These need to be cut and fitted properly to get a matching hard to spot fit. Learn how to scribe skirting boards to get the perfect internal join. How Can I Remove Skirting Board Nails? Starting Point: Start from the top of your scored wall. The reason for this is twofold: firstly, gravity is on your side, making it easier for plaster chunks to fall away from the wall. Secondly, by removing the upper plaster first, you prevent large, heavy chunks of plaster from falling from a height later in the process, which could be dangerous. Long-Sleeved Shirt and Long Trousers: These will help protect your skin from sharp debris and dust. Due to this, you will need to identify where the screws are and dig out the filler to unscrew them. Plastering is very hard work indeed. Mostly because of the speed it has to be carried out at & also because it involves a lot of body movement. Please make sure you have divided the room onto manageable areas. You really do only want to do this once

Cut into Sections: Instead of scoring the plasterboard, it’s usually easier to cut it into larger sections. Using a utility knife, cut the plasterboard into about 2-foot by 2-foot sections. Be mindful of what’s behind the wall to avoid cutting into any electrical wires or plumbing. Once the second coat is on it needs to be smoothed out before it cures and goes hard. This is done at the point that when you push your thumb into the surface it only leaves a very slight indentation. If decorators' caulk has been used to fill any gaps, get a Stanley knife and carefully run the blade between the skirting and the wall to cut through the caulk.

Gary Wentz is a carpenter and the Editor-in-Chief of The Family Handyman. He claims to have torn out more than two acres of plaster and lath. He'll show you how to remove plaster and lath faster, safer and better.

Work in sections, applying the plaster as you go and taking off any real hard lines and lumps between sections as you lay them on, but don’t worry about getting it totally smooth at this point as it’s the second coat that will be smoothed. Also, leaving the plate in one place too long and overheating the artex can cause it to liquefy and run everywhere, creating even more of a mess.

Grand Winner Dulux Select Decorator 2011 and Multiple award winning decorator Wayne de Wet endorsed Unless you can plaster very well, this is most likely going to be done by an actual jobbing plasterer, but if you want to learn how to do it yourself, then see our skim plastering project here for full details.

We suggest two coats of this PVA solution will give an excellent seal to the surface. The PVA will also help the adhesion of the plaster, but as it will dramatically slow down the rate of moisture absorption, it will give you more time to “work” the surface before it dries.

With this in mind, you can use a plasterboard lifter to lift and hold the boards in place or you can enlist the help of a family member or friend to hold the boards up while you fix them.As mention in the intro, My dining room plaster definitely required replacing for two main reasons: Plastering is hard work and takes time and skill, even if you have done it a few times before and with this in mind we would suggest that you should only work with a ceiling area of 2m x 2m and a wall area of 2.4m x 2.5m in one go. Personally, when levering the board of the wall, I like to use two tools. This puts less strain on the board and makes the job easier. For example, you may use a crowbar and a chisel in combination or even two crowbars. As you remove the plastering from the wall, your health really, matters hence you should not take anything for granted. You can use the dust extractor to ensure that you do not face problems to do with respiratory difficulties that are likely to result from the dust at the work place. The dust extractor will help in the collection and the filtering of the dust that might prove very dangerous to you.

Using a Wallpaper Steamer: This is a fairly cheap and effective way of removing artex from a ceiling, but it’s extremely messy and if you leave the steamer in one place for too long it can damage the surface beneath the artex. Do not use if asbestos is presentWhenever you’re doing a home renovation project, it’s important to know what’s behind your walls—like electrical wiring, plumbing, or insulation—before you start cutting or demolishing. If you’re unsure, it’s best to consult with a professional. If the plaster that you want to remove is within the inside walls of your house, you will be required to remove all the pieces of furniture for the sake of avoiding further costs of repair that might be because of the breakages. You floor will also need some form of protection. You look for some old pieces of iron sheets or any other material to help you in the same for your own good. The plaster that you would have removed needs to be collected ad taken to a different place hence there will be the need to have the garbage can with you so that the process becomes simple and effective. In case the wall of your house has, some screws or certain plates do not just work on it that since you might them later. Using a screwdriver, you can safely remove them and have them kept at a secure place for future use.