Old school of achieving smooth wall finish is through the use of cement ("puro") after applying rough finish plaster which is most likely prone to hairline cracks and may result to seepage of water inside your house.
With new materials being introduced in the market to address this problem, a new way to achieve this smooth finish is through the use of "Skimcoat".
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| image from ABC and BuildRite |
"Skimcoat" comes in powder form which requires clean water with corresponding ratio, some skimcoat comes as paste which is ready to use, while other Skimcoat requires to add some cement depending on the brand you choose.
Best for bare concrete walls either rough or semi rough finish, and not intended for walls with existing paints unless you totally remove existing paints and apply Skimcoat before repainting.
Skimcoats are designed for "bare concrete walls" only and not intended for flooring.
PACKAGING
Packaging in 20kg per bag, 5kg and 25kg in pails or some brands comes in 4 liters and 16 liters (pails) just like ordinary paint packaging.
AREA COVERAGE
Coverage of at least 5-10sqm depending on thickness (2mm to 4mm) when applied and as per manufacturer specifications.
CEMENT/WATER RATIO
Different brands have their own water or cement skimcoat ratio so double check from package for proper instructions.
POT LIFE
Most skimcoat products have at least 1 to 2 hours pot life for your mixture depending on current weather condition on site, so make sure to only mix what you can apply within this time life to ensure better adhesion to your concrete surface.
Best to start with the amount of mixture that you can apply within 30 minutes.
SURFACE APPLICATION
Check for instruction on newly concreted wall curing time before skimcoat can be applied, as some may require 7-15 days or even require up to 28 days before you can apply your skimcoat mixture.
MIXING CONTAINER
For best mixture consistency use an old paint container (pail) to properly mix your skimcoat than using a spot board or plywood.
Ready to use Skimcoats comes in pails which is ready for application without the worries of improper water or cement ratio but much more expensive vs powder form Skimcoats.
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| image from boysen and davies |
DRYING TIME
Always check recommended drying time before applying your second coating as normally it would take at least 1-2 hours before you can apply your next coat, some may be earlier than 1 hour or may require 24 hours for second coating.
HOW TO APPLY (watch demo for different brands)
1. Konstrukt Permaplast K-201 (mix with cement as per recommended ratio)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFdHcrnmE4
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOHw6Ue_4_k
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4QLEzP_lOs
3. BuildRite Tofil 801 (mix with clean water)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBhAqbktKrw&t=527s
4. BuildRite Tofil 802 (ready to use)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6_Q8OWVMI
5. Davies Mondo Sk-3 (ready to use)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRSnnpT9TJw&t=3s
There are other brands out in the market, some may be cheaper than branded skimcoats but as long as you have seen others using such brand without any issues then it's up to your own discretion.
If undecided which brand of Skimcoat to use, just designate per room different brands and observe 3 to 5 months if which brand performed better after paint application vs the other brands.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid promotion of any brands mentioned in this post but for sample reference only to get some idea.
