Making wall good after removing old skirting

[RB8792]

I am in the process of redecorating my Victorian terrace house and I've just removed the very old skirting boards. In parts of the wall I am left with bare brick and some crumbling plaster (see below images). What is the best way to make these walls good for painting and fitting new skirting? The gaps are about 15cm tall and 2cm deep in some places, whereas the new skirting I'm looking at fitting is a bit shorter than this.

Would it just be a case of slapping on some one-coat plaster like in this video? Do I need to leave a gap at the bottom? If so, what's the best way to achieve this as a novice DIYer?

One external wall, the rest are internal.

Thanks in advance.

 

[aveatry]

What are your plans for the floor as that may give you some height to go over the damage. I have used one coat plaster a lot for jobs just like that but found it to be quite gritty and frustrating when trying to give a final smooth finish.
I now use bonding plaster to bulk fill but leave slightly lower that the rest and then use a finishing plaster top coat and feather in in. But if you have never done any plastering before it may not look good, perhaps have a go in a room that doesn't matter so much. Sanding after will help also you can get away with one coat if you are papering the wall.

 

[RB8792]

What are your plans for the floor as that may give you some height to go over the damage. I have used one coat plaster a lot for jobs just like that but found it to be quite gritty and frustrating when trying to give a final smooth finish.
I now use bonding plaster to bulk fill but leave slightly lower that the rest and then use a finishing plaster top coat and feather in in. But if you have never done any plastering before it may not look good, perhaps have a go in a room that doesn't matter so much. Sanding after will help also you can get away with one coat if you are papering the wall.

Thanks for your reply. I am looking at LVT for the floor so it will give a bit of height against the wall but nothing major. Is bonding plaster suitable for brick? Sorry if this is a silly question I am relatively new to all things DIY.

 

[aveatry]

I am not sure if LVT will show through any imperfections in your floorboards so you may have to first overlay with ply first ?
If you went with a quality thick laminate with a thick underlay you would solve both issues - the uneven floor and it would add height so you did not need to so much repairs as the new skirting would now overlap ??
Yes sometimes called bonding or undercoat plaster designed exactly for that, you can put it on thick and its very grainy to provide a good surface for you top coat to grab.
As you already have the skirting off then it would be an ideal opportunity to fit laminate 10mm off from the wall and then the skirt sits on top hiding the gap.

 

[RB8792]

I am not sure if LVT will show through any imperfections in your floorboards so you may have to first overlay with ply first ?
If you went with a quality thick laminate with a thick underlay you would solve both issues - the uneven floor and it would add height so you did not need to so much repairs as the new skirting would now overlap ??
Yes sometimes called bonding or undercoat plaster designed exactly for that, you can put it on thick and its very grainy to provide a good surface for you top coat to grab.
As you already have the skirting off then it would be an ideal opportunity to fit laminate 10mm off from the wall and then the skirt sits on top hiding the gap.

Yes the floor will be lined with 6mm ply with a top skim coat of feather edge smoothing compound. At least that's the info I got from my quote, which I'll most likely be going with.

Do I need to put PVA on the wall before applying the plaster? Also, is there a technique for leaving a gap at the bottom where the wall meets the floor? Can I put a bit of wood down and then remove this once the plaster has set?