Rendering brick work

[deanfrench]

Hi,

I have already got some excellent advice from this website on rendering of external brick and blockwork. However i have a few more questions please.

I have no experience of plastering but consider myself to be a competent DIYer. I thibk i understand the technique for putting on the scratch coat using angle beads and battens to get a flat/level surface.

How do i get the final coat on without any levels to work to. Is this where the experience comes into play and its all by eye only or is there some technique that you can recommend. The wall doesn't need to be a perfect finish just reasonably tidy. Can I for instance scratch coat a few mm below the batten and angle levels and then use the edges on battens/angle bead to fill in and screed to the finished level?

many thanks

Dean

 

[stevethespreader]

Hi,

I have already got some excellent advice from this website on rendering of external brick and blockwork. However i have a few more questions please.

I have no experience of plastering but consider myself to be a competent DIYer. I thibk i understand the technique for putting on the scratch coat using angle beads and battens to get a flat/level surface.

How do i get the final coat on without any levels to work to. Is this where the experience comes into play and its all by eye only or is there some technique that you can recommend. The wall doesn't need to be a perfect finish just reasonably tidy. Can I for instance scratch coat a few mm below the batten and angle levels and then use the edges on battens/angle bead to fill in and screed to the finished level?

many thanks

Dean

you dont use the angle beads and batons for the scratch coat you use them for the float coat, put beads up do your scratch coat then float off any beads you have put up or float off your batons, i float free hand and use a running screed if the wall is out of plumb

 

[deanfrench]

Perhaps you could just go through that a bit slower for me please. Which type of bead are you suggesting for the scratch coat, bearing in mind my need to have something to work to cos of little experience? Secondly i would appreciate views on whether i could get away with just one coat, float it off so it is flat and smoothish and not bother with a finish coat?

 

[deanfrench]

Oh and i am interested in a running screed whats this. Thanks for your initial comments steventhespreader

 

[stevethespreader]

Perhaps you could just go through that a bit slower for me please. Which type of bead are you suggesting for the scratch coat,?

im not suggesting any bead for the scratch coat you don't need beads for the scratch coat as the scratch coat is just a key for your float coat and it is also dubbing out your wall at the same time, if you need to use beads use render beads and put these on at the same time as the scratch coat these beads are for the float coat and are used on external corners, now if you have used these and have made sure they are nice and level you can rule off these, you can also rule off door frames, a running screed is a screed of render going vertically up the wall if the wall is uneven a running screed is used, to make one apply the render the width of your trowel up the left hand side of the wall and get a spirit level, where the wall is uneven apply more render until the spirit level says the screed is level, let this firm up and then you can float off this new level screed to get a nice straight wall.
and you will need a finish coat on top of your float coat

 

[deanfrench]

Stevethespreader,

thanks that''s brilliantly clear you make it sound so easy.

Another question thats puzzling me. The local builders merchant couldn't answer. I notice on the pvc angle bead they quote a thickness such as 6-8mm (there are other sizes as well), which relates to the thickness of the coat being applied. However, the metal angle beads seem to be two types one for thin coat and the other which does not seem to be sized. How does the metal bead enable one to choose how deep you want the finsih coat to be?

cheers

Dean

PS I realise there are lots of questions so i trust you will let me know if you're too busy to answer

 

[stevethespreader]

PS I realise there are lots of questions so i trust you will let me know if you're too busy to answer

im not that busy im stuck at home with tennis elbow unable to work and look forward to answering plastering posts as my mind is never far away from plastering, dean if your floating forget about the thin coat bead just get the render beads, your finish coat will be about 2-3 mil this will go on your float coat, room can be made for this by slightly scraping back along the bead by 2 mm or so, so that the skim sits flush with the bead

 

[deanfrench]

Steve thanks for the last instalment of info as usual its very helpful. A bit of a b...ger being off work hope you get sorted with the tennis elbow soon. Its good to know there is some expertise out there who is willing to help with practical tips. cheers for now

 

[NickB_99]

im not that busy im stuck at home with tennis elbow unable to work and look forward to answering plastering posts as my mind is never far away from plastering

Full marks for dedication Steve!
Hope the elbow recovers soon.

 

[stevethespreader]

Hope the elbow recovers soon.

thanks newb but theres no chance of it getting better any time soon looks like its going to be a long recovery, i was offered the injection the other week which i dismissed but im now giving it some thought

 

[deanfrench]

I wonder if there's some more help out there please. Also to Steve, i hope the elbow gets some progress in the near term.

I have tested a small piece of non porous brick which has a coat of paint on it which is pretty sound surface i.e. not flaking. I used some Cementone SBR and then applied the cement render coat. This morning less than 24 hours later the render seems to have stuck to the wall, far as i can make out i.e. there is no hollow sounds when tapped. Should i regard this as successful and continue the rest of the rendering?

The reason i'm a bit uncertain is that i rang the Bostik helpline and the tech guy said that it was not possible to use SBR on non porous and especially painted walls i.e. basically i couldn't render it even if i took the paint off. Can anyone offer thoughts on this one please?

thanks

Dean

 

[joe-90]

im not that busy im stuck at home with tennis elbow unable to work

Have you considered going to the gym? I've had aches and pains in the past but since going to the gym regularly they've all gone away. The theory is that if you strengthen the muscles surrounding the dodgy joint, they'll take the strain and stop the joint from sliding around and getting inflamed.

 

[stevethespreader]

I wonder if there's some more help out there please. Also to Steve, i hope the elbow gets some progress in the near term.

thanks , ideally it would be best to remove as much of the paint as you can i would use the sbr in a bonding slurry coat with cement,

 

[deanfrench]

Hi Steve,

thanks for the input. What do you think about the comment from Bostik not to render non porous brick? Have you had any experience of doing this? Another quickie, is there anything clever i can do to determine if the coat has stuck - if there's no hollow sound does that indicate that it is successful?

I appreciate your help

cheers

Dean

 

[joe-90]

Manufacturers usually cover themselves by telling you not to do something. You usually can do - but they don't want the legal hassle of it going awry.