bubbles in plaster and more ?

I am a novice in plastering and have been doing little bits hear and there (walls ) during a years brief experience.I hope to continue this and i have extended my experiences to ceilings , i would like to be an expert in about 10-15 years with any luck ! hha hhe

I recently plastered a artex ceiling for my girlfriends dad however when i had finsished after about 5 hours ( sweating like a pig ) i noticed air bubbles appearing , why was this ?

Although my work appears very acceptable to the untrained eye , put me up againt a pro ( who i have alot of respect for) and i am sure the faults will show , can anyone answer these questions


*when plastering a ceiling how many coates are required ? ( a friend wants me to have a go at his kitchen ceiling has really bad artex , big bobbles and spikes !

*I would generally use multifinish on walls and plaster board however as iam not as quick on a ceiling can i use wall board plaster ( does it go off less ) would it give me more time ?

hope u can help and your advise will be thankfully recieved

thanks

Barrie :2tsup:

I think you need to give us siome definitions from your posting.

What is Artex?
What are bobbles and spikes?
What is multifinish?

Where are the air bubbles?Are they small bubbles in the compound you are using, or are they bubbles under the reinforcing tape you are using?

Tools

Hi the bubbles are causee because you are trowelling onto a not so porous surface. Even the best plasterer will get bubbles. It is the same if you skim coat over a painted surface with top coat. Or if you are repairing a hole and trowel over a painted surface.

You cant avoid them.

The fix is simple. Let it dry then lightly scrape off the tops of the bubbles, and skim it again. They will fill up and sand back.

If they are really bad to start with a few more may appear in which case you will have to repeat the process.

No sweat your work is not at fault. But it does take a few years experience to work out how different surfaces, temperatures, product types etc, all affect a plastering job.

P.S. Tools, he is in the UK where they do things a bit different to us here, principles are the same though.

Cheers

Rod Dyson