DIY Hopper Bucket: A Plastering Shovel For Quick Plastering

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Bucket application
• Plastering technology
• Self-made hopper bucket

To speed up and facilitate the solution of the problem of plastering walls and ceilings, a special device will help - a plastering shovel hopper bucket, which automatically sprays the solution onto the surface to be treated. The device is ideal for large areas. You can make it yourself from scrap materials. It will be cheaper, but you can also buy it in a hardware store: the device costs about 7,000 rubles.

Bucket application

The factory-made bucket can be wall or ceiling. These models differ in the type of construction, in particular, in the structure of the holder handle. For wall hoppers, it is bent at an angle of 45 degrees, and for ceiling hoppers - 90 degrees.

The buckets are universal and, in addition to plaster, are adapted to work with materials such as:

• concrete mixes;

• cement-sand and cork mixtures;

• textured paints;

• the liquid wallpaper.

Hopper provides better adhesion of mortars, improves the quality of plastering due to the greater force of impact of the mixture on the surface. Each plastering bucket is equipped with a compressor - it is this that makes it possible to spray the solution. At the base of the bucket there are nozzles to which the air flow is supplied. The bucket is completely empty of the mixture in 3-5 seconds. Thanks to this, in an hour, one master is able to plaster 60 square meters of surface with a layer of 1-2 centimeters.

Plastering technology

Before starting work, beacons are exposed, the walls or ceiling are moistened with water. If gunning is planned, a reinforced mesh is installed. Since the process of plastering with the help of a hopper occurs at a high speed, and about 50-60 kilograms of the finished mixture is consumed in 3-4 minutes of operation of the device, a large supply of solution must be made in advance. It is recommended to automate this process using a concrete mixer or mortar mixer. Compositions for application, plaster proportions.

Spraying the mixture should be started immediately after its preparation. The throw distance is chosen depending on the desired result, usually a factory or home-made plaster hopper is kept at a distance of 4-5 centimeters from the surface to be treated. When the process is complete, the plaster is leveled with a rule, and after drying, it is rubbed.

The bucket must be flushed after operation

This is done simply: its upper part is dipped into a container with water, and then the compressor is turned on to blow through the nozzles. Residues of the solution are removed from the working area of the instrument manually using a rag. If a break is required during the application of the plaster, they do the same: the hopper is dipped in water and washed, but left in the container until work is resumed.

Self-made hopper bucket

Although plastering buckets are relatively inexpensive, and any model can be rented at a reasonable price, some craftsmen prefer to make their own working tools. With your own hands, you usually have to assemble only the bucket, the rest of the parts are purchased.

The pattern of a one-liter bucket is shown in the diagram, but the plaster shovel has different drawings, and if you improve it at your own discretion, there will be nothing reprehensible in this. Hopper parts are cut from sheet metal. The bucket shown in the diagram is made of aluminum and reinforced with two strips of duralumin. Its elements are connected with self-tapping screws. In this case, it is important that there are no gaps between the edges of the parts, otherwise the product will leak. You can solve this problem with the help of metal corners and overlays. If the hopper is made of a more durable material, for example, from a hoist, then it makes sense to use not self-tapping screws, but welding, and the problem with leaks disappears by itself.

It is recommended to equip the bucket with a comfortable and durable handle. The model shown in the drawing is equipped with it on the left so that the main weight load falls on the right hand. If the master is left-handed, then the handle is attached to the right side of the hopper.

Also, the hopper plastering bucket is equipped with fasteners for holding the spray gun and a hole where the device is inserted. It is worth noting that homemade models have less power than factory ones, which have two, three or four nozzles. Some craftsmen add nozzles, hoping to increase the performance of their machines. However, even with one nozzle, a liter of the mixture is sprayed in 10-20 seconds, depending on the consistency of the material.

The bucket is put on the spray gun, the hose is attached to the latter from the air compressor. You need to use a homemade hopper in the same way as a factory one, except that the acceptable distance from the wall is more - 15-20 centimeters. Care should be taken to ensure that the mortar does not stick to the outside of the bucket when scooping up the mortar.

If a do-it-yourself hopper plaster shovel is used, then you need to take care of it in the same way as for a factory model. The product is washed in a container with water, the rest of the solution is washed with a rag.

In general, homemade hoppers are not much inferior to factory ones, except for one limitation: they are only suitable for working with walls. Plastering the ceiling with a hand-assembled bucket is inconvenient. If this is the task, you will have to make a new hopper with a modified design, and sometimes even buy a different spray gun with a more ergonomic handle.

Overall, automating the plastering process on the wall will save you a ton of time and effort. The main difficulty will only be to level the solution applied to the surface to be treated. To find out how much plaster is required, a calculator will help.