Projects

Skimming of two log burner surrounds for a new customer near Fordyce, Aberdeenshire. (November 2024)

It is the season of log burner installation it would seem as there have been numerous enquiries over the last month or so for skimming log burner surrounds.

It's vitally important to protect the log burner/ hearth during plastering works especially given the price of log burners at the moment!
Before skimming, the fire resistant boards that have been installed are checked for levelness between one another as they need to be millimetre perfect so that the metal stop beads meet perfectly.
All of the joins in the board are checked, with scrim tape covering them to help reduce the risk of hairline cracks.

Both log burner surrounds in this case were skimmed at the same time as they were in adjacent rooms. The plaster is then feathered out as neat as possible into the surrounding existing wall which should mean no sanding is required ahead of painting. 

The inside faces of the recess the log burner sits in are already finished with fire resistant board. Specialist plaster would be required in these areas if they were required to be skimmed as normal plaster will crack due to the heat.

Now over to the customer to put the finishing touches to their beautiful new log burners by painting the walls!

Several more plastering enquiries for log burners are booked in for before Christmas along with a range of other internal plastering jobs along the Moray Coast so it's going to be a busy one in the lead up to the festive period. 

Overskim of a large conservatory ceiling for another new customer in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire.
(October 2024)

This job came in as a result of being recommended by a previous customer which is always nice!
The scope of the work was to overskim the ceiling that has been previously wallpapered, along with skimming the small sections of wall above the windows. This was made trickier due to the PVC finishing strips above the windows along with the plasterboard not being uniform the whole way along.

The ceiling along with the perimeter of wall was all skimmed in one go and very carefully feathered out to the PVC edge/wall giving a much nicer finished edge than the crumbly one that was there previously. The final photo shows the ceiling starting to dry out, always a bit of an eyesore until the whole ceiling is completely dry! 

Really pleased with how this one turned out and the customer is delighted to have their beautiful conservatory back in use.
The majority of plastering jobs in the last two months have been a bit of a coastal tour, with artex ceilings skimmed in Findochty, ceilings overboarded and plastered in Buckie, walls skimmed in Lossiemouth and multiple rooms plastered in Banff/Portsoy and Cullen!

Small skimming job for a new customer in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire. (September 2024)

This month brought numerous small jobs mostly, along with some relatively standard bigger jobs such as skimming rooms.

There were two elements to this job. Firstly, sort out the flaky ceiling that was suffering from the paper tape joins being split (another reason to skim instead of just tape and joint!) and secondly, improve the appearance of the external edges of two corners of wall which had been finished with wooden strips rather than plasterboard and metal beading.

As per usual the ceiling required at least another 50-100 drywall screws put through it as the ceiling had a fair amount of movement in it and the original nails had popped through in multiple places. Where wood is present, ideally this would either be removed or plasterboarded over as plaster doesn't adhere well to wood long term, especially smooth wood. That being said there are ways round it so it can be skimmed over (trade secret).

The ceiling had the old paper tape removed and replaced with proper scrim tape and was then skimmed along with the two external corners that had new metal beading secured to them. Finally, where the newly skimmed ceiling met the walls, this had a flexible filler applied around the perimeter to help ensure any movement would not cause any cracks between the ceiling line and the walls.

Plastering job done and a happy customer in Portsoy!

Plastering job for a new customer near Aberchirder, Aberdeenshire. (August 2024)

Another plastering job for a new, local customer. This one required a little bit of everything; a lintel needed boxed in, old lath and plaster needed repaired, blown sections of wall removed, areas needed bonded, reinforced fibreglass mesh in several areas and finally some skimming to get it all looking as good as new.

See photo 4 & 5 for the transformation of the crumbling window reveals! As always sockets were removed to ensure the best finish possible in these detailed areas. The radiator was unable to be removed this time due to some rather odd plumbing but I was able to neatly feather out the plaster in this area which means once it's painted the join between old and new will not be seen.  In the final photo you can see the walls at various stages of drying (the area around the log burner is  fire resistant board hence the differing drying rate).

Great to see this room overhauled and now it is over to the customer to get their new carpets fitted to finish it all off.

Overall a busy August and it's looking the same for September with a range of plastering jobs in Findochty, Banff, Huntly, Elgin and Lossiemouth booked in! Get in touch for a quote for any internal plastering work and I'll be happy to help.  

Skimming job for a new customer in Cornhill, Aberdeenshire. (July 2024)

It was a very busy July fully booked with a variety of jobs in both older properties and new builds. This job was near to home, only 7 minutes away which for this part of the country is next door!
It involved plastering the ceiling and walls of a newly installed kitchen (in an ideal world plastering would come first!) along with a hall/boiler room.

