In article ,
"Red Devil" writes:
I am just skimming using MultiFinish, but I find that it goes off very
quickly,hence restricting me to small areas.

Yes -- it's exactly the wrong time of year to be learning
plastering ;-) At least make sure your plaster is new -- the
longer it's been sitting around, the faster it goes off.

You might want to practice in the cupboard under the stairs, or
the garage wall, or similar first. I and others have posted a
few long articles about how to do it over last couple of years.

I am applying 2 coats of skim, as I have read posts that suggest it is not
possible to get a good finish with just 1 coat.
I am putting on the second coat after the first one has gone off.

First coat does not have to have completely gone off -- normally
you recoat as soon at you've finished the first coat.
However if it has set and dried (i.e. next day), then
you will need to PVA the first coat before applying the
second.

I am hoping to paint the walls afterwards, so I need a reasonable finish.
There is more to this plastering lark than meets the eye !!
Looks easy, but reality is different.
I suppose the only way to get better is by actually doing the job.

Yes, and don't start with the most important wall in the house!

--
Andrew Gabriel