Sunshine Coast Plastering Residential

Plastering Work

Plastering For Your Home

Plasterboard is one of the most widely used building materials, and you may also hear it called Gyprock, drywall or wallboard. It turns up in almost every home, yet it is easy to overlook just how many different forms and jobs it can handle. A standard sheet is around 2.4 metres long, 1.2 metres wide and 13mm thick, and these days it lines both interior walls and ceilings in homes and commercial buildings alike. Whether it is part of a fresh build, an insurance repair or a full renovation, getting the plasterboard right sets up everything that follows. Because plasterboard is so central to how a room looks and feels, it really pays to have it hung, set and finished by someone who works with it every day and knows how each type behaves.

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Modern Or Minimalist

Or Statement And Heritage

Which appeals to you?

We really enjoy restoration and decorative plastering, because a flawless decorative finish takes a genuine level of skill. So whether you are after a clean square set cornice, or a feature ceiling with elegant shadowlines, we are a good fit for the job. A skilled plasterer can bring a broad wall or ceiling to a smooth, even surface, so it looks seamless once the painter is done. If your home leans period rather than modern, this pairs naturally with our decorative cornice and ceiling rose work.

What type of plaster should be used?

Standard Gyprock has good fire, thermal and acoustic properties for everyday rooms, while waterproof or wet area board is the right choice for kitchens, bathrooms and laundries where moisture is part of daily life. Matching the board to the room is a small decision at the start, but it makes a real difference to how well the finish holds up over the years.

Choosing the right board up front saves headaches later, and it is a quick thing to check before the sheets ever go up.

There are also acoustic plasterboards that help hold sound inside a home theatre or studio, along with fire rated boards for areas that need extra protection. We are happy to help you work out which type of board suits a new build or a renovated home, room by room. Getting these choices right early keeps the whole job running smoothly, from the framing stage right through to the final coat and the paint.

If you are not sure what you need, we are happy to talk it through and point you towards the right board for each room in the home.

The Steps In Plastering Your Home

A Question We Are Often Asked About The Plastering Process

Preparation: before you start, lay down a dust sheet to protect the floor and catch any drips. Make sure the wall is clean and free of dust, which matters most on an older, worn wall. Tape over any holes or cracks, and if you are plastering over fresh plasterboard, run jointing tape over the gaps between the sheets so they do not show through later.
Apply PVA to the walls: PVA is a latex based sealer, a little like the glue that closes the pores of plasterboard, and it helps the plaster dry at an even rate. Dilute it at roughly one part PVA to four parts water, then brush or roll it across the whole surface and check that nothing is missed. Once the wall is coated, you are ready for the first coat of plaster.
Mixing the plaster: read the manufacturer instructions for the plaster you are using and mix to suit. Wear a dust mask when you open the bags. Add the plaster to a bucket of cold, clean water and whisk until it reaches the consistency of thick custard with no lumps, always adding the plaster to the water rather than the other way around, and mixing only as much as you can use before it starts to go off.
Applying the first coat: with the wall prepared and the mix ready, load the hawk and use the trowel to push plaster onto the wall. Work from the bottom left corner upwards, filling one section from bottom to top before you move on. Use small amounts at a time with firm, even pressure to keep the surface flat and to stop plaster dropping off the wall, then carry on until the whole area is covered.
Flattening and smoothing: once the first coat is on, give it around twenty minutes, then go back over the wall with the trowel to knock off any bumps and lumps. Pay close attention to the corners and to the top and bottom of the wall, as these are the trickiest areas to get right, and use the corner trowel and the right float to keep every edge clean and square.
Scraping, optional: many plasterers lightly scrape the first coat before the second so it keys in properly, using a devilling float or a scraper made for the job. If you would rather skip this step, just make sure the first coat is still slightly damp when the second coat goes on so the two bond together.
Second coat: apply the second and final coat a little thinner than the first, so add a touch more water to the mix. Aim for a thin, even layer of only a couple of millimetres across the whole wall, working in the same steady way as before, and let it firm up slightly before you move on to the finishing.
Finishing: as the plaster firms up, polish the surface. A light mist of water helps here, especially around the edges, then smooth inwards with the trowel. Run a clean, dry trowel over the whole wall to lift out any hollows or ridges, and once it is completely dry, a light sand takes off any last high spots and leaves it ready for decorating.
Painting or wallpapering: the wall is now ready to paint or paper. Prime the fresh surface first, then paint it in your chosen colour, or seal it before hanging wallpaper. Two coats of primer or sealer give the best surface to work onto and help the finish last.