what does floating mean?

Question

When it comes to plastering, what does ‘floating’ mean exactly?

Paul · Accepted Answer

You can use a 'float' which is a flat, usually plastic handled tool to help smooth out a rendered or bonded wall before trowelling. They also make a sponge float with a handle which is used to help flatten a wall that has finish plaster on before final trowel up.

Gene · Answer

Before plastering you scratch walls first with sand and cement and then add another coat then float it to make flatter for plaster to finish off

Lee · Answer

It means an undercoat of plaster to brick or breezeblock ready for a skim.

Thomas · Answer

When a plasterer is asked to plaster a brick or block work wall and is not going to dot and dab a plasterboard to the wall for the base coat the traditional method is to plaster the wall with sand and render as the base coat and then rule it flat and level before rubbing it up with a nailed float as a grip for final coat. As you are using a float to do this job, hence the name "floating".

Robin · Answer

It's more for rendering. It's when you float it with a plastic float to make the wall is flat and even.

Kevin · Answer

If not going to dot and dab plasterboard to the wall for the base coat the traditional method is to plaster the wall with sand and render as the base coat. Level it off before rubbing it up with a nailed float as a grip for the final coat.

Bob · Answer

Floating is using a float to ever hard wall or sand and cement to flatten and fill any holes in hard wall and Internal sand and Cement you would use a float with screw in one end to leave a ruff Surface but flat ready for plastering also known as rubbing up.

Daniel · Answer

It is often referred to when you finish either screed or render up it is the final stage to make it smooth and the finished look by using the tool called a float.

Thomas · Answer

It’s a solid backing coat on to brick or block (browning or bonding) then key scratch it you actually apply the backing coat to get it level and strait then scratch and apply a finish coat

Darren · Answer

Floating is a referral to the backing coat of plaster.
If a wall is say back to the brick it can be completed in several ways, most common these days is dot and dab, which is dabbed plaster board and then skim finish, or a floated wall using a backing plaster and again, skim finish.
Hope that helps

what does floating mean?

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