All of the boarding of the rooms was done by a local joiner who had done an excellent job with no unsightly gaps or differing levels of board, making my life easier.
The stages involved were the following:
1) Protecting all of the new kitchen (essential given it had only just been installed!)
2) Scrim taping/angle beads on external corners (it's vital to get the angle beads meeting perfectly as shown in the photos to ensure crisp external corners)
3) Removal of all sockets/ switches (I always endeavour to remove and isolate all sockets where possible as a better finish will be achieved by having a blank canvas to work with rather than awkward spaces near sockets).
4) Skimming of ceilings/top of window reveals followed by all walls
5) Reinstatement of sockets/switches
6) Tidy up! Plastering is a messy trade by nature but I always make sure to leave your home clean with plaster on the ceilings and walls, not over your windows or floors!

All completed during a rare week of high temperatures and sun, making it a proper workout of a job but all done to a high standard with another happy customer who I will hopefully be doing more work for in the future as they progress with their renovations. It's looking like a busy August ahead! 

An extensive job for a new customer in Forres, Moray. (June 2024)

Slightly further afield than usual, this plastering job through in Forres required a complete overhaul of the walls in the kitchen prior to the installation of a new one. The walls were in very poor condition, further worsened by the unavoidable damage caused by removing tiles!

The following stages were undertaken to get this job to completion.
1) Isolation of sockets prior to plasterboard removal. All sockets were removed, with electrical connectors fitted to the ends so power could remain on for the majority of the time for the customer. 
2) All weakened areas/heavily damaged areas of plasterboard removed.
3) New plasterboard fitted to the removed areas, taking careful note of the exact position of all of the sockets, essential for refitting afterwards. 
3) PVA and bonding of large sections of wall where the surface was too rough for skimming/undulations were too pronounced for a thin skim layer.
4) Wall adjacent to boiler was overboarded with 9mm plasterboard as the current surface was plywood, therefore unsuitable for skimming.
5) With the bonding coat sufficiently dry, all walls were then skimmed to a nice smooth finish.
6) Finally sockets were then refitted with a few of the drylining back boxes replaced due to their condition. 

Much of the walls will be covered either by kitchen units or splashback but it's always good to get the walls improved as much as possible regardless. It was a very satisfying plastering job for this customer in Forres, completely transforming the room ahead of the new kitchen install. All completed within a few days with as minimal disruption as possible for the customer.
We're currently getting an increased amount of plastering enquires from a wider area across Moray and Aberdeenshire and an increased number of customer referrals which is also very welcome!

A bathroom skim for a new customer in Findochty, Moray. (May 2024)

This plastering job had been partially started by the customer before they got in touch. 
The scope of the work was to skim the long wall along with the shelving area and also the vaulted ceiling area. There was also a small area of original lath and plaster that required to be patched. The ceiling and other walls were to be wet walled and therefore didn't require skimming. 

Prior to commencing skimming, a fair amount of preparation was required. This consisted of the following:

1) Angle beads of all external angles/scrim tape all joins. This is a vitally important stage, all angle beads must be perfectly aligned with one another to ensure that the finished skimming is as flawless as possible.
2) Bonding of lath and plaster area, making flush with surrounding wall.
3) Skimming of walls/vaulted ceiling. The vaulted ceiling area was slightly challenging due to the restricted headroom/space. Small boxed in areas also require a greater attention to detail to ensure all angles look crisp.

Now over to the customer to install the wet wall and get the bathroom fitted.
G.M Plastering, covering all of your internal plastering needs across Moray and Aberdeenshire, from Elgin to Buckie to Turriff and wider. 

A bathroom skim for a repeat customer near Huntly. (May 2024)

It's always nice to return to do further plastering work for a repeat customer. This time it was for a customer near Huntly, Aberdeenshire who is steadily working through various stages of home renovation. Ahead of a new bathroom being fitted, they were looking to have the room skimmed. The room had a bit more character than the standard box bathroom, with exposed wooden beams and a rock through the wall in the corner!

The scope of the work was to skim all the walls and do some plaster repair patches on the ceiling where there were some holes.

The stages were as follows:
1) Protect the surfaces/shower tray. While the floor was being replaced, it's always better to protect surfaces leaving a neater job for the customer and less tidy up time for myself!
2) Scrim tape joins/repair patches followed by PVA. While PVA is not usually necessary on plasterboard, especially moisture resistant plasterboard as pictured, it helps control the suction of the surface, particularly when the board has been in place a while.
3) Angle beads/ skimming. Metal angle beads were fitted in the window reveal area and then all the walls were skimmed. This certainly wasn't the quickest process as a number of original wooden beams were required to be worked around and the stone in the corner required some detailed plastering work around it (Photo 3).

Overall a nice neat and tidy job and a happy repeat customer who I will hopefully be doing more work for in the future! Now over to the bathroom fitter and time for the plastering tools to take their own bath to clean them up.

The next few weeks brings a number of plastering projects across Moray, including another repeat customer in Elgin, as well as several new customers in Keith and Buckie.
Get in touch if you have any internal plastering needs, covering Aberdeenshire and Moray. 

A slightly different plastering job in Elgin, Moray. (April 2024)

The plasterboard was installed previously by a joiner so the scope of the work was to repair the original wooden/plaster beading trim, and  then skim the archway and walls adjacent. Firstly ladders were erected with a 65mm thick scaffolding board (that I trust with my life!) spanning the gap and another plank at a right angle to walk from the stairs onto the platform. The window was only recently installed and the area was carefully covered to avoid getting any plaster splashes on it.

