1 Strip all the old plaster from the walls and use a wire brush to clean off the residue and to expose sound brickwork

2 Nail thin battens to the wall at no more than 1 metre intervals but fix these so that removal is not too difficult

3 Take special precautions to see that the battens are at true vertical. Pad out the battens in order to achieve this

4 A string stretched between an outer set of battens can be used as an accurate check of the trueness of the center batten

5 Use a stout length of timber as a straightedge, and check the run of this against the various battens you have fixed

6 Before you start plastering one of the sections, use a distemper brush to damp down the brickwork surface thoroughly

7 Use a hawk and trowel to apply freshly made undercoat plaster to the damp brickwork. Scrape and wash the trowel from time to time

8 When you have built up enough depth of plaster, use the straightedge to scrape the surface level with the battens on either side

9 Before the floating coat has dried, use a scratcher to key the surface for the skimming coat that follows after drying

10 Remove the setting out battens while the plaster is semi dry. Take care not to flatten out the plaster edge in doing so

11 When the floating coat has dried, use freshly made under coat plaster to fill the batten gaps level with their surrounds

12 Before applying the skimming coat, thoroughly wet the surface of the floating coat. This helps to improve adhesion

13 Prepare some finish plaster and dealing with a small area at a time, spread this thinly using firm, long upwards sweeps

14 To get a smooth finish, keep the trowel surface clean and wet at all times and run it over the wall in a circular, polishing motion