Rendering or roughcasting/pebbledashing

Merch

Pebble dashing and rendering,
DIY possible?
What are the different coats called and whats in them? sand, cement? is soft sand ok if sand is a component?
is the material used to make each coat the same?

Spread

If you're handy and you don't overstretch yourself, then rendering can be OK. If you are roughcasting/wet dashing, you apply a scratch coat but keep it pretty even. Then when it's dry (not just hard) you can cast the well mixed dash. Not beyond the scope of a good handyman. Dry/pebble dashing? Don't try it. A lot of plasterers are not the best at it so an amateur would make a complete dog's b******s of it.
Background scratch 3:1 with plenty of water-proofer or soak the scratch before applying the Butter Coat of 4:1. You cast the stones immediately. You've got to move fast. A two man job at least.

Merch

whats the mix for rendering?
Is it possible to use soft sand (for mortar) instead of plastering sand? (sharp sand??) I have a bit of soft sand left,

what do you mean by background scratch?

For rendering I was told to scud by flicking on a mix for holding the next layer (scratch coat?) to scratch it, then apply a final coat smooth wet coat,
but I thought I'd check here for some details as I am unsure of the mix components and ratios

Al Capwned

i'd agree with spread - you might get away with bringing small areas to a float/napped finish but any form of dashing is not for the DIY-er....
And, I have seen some relatively simple DIY plastering jobs that look like they have been finished with the back of a shovel.
Unlike bad, uneven blockwork for example, bad plastering is not something that can easily be rectified/covered and it may end up costing you more in the long run if you are not 100% sure of your capabilities to bring the job to an acceptable finish.

For Rendering:-
Scudding coat 2:1 sand:cement
Scratch coat 3/4:1 sand cement
Finish coat 10:2:1 sand:cement:lime (5:1 sand:cement)

Ensure each coat is not as strong as the previous coat.

I'd never use anything other than plastering sand.

Good luck!!!

Merch

thanks for the info, its for a shed, so I might try to render the more inaccessible/side areas that a plasterer might not want to do or that would prolong the job/increase cost.
I think I will price someone to do the pebbledashing/rough casting on the front face of the shed (opposite the kitchen)
(actually after googling this, I'm not really sure if the name is meant to be pebbledashing or actually rough casting anymore, as it mostly seems to be called roughcastring, I'd always called that finish pebbledashing )

Any ideas on what it might cost per square metre? for render or pebbledashing

cheers

Al Capwned

what part of the country are you in?

Merch

Dublin

1chippy

definately wouldnt let any di y er plaster. if its an ordinary sized shed most plasters will scratch in a day and wet dash on another one. so two days labour.

paddy147

this isnt a job for your average diyer and for a shed,this is a job for a professional/competant plasterer,as theres alot to do and also of skill involved too.Angle beads,then reveals for doors and windows too.Alot of time and skill needed to do it right and get it looking right too.

Trust me on this.

Merch

Any idea how much that would be?

paddy147

Merch wrote: »

Any idea how much that would be?

Depends on garage/shed size,whether you want coloured or plain render/dashing and exactly what you want it to look like (smooth render finish or rough dash finish).

brendankelly

The price for plastering varies a lot on the standard of work you want and the cost has if anything increased because now people are insisting on proper jobs been done. For example the top lime plasterers are getting 120euros a meter and are all booked out. The Ryanair one coat cowboys are mostly gone home or out of business. It is only a shed but it is a shed you will have to look at for the rest of your life so I suggest you get a reputable plasterer to do the job.

Merch

I'm looking for an approximate figure per sq metre

for a rendered finish and a pebble dashed finish.

Al Capwned

You could pay anything from 5 or 6 euro a meter to 15/16 euro a meter, depending on individual circumstances.

Practically impossible to put a price on a job without viewing it - depends on reveals, bands, plinths, quoins, blockwork, access, site conditions etc. etc. etc...

Let me know if you want a price - I am an experienced plasterer based in County Kildare.

brendankelly

Jesus??? There must be a famine in Kildare LoL

Merch

Ok, thanks
The blockwork is just completed, i have a bit of tidying up to do now thats done as the garden is small, stuff was stored near the front of the blockwork as that area wasnt needed, now need to move stuff (where possible) around so can make the front of the blocks as accessible as possible.

Al Capwned

?

brendankelly

To get a reasonable job done you are looking at about 40 Euros a meter.