1) Repair/replace original wooden/plaster beading. This required a template to be made from a broken piece so that the new section could be blended in by hand to the missing area. For this Paris of Plaster was used as it dries within 15 minutes and allows multiple coats to be used in quick succession to gradually build up a matching profile to the original.
2) Reinforced mesh/bonding of arch. As the archway area had been formed through many separate pieces of plasterboard, reinforced mesh was used to minimise the risk of cracking in this area. This was then bonded out to start the form of a smooth arch.
3) Skimming of arch and walls. Once the bonding had sufficiently set, the whole area was then skimmed with two coats of multi finish giving a lovely smooth formed arch.

It was a satisfying day restoring  the character of the archway for the  owner.
More and more customers are looking for plasterers in Elgin and this is an area we are now frequently covering with a variety of jobs from single walls to multiple rooms requiring plastering works.
Get in touch if you are looking for an experienced plasterer in Elgin or elsewhere in the North East. 

A recent plastering job near Huntly, Aberdeenshire. (April 2024)

This job required the removal of a double layer of tiles along with the plasterboard and to make good the surface so the whole wall could be repainted. The flue extracted vertically above the joists and was removed prior to commencement of the work. 

The stages involved were the following:
1) Removal of the tiled surface. It quickly became apparent that removing only the tiles was wishful thinking. Instead the section of tiled wall was roughly cut around with the whole section being removed in one piece!
2) Second neater cut of plasterboard/addition of support battens. A multi cutter was used to neaten up the wall that remained to make it easier to fit new plasterboard. In addition to this, support battens were installed where the old and new sections of plasterboard met to ensure no cracks would appear. Insulation that had drooped down behind the wall was repositioned as well and secured in place. The vapour barrier was then resealed.
3) New plasterboard fitted.  Two new sections of plasterboard were then installed, with the joins scrim taped.
4) Skimming of plasterboard. The new surface was then skimmed and feathered into the existing wall. The feathering process is very important to ensure that when painted there is no visible join.

All in all, a  nice neat  job that has freshened up the look of the living room space, all completed in a day. Another happy customer.
Send us a message or give us a call if you're looking for a plasterer in Fochabers, Elgin, Keith, Huntly or any of the surrounding areas!

A recent plastering job for a repeat customer near Buckie, Moray. (March 2024)

This involved a complete overhaul of a living room which included the following stages.
1) Battening of ceiling. The current ceiling was heavily wallpapered and had significant undulations across the surface. To help rectify this and give a better finished surface, battens were used. This has the added advantage of being able to use spacers where necessary to give a more uniform, level surface for the plasterboard to be attached to.
2) Overboarding of ceiling. With the use of a plasterboard lifter (pictured), the fresh plasterboard was hoisted up onto the battens to be attached. 12.5mm plasterboard was used with the battens spaced at 400mm centres. This results in a really secure new ceiling which will reduce any risk of cracks.
3) Skimming of ceiling. With scrim tape applied to all joins, the ceiling could now be skimmed. Final result, a beautifully smooth, flat surface that will be ready to paint once dry.
4) Removal of blown plaster/bonding. The walls had a lot of blown plaster which was detached from the surface below. This had to be removed, with the areas then patched with bonding coat.
5) Reinforced mesh. Due to the amount of blown areas as well as surface cracks, a 1 metre wide reinforced fibreglass mesh was used, overlapping across all the walls (picture 4). This gives an extra layer of stability and helps ensure no cracks reappear.
6) Skimming of walls. With all remedial work carried out, the walls could finally be skimmed, giving the room a complete new look (picture 5).

Another happy customer with a brand new living room!
Get in touch if you need a plasterer in Elgin, Buckie, Turiff or wherever you are based in the North East!

A recent plastering job for a repeat customer near Aberchirder, Aberdeenshire. (March 2024)

This job involved skimming of both sides of a new plasterboarded stud wall. It was made a little more tricky due to the height of the wall (4.5m) and the narrow width in which to work. The stages of this plastering job were as follows:
1) Preparation, scrim tape & PVA. Ladders and a heavy duty 2.8m plank that I have complete faith in were set up at the appropriate heigh. All screws were checked so none were protruding. Thankfully the joiner had done a thorough job! Next all joins were scrim taped to ensure no cracks appear in the future. In addition to this the surfaces were PVA'd with a dilute mix. This was done as the plasterboard had been up for several months and it helps control suction for plastering.
2) Skimming of both sides of the wall. The walls were skimmed separately due to the ladders and size of areas involved. Both sides were left looking great and ready to paint once dry.

A lot of the time, there is just as much work, if not more in setting up in preparation for plastering! No one wants their radiators or floors covered in splashes of plaster so we always ensure that surfaces that need protected are.
If you're looking for a reliable plasterer in Elgin, Banff, Buckie or elsewhere in the North East, just get in touch and we'll be happy to help!