Fixing concave new plasterboard wall

[gfalco77]

Hello DIYers!

I've recently had done a wall or half wall. There were 2 doors covering 15cm deep cupboards. Between the frames of the doors, the plasterer put plasterboards but with only a piece of wood in the middle of each door and attached pieces of plasterboard along the wood frames. Now the wall looks concave, bent, crooked. Because, I think, there should have been another horizontal piece of wood in the bottom. If you look at the skirting board, you know what I mean, there's a gap where there were the doors.
I was thinking to add a coat of already mixed plaster. Buy a trowel and a hawk and do it myself to try to make that curve disappear.

Do you recommend a good product? Ideally already mixed plaster

Thanks

 

[Paul Cumbria]

Hello DIYers!

I've recently had done a wall or half wall. There were 2 doors covering 15cm deep cupboards. Between the frames of the doors, the plasterer put plasterboards but with only a piece of wood in the middle of each door and attached pieces of plasterboard along the wood frames. Now the wall looks concave, bent, crooked. Because, I think, there should have been another horizontal piece of wood in the bottom. If you look at the skirting board, you know what I mean, there's a gap where there were the doors.
I was thinking to add a coat of already mixed plaster. Buy a trowel and a hawk and do it myself to try to make that curve disappear.

Do you recommend a good product? Ideally already mixed plaster

Thanks

Hi there. If you are really not happy with this you could try getting the plasterer back to sort it out (fat chance!).
If you are determined to try to remedy it yourself I would suggest buying the best quality tools within your budget, especially if you plan to do more plastering in the future. Ready mixed plasters are not ideal (they are really fillers rather than plaster) but are handy for situations such as this, No-nonsense product from Screwfix is as good as any and competitively priced. BUT - it is almost impossible to feather in a new coat of plaster, particularly on such a thin layer as would be required here. The only way to get a decent finish is with a lot of sanding (very messy), and there is always a big risk of the new plaster flaking off at the edges.
My advice would be to fill the gap at the top of the skirting with decorators caulk, and then paint over in keeping with the existing wood paintwork. Once you have painted or papered the walls this will hardly be noticeable. You may just have to live with it.
You don't say the age of your property, but my house is getting on for 100yrs old and none of the walls were dead flat when it was built, and various works carried out since have not improved the situation, in fact where I have managed to achieve a flat smooth wall it accentuates the unevenness around it!

Good luck.....

 

[gfalco77]

Thanks Paul

I feared that was the issue (lots of messy sanding and plaster coming off..) ... I'm not confident enough to buy the multifinish on a newly skimmed wall) I'd probably ruin it.. If I were starting on a new wall I'd go for it.. and I can still call a trademan to fix it..

It bothers me they asked more money to make it straight.. when it actually all you need is to put more plaster where it's needed and level it with a long straight bar!

The trader was sloppy and wanted to save money. If he'd put more support inside the wall I wouldn't have this problem. I'm a bit obsessive on the details. Yes the house is 100+ old, but if I pay a lot of money why can't they make it good rather than say , the house is old and walls are not straight, the skimming is only 3mm.. But then I see places where is 3mm, others when it's 1mm, others when it's 5mm.. The only result of the skim is a lot of money spent and only silky walls, with the previous imperfections, actually even more, because I had to fill more gaps..
I don't like the look of the caulk. BUt I guess I have no much choices

 

[Paul Cumbria]

Yes, that is the problem with so many tradesmen these days - no wonder so many of us prefer to do a DIY job, even knowing we can not match the results of a true professional.
I am not a great fan of caulk myself, it does smack of a bit of a bodge job, but there are times when it is the only option. Just make sure any gap is well filled to avoid sagging, and a good finish can be achieved with a damp cloth and a bit of patience.
I long ago accepted that old houses can never be brought up to look like new without enormous expenditure in terms of money or effort or both. I like the blown vinyl wallpapers as they cover a multitude of sins, and a coat or two of matt emulsion helps disguise any imperfections in the wall, though I prefer silk emulsion myself.