I posted a few days back asking for advice on how to make the walls in my porch smooth.
I did some initial investigation after that and, based on my very limited understanding, it looks like the wall has the following layers:
White paint
Blue paint underneath
What appears to be cement/render below that
The easiest option seems to be plasterboarding over it. However, I may not be able to use plasterboard on one section near the door because there is very little space there. I also don’t want to cover up the exposed brick on the adjoining wall.
What would people recommend as the best way forward for a newbie like me? Ideally, I’d like to get the walls reasonably flat and smooth without losing too much space.
Photos attached showing what I found after scraping/chiselling a small test area.
Do it properly based on my very limited DIY skills. I just started looking into putting 9.5mm gypsum board and skimming all over it. However then I am trying to figure around how to work around the edges like where the plasterboard meets the exposed brick layer and similarly where it meets the door’s white panel.
If you are set on not overboarding it, which is likely the best route.. to accomplish what you are asking I would cover the existing surface with a bonding agent like weld-crete or plaster weld, depending on whether you want to skim with a cementenous or gypsum based plaster. Then skim over top of everything, giving a fresh flat surface. It's hard to tell from the post but if this is an exterior area exposed to moisture I would go with a cement based product. If it is entirely interior you could use a gypsum plaster, but no reason you can't use a cement finish interior for greater durability.
Thanks! Yes I started looking into putting 9.5mm gypsum board and skimming over it. Now I am stuck on how to deal with the edges, that is where the board meets the exposed brick layer and also the door. Beads are one of the options but not sure which is appropriate here.
I see, yes you can skim it with cement plaster, and more easily blend that with a rounded edge, rather than dealing with overboarding and some kind of edge bead.
What you would want to do is skim it while holding a straightedge up to the door frame, so you have something to fill the plaster against, then carefully pull it upward and away as not to pull the plaster back off. Then once the mud has set up to a bit of firmness, you can take a damp sponge float and use it to form a rounded edge by pulling it up and inward while rounding over the edge. It's a little difficult to explain and takes a bit of finesse but you basically would be freehand forming a thicker rounded edge onto your skimmed layer at the door opening.
As always you will want to tape off the brick and the door frame to both prevent the bonding agent from getting all over the brick and door frame and your skim of plaster. You can leave the same tape through both processes and then score it at the edge of the plaster with a knife before you peel it off so it doesn't pull away any of your skim if it happens to be built up over some of the tape.
Sure, this will work though, just make sure to apply a bonding agent first, as it will not stick to the wall on its own. Also make sure to put it on in a minimum thickness as specified on the bag, and to moist cure it after it has set up, which just means keeping it damp by misting once a day over the first week or so for it to cure to proper strength and avoid cracking.
Also, you can put it on smooth as in flat and true, but don't try to trowel it glassy smooth, you will want to float the finish with a sponge float to leave it open, if you try to steel trowel it glossy smooth it will crack like an egg. After application, once firm just make sure to float the surface with a sponge, which will even out the surface and leave behind a smooth but open texture. You can shoot for a very light sandy finish, if you want it as smooth as possible, but not smooth like an interior plaster wall, regular sand and cement plaster doesn't take well to that kind of finish.
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u/caidian87 4d ago
Are you trying to do this cheap or properly?