How to properly plaster a brick wall?

A smooth and appealing finish for both interior and external surfaces is ensured by plastering a brick wall. A brick wall’s durability and aesthetic appeal are increased when it is properly plastered, whether you are building a new structure or remodeling an existing one. This tutorial will lead you through the procedure, offering precise directions and pointers to produce a polished finish.

It’s crucial to gather all required tools and materials before you start. Plaster mix, water, a trowel, a bucket, a hawk, a brush, a float, and safety equipment are required. A good plastering job requires careful preparation, so be sure to clean the wall completely and remove any loose debris, dust, or dirt.

Applying a bonding agent is the first step in plastering a brick wall to make sure the plaster sticks to the brick surface well. You can begin applying the plaster mix once the bonding agent has dried. Start with a thin layer of scratch coat; this will act as a base and improve adhesion of the final coat. From the bottom to the top of the wall, evenly distribute the plaster using a trowel.

The second plaster layer can be applied once the first layer has dried. Compared to the first layer, this one should be a little bit smoother and thicker. To even out the surface and remove any flaws, use a float. Plaster can dry quickly, so it’s critical to work quickly and effectively. If necessary, break the wall into smaller pieces and plaster each one independently to keep the edges wet.

After the plaster has been applied and smoothed, allow it to dry fully. Several days may pass during this process, depending on the humidity and weather. Once the plaster has set, you can lightly sand the surface to get rid of any small flaws. You can now paint or apply any other finish you like to your wall. These instructions will help you create a gorgeously plastered brick wall that enhances the beauty and value of your area.

Necessary building materials and tools

You need to have a set of tools and building supplies on hand in order to perform any construction work. How can brick walls be plastered inside?

  • Portland cement M400 or M500 or dry plaster mixtures;
  • River sand, washed from clay and sifted;
  • Fiberglass fiber – added to plaster to prevent cracking of its surface;
  • Plasticizers (PVA glue – to speed up setting, liquid soap to slow down the hardening process);
  • Water;
  • Primer for bricks (Ceresit CT 16, Condor Tiefgrund LF, Alpina Primer).

Equipment and accoutrements:

  • A stepladder (you can prepare a special portable platform – goats) to create more comfortable working conditions at a height of 1.5 m to 2.5-3.0 m;
  • A hammer drill will be needed: for filling cracks and deepening seams between bricks; drilling holes for dowels when installing beacons; stirring the solution (when changing the nozzle, use it as a mixer);
  • Dowels with self-tapping screws – for fastening the guide beacons to the brick;
  • A Phillips screwdriver or a screwdriver for screwing in screws;
  • Metal profiles for lighthouses;
  • Tape measure – needed for marking beacon lines and determining the thickness of the plaster;
  • Plumb line – it controls the vertical installation of profiles;
  • The rule with a level 2.0-2.5 m long is used when installing guide profiles of beacons and leveling freshly applied mortar;
  • Metal scissors (grinder) for cutting the profile of beacons;
  • Hammer;
  • Chisel – for removing remnants of plaster and filling cracks;
  • Paint brush (spray gun or roller) for applying primer to walls;
  • Primer tray;
  • Construction (bubble) level;
  • Steel brush or scraper (another name is “cutting”) – for cleaning brickwork from old paint, wallpaper. It also helps to remove unevenness from the old mortar, as well as those formed when applying new plaster;
  • Container for preparing plaster (10-15 l bucket);
  • Bush hammer is a highly specialized tool for making notches on walls for better adhesion (adhesion) of the mortar to the brick. Looks like a heavy hammer with teeth on the end. Its varieties are Troyanka and serrated;
  • Bucket for applying mortar to the wall. Replaces falcon and trowel, but does not replace them completely. Experienced craftsmen practically do not use it. Therefore, you can safely do without it;
  • Falcon – a wooden board with a handle attached in the middle. Used to transfer mortar from bucket to wall. First, apply the plaster mixture to the board with a trowel, and then use the same to take the solution from the falcon and apply it to the wall. It is also used to level the applied plaster;
  • Trowel, also has other names – trowel, plastering spatula. It is a small steel blade polished on both sides with a curved handle. With its help: dose the components of the mixture when mixing it; stir the solution in the absence of a mixer; put plaster on the falcon; throw plaster mortar onto the wall;
  • Scraper – used for smoothing the plaster layer after several throws of the mortar with a ladle or trowel. Having an elongated shape and a beveled end, it seals corners and narrow parts of walls well. Because it is light and smooth, the solution does not stick to it;
  • Float – for final surface leveling. They can have different working surfaces. Floats with replaceable attachments are now available for sale;
  • Malka. Used for leveling plaster in the presence of external corners (window and door slopes);
  • Smoothing tool – used for smoothing the cover layer. Indispensable when applying decorative plaster – with its help you can get the thinnest layer;
  • Set of spatulas. A narrow tool is used for sealing cracks and joints, while a wide one is needed for applying and rubbing putty when finishing the wall after plastering. A spatula with a rubber surface is needed for plastering figured and spherical surfaces.