Al Capwned

brendankelly wrote: »

To get a reasonable job done you are looking at about 40 Euros a meter.

Sorry Brendan but that is just totally wrong. Completely wrong.

One example - I dashed 1700 square meters of a new stables in 2008 for €14/sq m, which included two scratch coats as per engineers spec. Granted - no windows or reveals - we were working between stopbeads and expansion joints, but €14/m2 let me pay myself, two other plasterers and a labourer for the duration of the job, so €40/m2 is totally over the top. Totally.

If you can get plastering for 40/m, take it and i'll do the work for you for twenty - LOL. No way on earth €40/m2 - Not a hope.....

brendankelly

Time will tell alproctor
3 plasterers to one labourer for dashing would not be my cup of tea but if you have a 4 man crew you have a 4 man crew.
As for working for me?. A few more posts will tell us how experienced you really are.

Al Capwned

brendankelly wrote: »

Time will tell alproctor
3 plasterers to one labourer for dashing would not be my cup of tea but if you have a 4 man crew you have a 4 man crew.
As for working for me?. A few more posts will tell us how experienced you really are.

Cup of tea or not, your rates of 40/m2 are complete bull. My crew is dictated by the job. That particular job called for a 3+1 because main contractor support services allowed for it, not that i should have to explain myself to you - and the number of posts received will not tell anyone how experienced I am - the quality of my work will. End of story.

brendankelly

I would never ask one man to attend 3 plasterers regardless of who allowed for it and no one that I know that served their time would either. Each post is telling me just how experienced you are.

Merch

My job is just for a shed so, I'll measure up my sq metres.
No quoins (if that is a stone corner?) just reveals around windows (2) and a door,

guil

brendankelly wrote: »

I would never ask one man to attend 3 plasterers regardless of who allowed for it and no one that I know that served their time would either. Each post is telling me just how experienced you are.

when i was doing my apprenticeship i was often labouring for 3 plasterers

€40 per sq metre, what year are you living in?

brendankelly

guil wrote: »

when i was doing my apprenticeship i was often labouring for 3 plasterers

€40 per sq metre, what year are you living in?

What were you ??. An apprentice, A labourer, or an Apprentice labourer.
What are you working at now btw

paddy147

brendankelly wrote: »

What were you ??. An apprentice, A labourer, or an Apprentice labourer.
What are you working at now btw

Brendan,what has it got to do with you,what the chap is working at now???

What has it got to do with this thread even?????

Its none of your business and nothing to do with this thread,so stop stirring.

brendankelly

Paddy. I am willing to bet 100 euros with you that this chap is not now earning a living plastering. Are you willing to accept this bet????.

paddy147

brendankelly wrote: »

Paddy. I am willing to bet 100 euros with you that this chap is not now earning a living plastering. Are you willing to accept this bet????.

WTF has any of this got to do with this thread????

All you are intent on doing is stirring and nothing more.

Cop on Brendan,seriously,cop on.

brendankelly

Paddy
The Op asked for a sq meter price to get his shed plastered. Alproctor came in and said the price was between 5 and 16 E a sq meter which is ridiculously low and his pal is in supporting him. I intend to show that these people are cowboys that are not even able to price a job let alone do it properly. People come on these forums for proper advice and I feel obliged to correct false or misleading statements when they appear. To scud, scratch twice and pebble dash can be done for 5 euros a meter and you attack me. ???????????

paddy147

brendankelly wrote: »

Paddy
The Op asked for a sq meter price to get his shed plastered. Alproctor came in and said the price was between 5 and 16 E a sq meter which is ridiculously low and his pal is in supporting him. I intend to show that these people are cowboys that are not even able to price a job let alone do it properly. People come on these forums for proper advice and I feel obliged to correct false or misleading statements when they appear. To scud, scratch twice and pebble dash can be done for 5 euros a meter and you attack me. ???????????

No-one is attacking you Brendan,I replied to you,as you are the one who is trying to stir (going off topic with an agenda) and are now mocking others.(purposely now too)

Now you are calling other members cowboys.

I dont see the need for this sort of carry on here.

Im bowing out of this now.

Al Capwned

paddy147 wrote: »

No-one is attacking you Brendan,I replied to you,as you are the one who is trying to stir (going off topic with an agenda) and are now mocking others.(purposely now too)

Now you are calling other members cowboys.

