Quick cleaning 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 easily be smoothed out so that even inexperienced users can plaster a wall perpendicularly. Unevenness can be evened out better and good results can be achieved even on sloping walls. Nevertheless, many shy away from attaching the strips.

construction

A quick-cleaning strip is a long, narrow rail with a central fold. The rail is perforated on the right and the fold on the left. The perforation is used to attach it 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 fold 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 used to make it easier to adapt to the wall height. In general, it is easier to fit a few longer rails than many shorter ones. The different heights of the upstand determine the thickness of the plaster or should be selected accordingly. The standard indoors is ten millimeters. However, the thickness can vary depending on the type of plaster.
Another distinction between the quick plaster rails is made according to the material selected. Basically, there are galvanized strips made of sheet metal and strips made of stainless steel. Both variants can be powder-coated again or encased in 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-cleaning strips and for the plastering itself:

• Spirit level
• Bricklayer solder
• Folding rule
• Aluminum slat for pulling off
• 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 machine with a suitable metal cutting disc can also be used. In doing so, however, eyes and hands should be protected from any splinters that may arise. The preparation also means that the wall is dry, clean and free of cracks and dust.

Installation step by step

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

1. The mortar, which is also the basis of 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 bar 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 bricklayer's plumb bob. This is comparatively easy with a flat wall. In the case of unevenness or crooked walls, a little patience and a sure instinct is required due to the necessary leveling.

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 lath with which the plaster is removed.

5. The mortar under the strips should be allowed to dry and harden for a day before plastering begins.

Tip: In the case of very uneven walls, additional transverse strips can be inserted between the vertical plaster strips to make it easier. In this way, smaller fields are created that can be pulled off smoothly and flat more easily. However, this procedure is not recommended if the quick-cleaning strips are to be removed again afterwards.

Plastering

After the mortar has dried under the strips, plastering can begin. The plaster is placed on the wall between the strips, spread with a trowel and roughly smoothed. The height of the bar fold serves as an orientation for the thickness of the plaster layer. An aluminum strip is then used to peel off the plaster. For this purpose, it is placed on the wall in such a way that it is in contact with the fold of the quick-cleaning strip on the right and left.
Because of this frame, it will be much easier to evenly distribute and smooth the plaster. In addition, plastering can be accelerated considerably.

Removed

If you want to use the metal strips as an aid but don't 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 all over the back of the strips. Detachment is made easier if the rails are only fastened selectively with mortar and a crowbar or hook can be attached to 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 one to two hours. For checking purposes, the plaster can be pressed in with the finger right next to the fold of the bar. If it offers slight resistance, but still gives way, the splints can be removed.

3. When removing the plaster rails, fresh plaster is inevitably removed from the wall and there are gaps. These must then be filled and adjusted. The effort involved should not be underestimated. It is therefore better than removing the strips to select rails that can remain in the plaster.