How to Lay Plaster

Seal up cracks and cover plasterboard joints and drywall screw heads with plastering tape. If not covered at the beginning, these imperfections will appear through the smooth layer of plaster and interfere with any further applications of wallpaper or paint.

Mix your plaster, either board finish or multi-finish, in a bucket with water and dump it onto your spot board, which may rest on the ground at the base of the wall or on top a plasterer's stand.

Wash the bucket for the next mix of plaster for the second layer. The two layers of plaster should ideally be different mixes.

Load an ample portion of plaster mix onto the plasterer's trowel and spread the mix onto the wall, dividing the wall into three horizontal sections. Divide each third of the wall into three rows and apply plaster beginning with the the topmost section of the left third of the wall. Move on to the middle row of the left third, then the bottom row, and then on to the top row of the middle section of wall, etc. Working in this order helps the plasterer to control the job by knowing which sections will dry the fastest.

Smooth the plaster while applying it, making sure to hold the trowel at an angle from the wall, with the end about 3 millimeters from the wall. If the trowel scrapes against the wall while applying plaster, you are applying too much pressure to the trowel, but maintain enough pressure to flatten out the mix. Always keep the trowel loaded with plaster when going over an area of uncovered wall.

Keep working, never pausing, as the plaster mixture is only useable for 15 minutes after you mix it.

Go over the wall with the empty trowel only once after plastering if any inconsistencies need smoothing. Wait for 24 hours for the plaster to dry.

Sand the first layer of plaster with 100-grit sandpaper to remove small imperfections.

Mix another bucket of plaster with clean water.

Apply this second coat of plaster in the same manner and order as the first coat. After application, go over and smooth out the plaster with a clean trowel gently.