Quick plaster strips: attach and remove plaster rails

Plaster strips are attached to the wall as a kind of frame, within which plastering is easier. The plaster between the strips can be smoothed out easily, so that even inexperienced people can plaster a wall vertically. Unevenness can be compensated for better and good results can also be achieved on sloping walls. However, many shy away from attaching the strips.

Construction

A quick cleaning strip is a long, narrow rail with a central fold. The rail is punched to the right and left of the fold. The perforation is used for attachment to the wall. The rails can be straight or angled.

species

The strips are available in different lengths and widths as well as with different seam heights.

• Width: 21 or 24 millimeters
• Length: 1.50, 2.50, 2.60, 2.75 and 3.00 meters
• Height: 6, 10 and 12 millimeters

The different lengths are for easier adjustment to the wall height. It is generally easier to fit a few longer splints than many shorter ones. The different heights of the upstand determine the thickness of the plaster or they should be selected accordingly. Indoors, the standard is ten millimeters. Depending on the type of plaster, however, the thickness can also vary.

A further distinction of the quick cleaning rails takes place according to the selected material. Basically there are galvanized strips made of sheet metal and strips made of stainless steel. Both variants can be powder-coated again or covered with plastic. The types are used to adapt to indoor and outdoor use as well as different plaster variants.

Utils

The following utensils are required for attaching the quick plaster strips and plastering itself:

• level
• mason's solder
• folding rule
• Aluminum strip for peeling
• tin snips
• trowel

Preparation

The plaster rails are aligned vertically on the wall, so their length must be adjusted to the height of the wall. As a rule, the strips have to be cut to size for this. After measuring, the excess length can be cut off with tin snips. Alternatively, a cut-off grinder with an appropriate metal cutting disc can also be used. However, eyes and hands should be protected from possible splinters. Preparation also includes ensuring that the wall is dry, clean and free of cracks and dust.

Attach step by step

Although many people shy away from using plaster strips, the installation is very simple and can be carried out in just a few steps:

1. Mortar, which also provides the basis for the plaster, is used to attach the quick plaster strips. A walnut to egg sized amount of the mortar is placed on the wall where the ends of the molding will be.
2. The bar is lightly pressed into the mortar. The upstand or fold points away from the wall.
3. The bar is aligned with a spirit level and downwards with a mason's plumb bob. With a flat wall this is comparatively easy. Unevenness or crooked walls require a bit of patience and tact due to the need to level them out.
4. Further strips are now attached to the wall at regular intervals. The distance between them should be 1.0 to 1.5 meters - depending on the aluminum batten used to level the plaster.
5. The mortar under the battens should be allowed to dry and harden for a day before plastering begins.

plastering

After the mortar has dried under the slats, plastering can begin. The plaster is placed on the wall between the strips, distributed with a mason's trowel and roughly smoothed. The height of the skirting fold serves as a guide for the thickness of the plaster layer. An aluminum strip is then used to strip off the plaster. For this purpose, it is placed against the wall in such a way that it is in contact with the fold of the plaster strip on the right and left.

Because of this framework, it will be much easier to evenly distribute and smooth the plaster. In addition, plastering can be significantly accelerated.

Removed

If you want to use the metal strips as an aid but do not want to leave them on the wall, you can remove them after plastering. The following steps will help:

1. For easy removal of the plaster rails, the mortar should not be directly on the ends and not on the entire back of the strips. Detachment is made easier if the rails are only fastened with mortar at certain points and a crowbar or hook can be used at the ends between the plaster strip and the wall.
2. When the plaster has dried slightly but is still soft and malleable, the strips are carefully levered off the wall with a crowbar or hook. Depending on the type of plaster, room temperature and humidity, the optimal condition can be reached after just one to two hours. To check, the plaster can be pressed in with your finger right next to the fold of the strip. If it offers slight resistance but still yields well, the splints can be removed.
3. When removing the plaster rails, fresh plaster is inevitably removed from the wall and gaps appear. These must then be filled and adjusted. The effort involved should not be underestimated. It is therefore better than removing the strips to choose rails that can remain in the plaster.

Learn more about plaster from A-Z - types & processing