Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 | Popularity: 5%
In the areas they had plastered the finish coat before I got there, I found a number of places where the plaster was on the windows (wood with clear coat finish) and on the finish concrete floor (yet to be stained). I informed them that they would need to clean up the mess they had made under the supervision of my project manager and that they needed to tape everything off before they continued to plaster. It seems common sense to tape off before plastering, but don’t always count on common sense prevailing when you are not on the site to supervise. I make it a rule to be on site at least three times a day if I do not have my own crews there with a project manager. In other words, either my project manager or I will visit each site in the morning, after lunch, and in the afternoon before quitting time. Catching a mistake while it is still small is well worth the effort.
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Today I visited the job site of a house we are currently plastering. I was glad I did because the plastering crew had removed the protection around the windows and the floor where it meets the wall so they could apply a clean finish coat and remove any debris around the tape from the scratch and brown coats. This is fine; however, they had begun plastering without replacing the protection.
In the areas they had plastered the finish coat before I got there, I found a number of places where the plaster was on the windows (wood with clear coat finish) and on the finish concrete floor (yet to be stained). I informed them that they would need to clean up the mess they had made under the supervision of my project manager and that they needed to tape everything off before they continued to plaster. It seems common sense to tape off before plastering, but don’t always count on common sense prevailing when you are not on the site to supervise. I make it a rule to be on site at least three times a day if I do not have my own crews there with a project manager. In other words, either my project manager or I will visit each site in the morning, after lunch, and in the afternoon before quitting time. Catching a mistake while it is still small is well worth the effort.
Popularity: 5%
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Andrew Morison is a licensed contractor specializing in straw bale and green construction. He has shown thousands of people how to build their own straw bale projects through his comprehensive series of instructional straw bale, concrete foundation, and plastering DVDs. You can check these out at http://www.LearnStrawBale.com.
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September 6th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
At 6:54 AM, mtpaul said…
Thanks for all the great info. I am purchasing a strawbale home and have noticed a crack in the exterior wall. The crack is small but a few feet long. The current owner says this is ok and it gives the wall more breathing capabilities. Should I be concerned about plastering the crack?
September 6th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
At 6:20 PM, Andrew Morrison said…
I must admit I had to laugh when I read that the owners say the crack will help the walls breathe. That is GREAT marketing! The fact of the matter is that the crack is probably harmless. It is all but impossible for me to say from here, but if it is a small crack, i.e. hairline, it will be fine. A good investigation would be to poke a bit at the plaster, IF the owners will allow you to, and see if any flakes off. If it does, see if you can see how deep the crack is. This may be impossible. The idea is to see if it goes all the way to the straw. If it does not, it will be fine. If it does, it needs attention. No matter what, I would stay aware of cracks and watch them over time. Most plaster WILL crack, so it is not a disaster. Just make sure you are monitoring the cracks and insuring a quality seal between the elements and the bales.