How to fix plastering near a corner?

ennoh

How can I fix this problem? In my son's recently bought house there is a plasterboard wall with metal casing at the corner. Whoever installed this left a gap under the casing and inserted filler with no care taken to smooth it out. My son tried to remove the rock hard filler, and the result isn't pretty. In 12 months time the wall will be removed, but in the meantime, how can I pretty up the unsightly mess?

JacobZ

Hi @ennoh,

It's a bit unsightly, but it will be fairly simple to fix.

I would simply fill the holes flush with the surface with some Less Mess Multi-Purpose Joint Compound. Once fully dry, apply some mesh tape over the join then apply another coat of multi-purpose joint compound over the tape.

Once dry, sand the plaster smooth with a sanding sponge before brushing down to remove any powder, priming and painting.

This relatively simple repair will make it look good for the next 12 months until the wall is removed.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

ennoh

The plastering compound was perfect for the job, but how can I get the length of the leftside perfectly straight?

EricL

Hello @ennoh

That trim appears to be timber and not plaster; can you please check it fit is? If it is timber, I propose sanding it down and using a timber filler to fill in the gaps to straighten it out. You can us a large Craftright 280mm Plasterers Trowel as a guide when applying the filler. You can use the same tool as a guide if it is a plaster trim.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

ennoh

its definitely plaster

Nailbag

Hi @ennoh

@EricL would have been referring to the white vertical section as being timber. It appears to have topping compound on its inside left edge and some on the top. If so, it can be trimmed back with a sharp chisel on the inside edge and both faces finished with sanding. If the white section is plasterboard, then it really should be replaced with timber being what looks to be a doorway.

Nailbag

Noyade

Hi @ennoh

"its definitely plaster"

Well, after two cups of coffee - I too thought it plaster - like someone roughly scored and snapped a thin length and 'stuck' it on.

But to honest, as a novice I don't even know why it's there? To me there must be a cavity where it should be just a smooth plastered corner?

As for the ragged edge - tack a straight edge parallel to it and fill the gaps in. Leave plenty of time to dry and then remove the straight edge.

Just a third cuppa thought.

Cheers.

JacobZ

Hi @ennoh,

How many millimetres is the variation here?

I wouldn't even try to get it perfectly straight, I would just extend your topping compound out much further and feather it to conceal the lip.

Use a wider joint knife, such as this Builders Edge 200mm Plastic Joint Knife, to apply a much wider coat of plaster. You'll find that, somewhat counterintuitively, the wider the plaster is, the less noticeable it is.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

Dave-1

Afternoon @ennoh

I am thinking something along the lines that @Noyade has mentioned as well. Of using a Metal Mate 12 x 12 x 1.4mm 3m Aluminium Equal Angle - Silver to be glued in place and cover the rough edge. Tho with my thinking I would leave the right angle in place as the reason is to really cover that rough edge for a year. (And yeah a year can turn into several )

Dave