FAQ

Firstly, remove as much furniture as is possible. Next, cover your carpets, ensure that there is fresh cold water and electricity source available readily. Lastly, take care that entry and exit access is available all the time and is bright and whatever remains is covered. 

Plastering usually fails due to seepage of moisture in the walls and ceilings. This causes the finish coat to peel off, and the plastering fails. This usually happens due to improper plumbing, leaking roofs, etc. 

Depends on the coats you have applied. A skim coat takes minimum a week and backing coat longer, i.e. until the dark brown becomes powdery pink. Also, apply the first coat of your paint a bit watery, i.e. 40% water and 60% paint. This allows for the paint to reach into the plaster. Otherwise, the paint may flake off. 

It is a personal choice. But it is recommended. You can use the ‘sealer’ paint above your plastering. 

You can go for either of them, but replaster usually is noticeable so, going for plastering the whole ceiling is usually the better option. 

No plastering cannot be done over wallpaper but Gyprock can. Because plaster is water-based and it will make the paper wet, and the paper and the plaster will eventually fall from the wall, but Gyprock is nailed instead of being a water-based application. 

No, it is recommended that you don’t. Distemper paint is also water-based. Thus it may lead to paint peeling off from the walls and ceilings after the plaster is applied to it. Thus, Gyprock is used. It can be easily painted and is easy to put up. 

Distemper is a water-based paint, made by mixing glue and powdered chalk. So, to check, simply rub your fingers against it and if you have a chalky substance on your fingers, then you have a distemper paint. 

There are many types of plaster. A few major ones are Skim coat, Bonding Coat, and Hardwall Coat. Skim Coat is used to plaster on plasterboard or already plastered walls during replastering. Bonding coat is done for smoothening rough surfaces, or for filling large holes, etc. Lastly, hardwall coat is done on brick walls and the type. 

Cracks are commonplace, and when you plaster over a crack, a fibre tape is used to cover it although there is no stopping them from coming back. 

Gyprock or Plasterboard or Drywall is gypsum plaster layer that is applied between two sheets of specialised paper and dried. These boards after drying are ready for painting or further plastering on them, and they do not create the mess a plaster would, though it is the same thing. Also, they come in variations of soundproofing, thermal insulation, etc. 

There are three levels of finish. They are Level 3, 4, and 5. 

Level 3 finish is required where there is no need for decoration. 

Level 4 is the default level. If not specified, this is the level of finish applied. It is used for residential or commercial places where flat or low sheen paints are to be used.  

Level 5 finish is high-end and is required where there is critical lighting on ordinary paints or where gloss or semi-gloss paints are used. 

In back-blocking, we support the wall-ceiling joint. We cut pieces of plasterboard that fit just right and stick to the back of walls and ceilings joints. This is necessary not to void the manufacturer warranty and also give protection, especially to large ceilings. 

Gyprock can be installed on anything from walls, ceilings, bulkheads to ducting arrangements. For wall partitions, it can be attached to either steel studs, timber studs, or masonry. For ceilings, there are two options, either attach it to the ceiling by first making a metal furring channel or directly to the joists.  

There are three ways you can use to install Gyprock. First, screw fix only, second, nail fix, and last, either screw or nail fix along with adhesive. The last method is the preferred one, and the second method of nail fix can be used only for level 3 finishes. 

Gyprock can be painted with any type of paint if installed correctly. Every type of paint can be used on its surface like oil-based paints, enamels, stipples, wallpapers, etc. It is ultimately a personal choice, although we recommend matt colours because glossy paints and glancing lights highlight uneven parts. 

Some of the things to take care of are that joint treatment should be dry before you apply sealer and that sealer is applied on both jointed and unjointed areas. Also, try to use rollers for painting as it results in an even and smooth application, and prevents lifting of paint. Also, try to use water-based sealers and sand between the coats if required. 

Glancing light is lit along the face of the wall; thus, it highlights the slight unevenness in the wall finish. Because a shadow is created on the opposite side of the raised areas, these uneven areas may arise due to gyprock patches and joints. 

