Thistle multi-finish instead of Polyfilla for patching?

[AL_n]

I'm preparing the walls in my lounge for painting. Some of the surface skim
of plaster was loose in places, so I chipped it away. I've now got various
small areas that need patching and making flush, prior to painting (several
square feet in total). All the areas to be patched are very shallow, like
1/8" or less. I have a bag of Thistle multi-finish. Could that be used for
the patching, or is Polyfilla preferable? I know polyfilla is sandable -
but maybe multi-finish is too, is it? Or perhaps sanding won't even be
necessary if I apply the milt-finish plaster carefully. Has anyone done
this? It's a question I have often wondered about but never tried it. I've
plastered entire walls with multi0finish, but never tried using it for
patching work like this.

TIA,

Al

[stuart noble]

I think you'll find filler is much finer and easier to fiddle with than
multi finish. Gyproc joint filler is as good as any IME

[whisky-dave]

Well I've used the one coat version for small areas, seemed to do the job OK, but I was wallpapering then painting over it . A bit more difficult to get smooth but that could have been my impatience. I added a few drops of PVA glue too which made it stick better but also made it harder to sand down.

[John Rumm]

If you give the wall a good wetting with PVA & water to stop it sucking
all the water straight out of the plaster, then it will work. Probably a
bit more difficult to use than filler in this circumstance.


--
Cheers,

John.

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[AL_n]

John Rumm <see.my.s...@nowhere.null> wrote in
news:yNSdnS7a2qJdFSrI...@brightview.co.uk:

>
> If you give the wall a good wetting with PVA & water to stop it sucking
> all the water straight out of the plaster, then it will work. Probably a
> bit more difficult to use than filler in this circumstance.

Thanks for the input. I will take your advice. After all, the bag of multi-
finish I have was about 200 times cheaper than Polyfilla! (It was a broken
bag that B&Q let me have for £3.

Al

[Tim Watts]

On 28/07/15 14:48, whisky-dave wrote:
> Well I've used the one coat version for small areas, seemed to do the
> job OK, but I was wallpapering then painting over it . A bit more
> difficult to get smooth but that could have been my impatience. I
> added a few drops of PVA glue too which made it stick better but also
> made it harder to sand down.

IME One-Coat does not really polish well - and actually does not go very
hard either (unless you add the PVA :)

[Phil L]

"AL_n" <fgdf...@fghfghfg.com> wrote in message
news:XnsA4E5B14...@130.133.4.11...

If you've had the bag for more than three months, don't bother as it will
crack up and fall away within hours.
That's providing you can get it out of the bucket once it's mixed.

If it's fresh, use it, it's what it's for....PVA it all first though

[Tricky Dicky]

The multi finish will not be easy to sand and by the questions you are asking suggests you do not have much experience using it, getting a smooth finish will not be easy especially if it is a 3 month old bag working time will be considerably shortened.

I would go for Gyproc joint filler there are 3 types based on working time 20 min, 45 min & 90 min. Beauty is that you do not need to get it absolutely smooth as it sands easily although the smoother the application the less elbow grease involved.

Richard

[whisky-dave]

Yes for me that was the advantage, my plastering wasn;t very even so it's an advantage that I can hand sand it down with a bit of sandpaper.
Trouble is I hate the sound and feel of doing it, it's like writing with a rusty nail on a chalkboard/blackboard. Adding the PVA made it much harder to sand down,had to use a sander, which was harder work and cover everything in fine dust.

[John Rumm]

Yup, its massively cheaper, but take note that the older plaster gets,
the faster it sets! Sometimes this is handy when working small
quantities - you spend less time waiting about.

Easiest thing to do is try a patch... mix PVA and water (say two parts
water to one PVA) paint all over your patch. Mix up the multifinish to a
soft whipped cream consistency. Trowel onto the patch, getting it all
filled. Don't worry about making it look pretty to start with - you
can't get a good finish on wet sloppy plaster. You then need to wait for
a bit to allow it to start going off, that is when you get a chance to
polish out the trowel marks. Then wait some more, and repeat. You can do
a final pass with a few splashes of water flicked from a paint brush, to
get your final finish. There are probably some youtube vids out there if
you need to watch someone do it.

(you can buy board filler (designed for filling joints in plasterboard
etc) for much lower prices than polyfiller etc - that will work like
filler and is easier to sand if you need to)

[AL_n]

Tricky Dicky <tricky...@sky.com> wrote in
news:f57a26c0-1f43-46c8...@googlegroups.com:

Thanks for the tip. I will remember the Gyproc suggestion for future jobs.
My bag of mult-finish is about three weeks old - not three months old.

I think I'll give it a try. If nothing else, it will be a learning
experience. I have finished entire walls with it in the past (to good
effect), but never tried using it for patching.

Al

[AL_n]

John Rumm <see.my.s...@nowhere.null> wrote in news:9f-
dnYEjneRSNiXIn...@brightview.co.uk:

> Yup, its massively cheaper, but take note that the older plaster gets,
> the faster it sets! Sometimes this is handy when working small
> quantities - you spend less time waiting about.
>
> Easiest thing to do is try a patch... mix PVA and water (say two parts
> water to one PVA) paint all over your patch. Mix up the multifinish to a
> soft whipped cream consistency. Trowel onto the patch, getting it all
> filled. Don't worry about making it look pretty to start with - you
> can't get a good finish on wet sloppy plaster. You then need to wait for
> a bit to allow it to start going off, that is when you get a chance to
> polish out the trowel marks. Then wait some more, and repeat. You can do
> a final pass with a few splashes of water flicked from a paint brush, to
> get your final finish. There are probably some youtube vids out there if
> you need to watch someone do it.
>
> (you can buy board filler (designed for filling joints in plasterboard
> etc) for much lower prices than polyfiller etc - that will work like
> filler and is easier to sand if you need to)

Very helpful - thank you, John.

Al