Be aware that seasoned pros follow two guidelines. Short—no more than 1.5 meters—to check the caliber of the work done; long—to level the plaster application—is more convenient.

What is better to plaster brick inside the house, and what to do outside?

How should interior brick walls be plastered? You can use any plaster mixture from these sources for these purposes:

  • cement;
  • gypsum;
  • clay;
  • lime, with the addition of any of the above components to the base.

Only cement-sand or lime mortar is used for external plastering of brick walls. The plaster on the outside of the house will quickly start to crumble if the facade is finished with gypsum or clay mortar, as rain, wind, and sun damage the plaster outside.

For new construction as well as renovation projects, plastering a brick wall is a necessary skill to achieve a smooth, long-lasting, and attractive finish. To guarantee a professional finish, this article will walk you through all the necessary steps, from surface preparation to the final coat. Knowing what tools and materials to use will help you finish a new wall or restore an old one with a flawless plastered surface that will last for years.

Preparatory work

How can one manually plaster a brick wall? Before starting plastering work, you should carry out the following steps in order:

  1. prepare the wall surface;
  2. install beacons;
  3. apply a primer to the brick or install a mesh.

The plaster’s longevity is solely dependent on how well the wall was prepared before the plaster was applied. The primary causes of the lag in the plaster layer include oil stains from paint, leftover plaster solution residue, and improperly cleaned brick surfaces from wallpaper remnants.

Experts assert that a third attempt at wall preparation before plastering is necessary to achieve superior plastering.

The work cycle can be completed thanks to the technology used to prepare the wall before plaster is applied.

  1. Complete all the general and installation work related to the wall: lay a hidden wiring; install door and window boxes; fix on the wall of various kinds of hooks and pins for hinged furniture and household appliances.
  2. Carefully clean the wall from the remains of paint, wallpaper, old solution. Cut traces from oil paint or remove with fat clay. If these works are carried out poorly, the solution simply will not stick to the wall in poorly cleaned areas.
  3. Seal cracks – they reduce sound insulation, increase heat loss, serve as a source of condensation, open masonry seams for better adhesion of the plaster to the wall.
  4. Apply notches to the brick to create adhesion between it and the mortar.
  5. Treat the entire wall surface with a penetrating primer.

Note: The material "Preparing surfaces for plastering" contains detailed instructions for priming walls for plastering work.

Installation of beacons

Beacon installation plastering is a rare task for high-level professionals. But without them, a novice in this kind of facing work will be unable to complete the task.

Unlike beacons under the floor screed, they are relatively easy to install. You will need nylon thread (which can be substituted with fishing line), dowels with self-tapping screws, a tape measure, guide profiles, and a plumb line. The following order is followed when performing the work:

  • The guides of the beacons are adjusted to the height of the room using metal scissors or a grinder;
  • At a distance of 50-100 mm from the corner of the wall, floor and ceiling, self-tapping screws are screwed into the dowels (holes for dowels are drilled with a hammer drill or drill). Above the wall, the screws should protrude to the thickness of the plaster layer;

Important note: you also need to screw in the middle of the wall if the ceiling is higher than 2.5 meters.

