# Drywaller wanting to try plaster work



## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

I have a block basement and am wondering if plasterig the walls to dress it up would work. The house is dromthe 1920's so the block is a little rough. Unfortunatley the walls are painted, so my question is can I basecoat right of the painted cmu and give it two coats to finish? What would be ideal?


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

DP5156 said:


> I have a block basement and am wondering if plasterig the walls to dress it up would work. The house is dromthe 1920's so the block is a little rough. Unfortunatley the walls are painted, so my question is can I basecoat right of the painted cmu and give it two coats to finish? What would be ideal?


Probably need to wash it down, primer and bonding agent prior to basecoat plaster. Mesh tape any cracks. Or use fibers in the base coat. You could also use Durabond / Smoothset and Fibafuse reinforcement if you are more familiar with applying drywall products.


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

What products would you recommend? I am quite interested in learning more about the Plastering side of things including Eifs.


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## Wimpy65 (Dec 17, 2013)

I had some cmu walls in my basement that I wanted to cover. I had a desire to try some plaster and decided there was the perfect place to practice. 

Like Endo said, I cleaned the wall, then coated it with Plaster Weld.
I had several walls, so I decided to try several different products.
I used a lightweight basecoat plaster (Structolite/Gypsolite) on several walls.
I also used so Imperial Veneer Basecoat Plaster on other walls.
I tried Imperial Veneer Finish Plaster on some walls.
I tried Diamond Veneer Finish Plaster on some walls.
And I tried Lime and Gauging Plaster on some walls.

No doubt the Imperial was the hardest & the smoothest. 
I wish I had tried adding some colorant to my mix. I've done that since and it turned out really nice.
I had lots of fun doing this. I even made my own bull nose corners (out of Gypsolite) on some cmu columns.

I encourage you to try the plaster products. If it doesn't go well, you can always skim the walls with Quick Set Lite/Easy Sand. :yes:


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

We usually use a stucco basecoat with fibers over CMU. If you use Smoothset/ Durabond or a basecoat plaster, you need some way to reinforce all of the joints in the block form cracking in the future. This bloke does some nice plaster videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9RqWdgPPi8


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

Reinforce? Like with mesh?


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

DP5156 said:


> Reinforce? Like with mesh?


Yeah mesh tape on the joints would work. Or some kind of matting. Or maybe fibers in the base mud. It just seems those pesky joints in the block occasionally pop through.


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

what do you add for fibers


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

Someone recommended sto basecoat whats the difference? Would it be less likely to crack?


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

DP5156 said:


> Someone recommended sto basecoat whats the difference? Would it be less likely to crack?


A synthetic basecoat like Genesis DM typically is used in conjunction with a nylon mesh matting. Super strong. For nylon fibers, you can buy basecoat premixed with fibers or add it yourself. Here is an example of added fibers. http://nycon.com/nylon-fibers/ You can probably buy them from All Wall online. Or from any stucco products dealer.


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

Got some sto primer/adhesive b, do I still need the plasterweld before skimming?


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

DP5156 said:


> Got some sto primer/adhesive b, do I still need the plasterweld before skimming?


Are you using plaster basecoat? If so, yes. If not, no.


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