One coat plaster is a great option for people looking to do a bit of touching up to their walls themselves. It’s the perfect DIY product as it is quicker than normal plaster (often pink gypsum) and easier to apply.
But should you ever hire a plasterer that is going to use one coat plaster for skimming? Probably not.
A pro should only use one coat plaster for touch-up jobs
You might find that a plasterer uses one coat for patching up small holes and for repair jobs around sockets. A pro will know how to use it properly so will be able to offer a good finish around these small areas, but it should never be used for entire walls.
Two coats are always needed for whole rooms
A proper plasterer will always use pink gypsum or a similar material to skim walls. This will leave your room with a smooth finish that will be easy to paint over once it’s dry.
Don’t be tempted to do a DIY job
Since we’ve said that only DIYers use one coat, you might be thinking that you could save some money by skimming your walls yourself with one coat plaster. But you won’t be able to get the same finish as even a professional plasterer will be able to with one coat, so just leave it to them to skim your walls with proper plaster.
One coat plaster will require more work
If you do use one coat on your walls, whether by a pro or as a DIY job, it will probably require more work than if you hired a plasterer to skim the walls with 2 coats of gypsum. You’ll need to sand it down before you can paint over it, and you might even need it skimmed again anyway to get a smooth enough finish to decorate.
All in all, it’s worth spending the money on a professional plasterer that has mastered the technique and uses pink gypsum instead of one coat. If you need a plasterer to plaster your walls, fill out the form below to get up to 4 quotes from reliable tradesmen.