  • Using a plumb line, the screws are installed in one vertical plane;
  • Similar work is carried out in another corner of the wall;
  • A fishing line is stretched horizontally between the screws. If somewhere the wall extends beyond the stretched line, the layer of plaster increases (the screws on one of the beacons are gradually unscrewed);
  • The number of beacon lines is determined, and the distance between them should be no more than 1.5 m (the optimal value is 1 m);
  • Self-tapping screws are screwed into the ends of each line of beacons;
  • Small piles of plaster mortar are applied vertically between the screws, into which the guide profiles are pressed. Their vertical is controlled by a plumb line; the solution protruding beyond the profile is cut off.

Important: the beacons and screws should be taken out and their traces sealed with putty once the plaster has solidified.

Preparation of plaster

How should brick walls inside a house be plastered? For these uses, the following solution is useful:

  • Based on cement and sand. Most effective in the bathroom and kitchen where there is high humidity;
  • Gypsum or gypsum-lime. The addition of gypsum increases the strength of the plaster, but it can only be used indoors, without changes in humidity;
  • Lime (only slaked lime is used).

The article "How to choose plaster for walls" provides a thorough analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of each component of a plaster solution.

Using a pre-made plaster mixture and preparing it as directed by the package instructions is the simplest method. Purchasing the solution’s constituent parts individually and combining them yourself will be a more cost-effective choice.

Keep in mind that gypsum quickens the solution’s setting time. If plaster is applied without enough finishing work experience, it will solidify in a mixing container and an inexperienced technician won’t have enough time to apply it to the wall. A sand-cement mixture must be used in these situations. It is not difficult to prepare.

In the mixing container, two parts sand and one part M400 cement are added; if Portland cement M500 is being used, add three parts sand and stir. Stir once more after adding some fiber.

Once more, a small amount of fiber is added to the mixture and stirred; if fiber is added in a single portion, the resultant material may resemble thin balls that must be taken out of the dry solution and disposed of.

Water is added gradually, only after the mixture is well combined, to create a mass with a consistency akin to thick sour cream. The solution is stirred until the dough thickens before applying primer, which is referred to as the second layer in the language of builders.

Crucial: the solution starts to thicken if it is not used right away. It is strictly prohibited to add water to restore the plaster to its previous fluidity as this would violate the proportions of the components and undoubtedly lower the quality of the work.

Application of the solution

How can I plaster a brick wall myself correctly? Here, you should heed the advice that follows.

  • The volume of the batch should be small in order to have time to place it within 1 hour.
  • The mixed solution must be given a few minutes to “rest”.
  • Plaster work is carried out in 3 layers – in builder slang they are called spray, primer and covering (the minimum thickness of the plaster layer is 1 cm).
  • The solution for the first layer (splash) is prepared in a mandatory proportion of 1 to 2 – an increased amount of binder is necessary for better adhesion of the solution to the wall. Consistency: sour cream.

Be aware that before plastering, the walls must be wetted if they haven’t been primed. Failing to do so will cause the wall to absorb some of the water from the solution, altering its ratio. The process of hydration will be interfered with as a result.

  • The first layer starts from the bottom left corner. Lead from bottom to top, left to right. First, they close the space between the first and second beacons, then the second and third, etc.d. The thickness of the spray is 4-5 mm, which allows for good adhesion of the solution to the wall. It is applied with a trowel by sharply throwing a small amount of plaster onto the wall (hence the spray). In this case, you need to use a brush, and not your whole hand – this is the only way to ensure that all voids are filled with the solution. The solution is supplied from the container to the wall on a falcon. After 3 minutes, strongly protruding areas are either removed or smoothed. Level no spray needed.

