Back in Australia I worked with some plasterers. The process involved hanging plaster boards to the frame and then stopping. Stopping involved appling a compound (setting base coat and drying top coat) and joining tape along all of the joints and over the screw holes followed by sanding for a perfectly smooth and level finish.
Since arriving in the UK I have noticed that often people prefer to skim the entire wall after hanging sheets of plaster to it.
Having seen both finished products, there look equally good to me.
Why do people do this and not just stop over the joins and screw holes? Is the process of skimming stem from older methods of plastering? or is there some other advantage that I am missing.
Best Answer
Skimming probably does come from before plaster board became ubiquitous. Previously you'd apply a coat of undercoat plaster to the wall or laths and then a top coat to finish. You'd also skim a new coat of topcoat if the wall had been damaged beyond simple filling. A good plasterer would be able to get a glass like finish on this topcoat with no sanding required.
Skimming over plasterboard gives you the same options. You can get a good finish without sanding - which is a messy job.