Declan52

First job is clean the patch. Rake out any loose material then hit it with a hose to rinse any dust off. Let it dry slightly then apply your prime coat. Do as was mentioned above using pva and some cement. Let it dry. Mix your batch up. Lightly wet the wall. This will help with suction plus stops it drying out quick. Lime is just used as a plasterciser to help you work with it. If you have it fine if not a tiny squirt of fairy liquid will work. I mean a tiny squirt or it will have to much air in it and go to fluff. Don't try to do it in one pass. If it needs 2 coats then scratch the first coat before it goes of. A series of grooves cut into the motar using a nail. Let it harden. Then damp it down again mix another batch and do the top coat. Don't try to overwork it. Put it on and smooth it using a long piece of timber long enough to stretch across the hole. Let it sit 20 mins then use your float to finish it.

You could have expanding metal mesh strips acting like ties. https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-reinforcing-coil-galvanised-dx275-65mm-x-20m/94846 Build strips of these into your wall as you go up.

You could build in some threaded bar into your icf. Do your pour so they are solid. Then use these to hold your mould or shuttering to the wall. It will take a fair bit of work making them all the same distance apart in height so your mould slips over the bars easily each time. Most shuttered walls have holes in them anyway like can be seen in your pics so once the wall is finished you could grind them of as close as you can get without hitting the concrete and then drill them out so they sit below the surface. Will look like a normal shuttered wall. Not sure you could patch the hole in and make it look good unless you are going to paint the concrete.

Think of it more like butter for a souffle. It allows the concrete to move but won't stick. It's a special mould release oil you use or if you cant get that then vegetable oil will work the same.

You oil the timber up so it doesn't stick to it.

It might look and sound an easy enough task but shuttering is far from it. As above you need to think about how you prop and hold it all in place if you go the wet concrete route. Even a small wall maybe 500mm high will want to move. That's a lot of weight pushing out. Then it's all in the quality and consistency of the mix. Using a fine enough aggregate so it's smooth and how much you poke it to get rid of air so it's not full of gaps. If you go down plastering then it's very time sensitive. You need to get it on the wall smoothed of then your mould up and in place in a few short minutes. Then it's how much pressure is enough to give you enough of an impression but not squeeze it out of shape. Do not under estimate how much work this will be. That's why I mentioned the trial wall.

You can't really put too thick a coat of plaster on or it will slip, start to slide down the wall and you get tear marks in it. A big square lump of timber approx 4m long by 2.5m high well be heavy. I think you would be as well doing a test panel and have a go and see what it looks like. Then stand back and be honest. It's a look that when done well is stunning but if it's not.

Have you ever used one of these. They can break your wrist or arm in an instant. Although when the auger gets stuck they are great fun!! What are you going to use it for, fence posts????

That would be a very heavy mould. Would it not be easier to just do one feature wall in this kind of finish like a wall with a wbs insert in it. I think the walls in your pics have been from using timber shuttering rather than a mould. Which is a massive job in terms of skill and cost.

Would it not be easier to plaster the wall like you do for a scratch coat then when you have it all nice and smooth use your mould and gently press into the damp plaster to form the impression. You would have to start at the top of the wall and work down only putting enough plaster on so it doesn't dry out too quick.

Not like you wouldn't accept bacon as payment either.

Did you sign any contract with them in which there might have been a bit in very very small writing hid at the bottom about using media from your job for marketing.

You taking about legitimate means.

On the new model its a lot faster to do everything. YouTube works fine as well using the app.

A 4k firestick is another option. You can put a lot of apps on it that allows you to watch whatever you want.

Ian your not exactly a wee small dainty thing, go for the bigger door.

I know a guy who used a similar setup to get his roof tiles from the ground to the first lift of his kwikstage. Only his didn't have as many metal bits. ?

I would say fine but the cost of buying has just went up to include this extra expense.

Looks class.

It can be done on your own if you are well prepared. A dead man is essential, a long T shape prop cut about 50mm longer than your ceiling height. You need 2 of these. You will also need some sort of scaffolding, either trestles and planks for lower ceilings, 3m high or something like kwikstage for higher bits. But and it's massive size but if you sit at a desk all day and aren't used to moving big awkward things about an day think long and hard about doing it. It will really really take its toll on you. After your first few days you will need spoon fed your dinner as you won't be able to get your hands past your belly button. Your arms shoulders and neck will ache. I done all the lifting and got the boards up and a few screws in just to hold it and then carried on boarding. The wife and young lad done the rest of the screws. It meant I got a sort of break which you will be glad of. I done it like this guy only instead of using the short piece of timber I used another dead man. Works the same way but just quicker.

How big is the digger that will be doing the work. Anything over 5t could spread any topsoil over and then track it in. Don't put the clay you dig out for the founds over it and try and rake that out. It will be too stiff.

How about keeping it simple and buying a large garden shed. Don't need concrete founds. You can have it sitting on planks. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-x-10-Pressure-Treated-Tongue-Groove-Wooden-Workshop-Shed-With-Double-Doors/233171940481?hash=item364a217481:g:M8AAAOSwi3xcSHbB 2 men would have it erected in a few hrs with no mess from digging out needed. Then insulate it and board over with osb/ply.

Far better to go with a good brickie who will do it correct. It isn't much work to run the trowel down the wall to clean the snots of. If you can its better to hit it with a brush as it will help to seal up all the motar so well. You need a much wider cavity if you go for batts.

What have you got going spare?? You could caulk it, use wood filler, mix some of the glue with the sawdust cuttings and put it in or just brush the saw dust in.

You also use small lengths of round bar and use clamps and tie it together across the standards. Kwikstage is very easy to move a lift up and down that's what makes it so popular.