Another technique for applying the first layer of solution is spreading. In essence, a plaster spatula is used to spread the solution over the wall after it has been applied to the falcon using a trowel.

  • The next layer – soil – is laid with thicker plaster (approximately like dough) and a different ratio of components (cement / sand as 1/3). Apply after the first layer has completely dried. Maximum thickness 20 mm. Application technology: the plaster is applied to the wall with a trowel, mainly on those places where there are depressions left after spraying, then it is leveled from the bottom up (the excess is returned to the container with the solution). If there are any depressions left, plaster is thrown over them again and the rule is put into action again. The final leveling of the soil is done with a trowel. They can work up and down or left and right. If the soil layer is more than 2 cm thick, then it must be applied in two steps.

Important: It is economically feasible to stop plastering the walls and level them with gypsum board if the plaster thickness is greater than 3 cm.

  • Before applying the third layer, covering, the second layer must dry thoroughly. The solution is made liquid and preferably only from cement. When mixed with sand, the parts should be equal, and the components should be sifted on a fine sieve so that there are no lumps or small pebbles. Apply with a trowel no more than 2 mm thick. Before application, the wall is wetted with water. Leveled with a trowel in a circular motion. Here you will also need a wooden (plastic) smoother.

Be aware that the cover should just barely reveal the beacons’ guide profiles.

The beacons are taken out once the plaster hardens, and the marks are sealed using putty or cement-sand mortar.

Final stage

Grouting is the final step in plastering walls. It can be done in accordance with the plaster layer that has been seized but is still wet, as well as after it has completely dried in a few days. You will need a small amount of solution and a grater for work.

At this point, protruding strips of solution are removed and minor plaster defects are sealed. The grater needs to be constantly cleaned with water because of its technological specifications. Before grouting, the area must be moistened with water using the spray gun if the grout work is being done over a fully dried layer of solution.

Using circular motions with a grater, grout is applied. This is made "firmly" by some experts, which is far more challenging. Skilled artisans additionally employ a grater that has felt compressed onto its surface.

On this, the plastering has been finished. The walls must first be thoroughly dried before being primed, puttied, painted, or wallpapered.

Step Description
1. Preparation Clean the wall, remove dust, dirt, and loose particles. Wet the wall with water.
2. Apply Primer Apply a suitable primer to improve adhesion. Let it dry completely.
3. Mix Plaster Prepare the plaster mix according to the manufacturer"s instructions.
4. First Coat Apply the first coat of plaster with a trowel, ensuring an even layer.
5. Level the Surface Use a straight edge to level the plaster, removing any excess.
6. Second Coat Apply a second coat for a smooth finish. Allow the first coat to dry before applying.
7. Smooth the Surface Use a float to smooth out the plaster, ensuring a uniform finish.
8. Curing Keep the plaster moist for a few days to prevent cracks. Allow it to dry completely.

Plastering a brick wall correctly is a necessary skill to get a smooth, long-lasting finish. You may guarantee the success and durability of your plastering project by using the appropriate materials and adhering to the recommended procedures. For the plaster to adhere well, the wall must be thoroughly cleaned and treated with a bonding agent.

A smooth surface can be achieved by applying plaster in even layers and mixing it to the proper consistency. To ensure full coverage, take your time working the plaster into all of the cracks and crevices in the brickwork. To avoid cracking and guarantee a solid bond, let each layer fully dry before adding the next.

Using a trowel to smooth the plaster and a float for a more refined finish will make your wall appear well-maintained. It’s important to keep the plaster moist while it dries to prevent shrinking and cracking. You can create a gorgeously plastered brick wall that improves the durability and appearance of your space with perseverance and attention to detail.

In conclusion, plastering a brick wall requires careful planning, accurate application, and painstaking finishing. Follow these instructions to turn uneven brickwork into a polished, smooth surface that looks good for years to come. Gaining proficiency in plastering will greatly enhance your building abilities and outcomes, regardless of whether you’re finishing a new construction or restoring an old one.

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