

Probably not what you want to hear but I'd redo that wiring whilst you are in there- it absolutely should not be on a diagonal- and therefore people won't expect it to be there when, for example, drilling a hole in the wall.

But he's not allowed to.

And people drilling in walls should be checking for concealed wiring/pipework

Better than just leaving it, surely?

the diagonal crack is from cable being ripped out. I'll leave it empty.

Moving on.. I removed some tiles that formed a shitty looking splashback in my kitchen. A lot of plaster came off too and all in all my kitchen wall now looks rougher than your mum after a sweaty session with Starfish and Coffee.

Any advice appreciated as to how to move on from here. It seems to me the options here are filler, masonry filler or then there is mult-coat plaster. Or a combination of these. I've never used masonry filler before mind you. I would like this wall perfectly smooth and flat as I am considering gluing a glass splashback to it.
I am especially clueless as to what I need to do about the weird holes around the backboxes/electrical fittings.

Then there is my pipework boxed in with aquapanel. The aquapanel was awful to work with so it crumbled in places and there are gaps here and there. It seems I will have to use masonry filler before applying scrimtape? Then thin layer of plaster on top of that again?

Or should I consider paying a plasterer to come in? The area is only 3 - 4 sqm how – much would that cost? Is it realistic to hire someone to only do 'touch up' plastering, seeing as the wall above the affected area is perfectly fine.

I'd advise using carlite bonding plaster..I thnk strictly speaking its for a bottom coat, but I've used loads of it and for the (very ) amateur plasterer and its very forgiving and can be polished-up well after. It's the type of stuff that you can chuck in those fissures too.

Just that? Several layers or just one proper smudge using a big float? Then paint on top?

Hmm... one round filling the cracks and dents, then another creating a flat surface perhaps.

EDIT:
I hope you can see why I am confused. There is just fuck all consensus about these things:
http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=146149
http://www.mybuilder.com/questions/v/1306/anybody-use-carlite-bonding-is-it-better-than-sandcement-render
http://www.plasterersforum.com/general-discussions-plastering/44496-thistle-multi-finish-carlite.html

For the splash back you can get foil backed glass which will cover a multitude of sins.

If you're sticking up glass and it has a painted back why do you need to do anything to the wall?
Make a template from 4mm MDF with all the cut outs for tbe sockets in the right place get the glass cut and toughened and painted (Kingsland Glass) and fix it over the shitty wall.
Seal the wall first with PVA.
If you are going to flatten the wall Carlite bonding would be fine.
Make sure you seal the wall - 4:1 water/PVA
Put the bonding on pretty wet and use a straight edge to flatten it out. You can trowel it as it starts to harden and get a good finish if you want.

yeah, I used Kingsland Glass for some other stuff as per your recommendation earlier in this thread. great guys, would use them again.

thing is, splashbacks over the entire kitchen worktop would set me back about 300 quid so keen to have glass only over sink to begin with. then get the rest of the splasback in a year or so. secondly, I am worried that a wobbly wall would mean the glass splashback could be more likely to break.

PVA to reduce paint being sucked in?

use carlight to fill in crumbled acquapanel?

PVA to stop the buggered plaster sucking the moisture out of the new plaster, causing it to crack like buggery.

You want it to dry equally, and slowly enough not to crack.

aahh... plaster - PVA - plaster - PVA - plaster - etc

'tis alchemy this stuff

aburdbird. thanks for all advice so far.

should I use masonry filler on the holes around the electrics first? or is the carlight bonding moldable enough to be used for this as well.

Ok I see.
If you want a decent finish; PVA whole wall use bonding to level up damaged area
When it is set but still damp plaster with multi finish -you can feather it out when you get up to the part of the wall that's decent but I find its easier just plaster the whole wall.
PVA is -as Dsmmit says- to stop the dry plaster sucking the moisture out of the bonding which will make it really hard to work and will stop it making a proper bond with the substrate ie it will fall off.

Magnus, you can certainly use the bonding, it's pretty easy to work with and stays workable for a long time.
If you level up the main part of the wall first when the muck starts going off you can use it to work around the sockets etc.
do you have a decent trowel and a hawk? I could lend you one if you want.

Cheers. No I've got some tools I am quite happy with, but thanks.
I'll get cracking with my PVA then bonding with Thistle Carlite Bonding product.

I'll have to make a choice once bonding is in place, so I'll post back here again for advice. I.e. whether to finish off with bonding and sand surface to satisfaction as Allshookup suggests above. Or use multifinish and feather as Absurdbird says. Damage is not very deep, so might only be "room" for two layers of stuff, three layers tops.

EDIT:
I realise it is not advisable to finish up for the day and let bonding coat go dry before I go for the last coat of plaster at a later date. But really doubt that I can do everything in one go... I hope a dash of PVA before second(last?) coat will make up for this.

Yes seal the bonding well with more PVA if it drys,
This is important.

Giving up on my front room...

https://plus.google.com/photos/101121362838211013611/albums/5810311999941907601/5810311999727045170

the remaining photos won't open, but the one shown doesn't look too bad

Loads of deep holes with some board bouncy. The other wall was plastered on top of lining paper.
I think I will just lay panels (mdf or pvc) on top and go all Scandinavian.

Doesn't look too bad to me Kris, chop out all the loose stuff, fill the larger holes then skim it.

Pulled the U-bend out from under the bath and cleaned it to see if it helped the slow drain.

It did, but only because the bath now drains all over the floor instead.

Looks like the seal between bath waste and bath gave up with the jiggling to get the U bend out so down to hardware store to replace. Got replacement. Fitted. Ish.

Fucking overflow pipe on the old one goes over the waste connector whereas the new one is supposed to fit into it. Bunch of plumbing tape to fatten it up and some funky silicon and finger's crossed it might deal with a dribble of overflow...

Why can't these plumbing knob ends keep shit the same?

Why can't these plumbing knob ends keep shit the same?

They should take a leaf out of the bike component makers' book. Oh, wait...

Most of my bikes share the same or interchangeable components and it's not like people upgrade their bathroom fittings every year (Dammit excluded).