[edit] THE BASIC TOOLS YOU WILL NEED

Plastering is a skill which many do-it-yourselfers regard with some awe, yet it is not difficult to master so long as you have the right tools.

Plastering, rendering and floor screeding are jobs with a common theme; the aim is to spread a layer of material (plaster, mortar or self-smoothing com-pound) onto a wall, floor or ceiling surface to give it a hard, smooth finish ready for final decoration. The tools and equipment you need for this vary slightly according to the material being used, but fall into three broad groups.

Tools required for Plastering jobs (A) Spot board,(B) Hawk,(C) Laying-on trowel,(D) Skimming float,(E) Angle trowel for internal corners and angles,(F) Angle trowel for external corners and angles,(G) Flooring trowel is used for applying floor screeds,(H) Mastic trowel,(I) Pointing trowel,(J) Gauging trowels are useful for small-scale repairs,(K) Pointing trowel,(L) Spatula are useful for small-scale repairs,(M) Bricklaying trowel for mixing

• Something to hold the material being applied
• A tool to spread it on the surface
• A tool for finishing it off.

Once the material concerned has been mixed, it needs to be placed close to the work site, on what is known as a spot board, a piece of exterior-grade ply-wood is ideal. For plastering and rendering work, small quantities of plaster or mortar are then taken up on a hawk for transfer to the actual surface. Hawks can be bought (in metal or moulded plastic) or made from wood off cuts, and are about 300mm square.

The actual application of the material to the surface is carried out with a metal trowel, a laying on trowel or plasterer's trowel for plaster and render, and a flooring trowel for floor screeds and self smoothing compounds.

The surfaces of render coats are smoothed with a wooden skimming float, which can be converted to a devilling float (for keying the surface ready to receive the next coat) by driving some pins through it. Plaster coats are finished and polished with the plasterer's trowel.

Plastered corners can then be finished off neatly by using a special angle trowel; both internal and external types are available. In addition to the tools mentioned, you can make a scratching comb (as an alternative to the devilling float for keying surfaces), and a simple square for ruling off plastered rebates, using softwood off cuts and nails.

Plastering tools you can make yourself from timber off cuts include a square for ruling off rebates (top left), a scratching comb for keying surfaces (centre) and a hawk (bottom)

If you are using a ready-mixed plastering system, the only tools you need are a brush to apply the material and a flexible spreader to smooth it out and fill any hollows.

Life gets much simpler if you are using one of the modern ready-mixed plasters (right). All you need to apply these successfully is a paintbrush for putting the mix on the wall and a plastic spreader (supplied with the mix) for smoothing it out. They stay workable for several hours.