Some aspects, like lighting. You can switch to more natural lighting—a better level of finish. Or the texture and porosity of the wall can be modified. Also, paint effects like gloss, sheen, or matt can be played with to reduce these effects. 

Two types of joints are formed during the fixing process. First, Butt joint, it is formed along the width of the gyprock sheet. And recessed edge joints, which are formed along the length of the gyprock sheet. 

One of the recommended processes is to apply a paper tape followed by three coats of compound. Two are bedding coats or say base coats, and the last one is the finishing coat. 

Gyprocks expand and contract due to change in temperature or humidity levels. Also, other structural movement causes stress and lead to cracking. Thus control joints are placed, and these try to mitigate stress and give longevity to the sheet. 

Control joints should be placed every 12 meters. These should be placed whenever substrate changes or there are ample light fixing, heating vents, intersecting doorways, and air diffusers. 

Sound waves travel through a medium, like walls, ceilings, doors, or holes in them. So, proper sealing of these can drastically reduce the movement of sound from the room, and soundproofing gyprocks do just that. Soundproofing gyprocks are high-density gypsum sheets that can obstruct even low-frequency sounds. They do a great job at blocking high-frequency sounds as well. 

After Gyprock, ensure applying a sealant to avoid gaps that help sound leak. Try to use doorways instead of a door right away. Also, you can use solid core doors. Sound travels through doors, floors, and ceilings. So, insulation by leaving space between studs can also dynamically pull-down sound transmission levels. You can further use double studs too. 

Render is a cement-based. The products used in making render are hydrated lime, clean sand, water, and most importantly, cement. It can be applied directly onto bricks, concrete blocks, or stone. It is done in various thin layers applied above each other. And it can be done in various colours and textures too. Usually, subtle tones are used in render. 

There is a minimum of two and a maximum of three coats- two base coats and one finish coat. The two-coat system is for direct application over masonry, and the three coat system works for lath. The names of the various coats are scratch coat, brown coat, and finish coat.  

Scratch coat is the first base coat and is named so for a reason. It is named scratch coat because it is scratched and these scratches help in holding the next coat. It not only gives a ‘key’ but also holds moisture for the next layer that is the brown layer. This moisture helps cure this next layer. 

The brown coat is the second coat and is applied over the scratch coat which has scratches on it to hold it. Unlike the scratch coat, this coat is even. The more even this coat is, the better finish can be attained by the final coat that is for the final finishing. 

The finish coat is the final coat and follows the brown coat. This coat is the thinnest of all coats, and it’s objective is to give a decorative finish. This coat needs to be sturdy so that it can protect from possible damage and wear and tear.  

No, it is not advised to do so. Because a painted brick will not absorb water much and thus Render will not bond to it uniformly. But there are ways from which you can accomplish this task indirectly. 

Yes, it does. Render, as you know, is a cement-based product and thus it requires curing. Curing means maintaining a healthy temperature and moisture level for the application for some time. 

Render is a very sturdy and low maintenance product. Although, there is no set life expectancy a nicely maintained and applied Render lasts for about 50 to 80 years. Also, it does not require much maintenance and is very resilient to abrasion. 

A cornice is installed at the meeting edge of the ceiling and wall. It hides any cracks that can be on edge as well as hides the joint of the ceiling and wall so that no finishing is required. Lastly, it is beautiful and gives a great look.  

Cornices are made from Plasterglass. This is a fire-resistant material as Gypsum in it is non-combustible. Plasterglass consists of layers of fibreglass sandwiched in layers of pure gypsum plaster. 

Spread cornice cement along the length of the back of cornice. Now paste this cornice on edge and let the extra cement ooze out. Now nail it lightly in the place. Clean the excess cement from a small broad knife or any other tool. Next, wipe from a clean brush the top and bottom part of cornice and also the oozing cement. After that, remove the nails and fill the holes with cornice cement and lastly wipe off the cornice with a paintbrush or sponge. 

Shepparton Plastering is an old and trustworthy service providing entity of Shepparton’s plastering industry. Our many happy customers are testimony to our attention to detail and quality service. We assure you there will be no nasty surprises at the end of the service. And your experience with us will be a very smooth one.