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Plasterers mix and apply plaster to inside walls and ceilings. They may also apply cement mixes to floors and outside walls or do decorative work. Plasterers use tools such as trowels, floats and hawks.

Plasterers often mix their own materials (from sand and cement) or have an operative do it for them. First they mark the area of wall to be covered. Then they fill in the area with base coat plaster. They level it off and scratch the surface to make a good base for the second coat.

The second coat is applied to the required thickness, often one centimetre but sometimes up to 2.5 centimetres on an uneven wall.

When the two base coats are dry, plasterers spread on and smooth out a thin coat of plaster.

Outside walls are done by the same method but cement is used instead of plaster. They may make some decorative markings on the wall or use pebble-dash to achieve the required finish.

Floors are built up in layers in the same way as indoor walls. The surface is left smooth to take a floor covering.

Fibrous plasterers work with plaster that has short lengths of fibre added to hold it together while they are working on it. They make ornamental plasterwork and decorative panels by moulding and casting plaster in workshops. The finished pieces are then fixed on-site. Fibrous plasterers may work from architects' designs or copy pieces of plasterwork from artists' drawings or from photographs.

Plasterers need to work quickly with the plaster before it dries out. They must finish off their work to a high standard and leave it ready for painters and decorators to work on afterwards.

Liam gill plastering services Cappamore Co. Limerick Ireland 086 8172295