I dont see the need for this sort of carry on here.

Im bowing out of this now.

I'm joining you......

Merch - good luck with job. Read entire thread, I believe you can tell good advice from bad. Hope all works out well for ya!

brendankelly

63 sq meters @5 euros is 320 before tax.
65 meters @ 15 E uros is 975 before tax which is about 650 after tax

Your job cannot be done for this price. The very fastest it could be done in is 4 days and for pebble dash to be done evenly the wall has to be wetted down regularly and it will take 2 plasterers and 2 labourers to ensure a continuous supply of material. In good conditions a good crew should dash it in one day. Before that it has to be scratched twice, scudded, reveals made up and fitted, nibbed and filled out, plinth lats put on and plinths floated, Do the maths.

delly

brendankelly, regrettably your time in the DIY forum has come to an end. When you first gravitated from the C+P fourm having being banned, I gave you a warning from the start that you would be watched. You have already served your first temp ban and this is now your permanent one. On this particular thread you have insulted other members, gone off topic and generally stirred it up. Enough!

guil

to please brendan, i'm not plastering anymore

i haven't worked as a plasterer since early 08 and started in 00 and i do the odd nixer here and there

i'm a truck driver now and have being since mid 08, i dont see what any of this has to do with the ridiculous prices quoted, in 07 i think the lad i was working for was getting 30 per sq m for dry dashing

Al Capwned

guil wrote: »

in 07 i think the lad i was working for was getting 30 per sq m for dry dashing

Wow - most i charged for dry dashing was €17/sq m during the height of the boom...

guil

alproctor wrote: »

Wow - most i charged for dry dashing was €17/sq m during the height of the boom...

i could be way off but he told me if i was doing any nixers with just a sponge finish to charge €22/sq m
i presume he was charging a good bit more for dry dash

potsy11

I just had my back wall rendered with Plastering sand and cement.

It is 25sq mt and I had 4 plasterers give me quotes. Ranged from 250e (with me buying material) to 650e all in.

I went with a guy who really impressed me. His fee was 370e and i supplied all materials.

The wall is solid and hollow block...Dont ask!

Scud coat was 2:1, scratch coat was 4-1 and top coat was 5-1. I considered doing this myself but delighted i got this guy to do it. Top job and done in 2 working days. Monday to scub and scratch and then back Friday for top coat. He needed a labourer with him the second day and i now know why. Watched from my office and both men fully at it from 9-4.

Only suprise was when he told me to wait about 1 year to paint it.....Was hoping to do it this weekend.

Highly recomend not doing a DIY job.

In Dublin myself so if you want my guys details PM me.

Potsy

Merch

Would adding PVA to scud coat help adhesion?

Merch

Hi all, if anyone around

Anyone have an idea of the mix ratio for window and door reveals??
I'm just gonna start putting up the woodwork and some galvanised beading (corner and bottom)
This is the DIY forum

Dupont

potsy11 wrote: »

I just had my back wall rendered with Plastering sand and cement.

It is 25sq mt and I had 4 plasterers give me quotes. Ranged from 250e (with me buying material) to 650e all in.

I went with a guy who really impressed me. His fee was 370e and i supplied all materials.

The wall is solid and hollow block...Dont ask!

Scud coat was 2:1, scratch coat was 4-1 and top coat was 5-1. I considered doing this myself but delighted i got this guy to do it. Top job and done in 2 working days. Monday to scub and scratch and then back Friday for top coat. He needed a labourer with him the second day and i now know why. Watched from my office and both men fully at it from 9-4.

Only suprise was when he told me to wait about 1 year to paint it.....Was hoping to do it this weekend.

Highly recomend not doing a DIY job.

In Dublin myself so if you want my guys details PM me.

Potsy

you would have been just aswell not scuding it,he only wasted time and money.you want to let the scud coat set,usually two days at least

CBYR1983

Need to get a gable wall re-rendered.

I lifted some pebble bdash off it today. Appears to be one/two coats grey/brown that is coming away.

Below that is a very strong coat of what looks like concrete - is this the skud coat. Now way that's coming off.

Have cleared half of the wall. Some of it still holding well.

Any ideas what I'm looking at. Average size gable wall, three bed semi.

PM sent to Potsy.

CBYR1983

Quoted €30 per sq m to strip and re-dash, including all materials and removal of waste.

Am I being overcharged?