Description
Atlas GO plaster — ATLAS GO! on the bucket — is a ready-mixed polymer skim built for the roller. You roll it onto plasterboard, plaster or concrete, flatten it with a float and get a smooth, satin skim indoors that takes any common paint. Coats go on wet-on-wet, a 1 mm layer dries in about four hours, and one 25 kg bucket skims about 16 m² per coat.
What Atlas GO Plaster Is For
Atlas GO plaster is a skimming finish. Atlas lists four jobs for it:
- smoothing walls and ceilings to a paint-ready face;
- filling small cavities up to 3 mm deep;
- full-surface skimming of plasterboard;
- plasterboard finishing levels Q2, Q3 and Q4.
It goes over concrete, cement and cement-lime plasters, gypsum plasters and plasterboard, and can be painted or papered. Two jobs belong to its sister product: for taping plasterboard joints and for levelling an uneven background before the skim, Atlas sends you to Atlas GTA. Tape the joints with GTA, then skim the whole surface with GO!.
Why Choose Atlas GO!
- Made for the roller. Atlas's EASY ROLL thickeners change how the mass behaves at each stage — loaded on the roller, spread on the wall and drawn smooth — so it rolls on evenly and still flattens easily. It can also go on by trowel or spraying machine.
- Wet-on-wet coats. The next coat can go on as soon as the first is matt and dry to the touch, usually 1 to 2 hours at 20 °C, which shortens a two-coat job.
- Unhurried smoothing. The working time lets you flatten each area without rushing, and the edges between areas do not show.
- Smooth from the first pass. Fine mineral fillers give a smooth surface that rarely needs correcting — even the first pass with a skimming blade gives a clean result.
- Dust that stays put. It sands well by hand or machine, and the dust settles where you work instead of drifting round the room.
- You can see progress. The colour changes as it dries and as you sand, so missed patches show up.
- Takes any common paint. The satin surface resists softening and works under acrylic, latex and ceramic paints.
Atlas GO! Technical Data
| Property | Atlas GO! |
|---|---|
| Type | Ready-mixed polymer skim |
| Pack | 25 kg plastic bucket |
| Coverage | About 16 m² per coat (1.5 kg/m²) |
| Maximum layer | 3 mm |
| Drying time | 4 to 4.5 hours for a 1 mm layer at 20 °C and 60 % humidity |
| Next coat | Wet-on-wet when matt and dry to the touch, usually 1–2 hours |
| Working temperature | +5 °C to +25 °C — product, wall and room |
| Room humidity | Up to 70 % |
| Adhesion | 0.3 MPa |
| Standard | EN 15824:2017, Declaration of Performance No. 291/CPR |
| Finishing levels | Q2 to Q4 |
| Application | Roller, trowel or spraying machine |
| Sanding | Grit 150–220 when completely dry |
| Shelf life | 12 months from the production date |
Which Finish Level Do You Need?
The Q levels describe how flat and uniform the finished board looks. Atlas recommends GO! for levels Q2 to Q4:
| Level | What it means | Used under |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 | Joints, screws and corners filled flush | Wallpaper, paint, decorative plaster |
| Q3 | Full skim up to 3 mm; joints vanish under paint | Thin wallpaper, thin matt paint, silk and gloss paint |
| Q4 | Full skim 1–3 mm, polished; no joint in any light | Gloss paper, gloss paint, polished marble-look plaster |
Q1 — joints and screw heads only, under tiles or panels — is a job for Atlas GTA with tape. Atlas notes that roller application helps at Q4.
GO!, GTA or Goldband: Which One Does the Job?
| Job | GO! | GTA | Goldband |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skim the whole surface | Yes, Q2–Q4 | Yes, Q1–Q4 | No — it is the plaster coat under the skim |
| Tape plasterboard joints | No | Yes | No |
| Coverage | About 1.5 kg/m² per coat | About 1.0 kg/m² per coat | About 13 kg/m² at 15 mm |
| Drying | 4–4.5 hours per 1 mm | Up to 6 hours per 1 mm | About 14 days for 10 mm |
| Pack | 25 kg bucket | 18 kg or 5 kg tub | 30 kg bag |
On a wall that needs a real plaster coat first, put on Knauf Goldband, let it dry out, then skim it with GO!. Every finish on this shelf is in top coat plasters and fillers.
Preparing the Surface
The surface must be sound, dry and clean — free of dust, dirt, lime, oil, grease, wax, paint residue and release agents. Give new backgrounds time to dry: about one week per centimetre for new gypsum, cement or cement-lime plaster, and 28 days for concrete.
- Too absorbent, or absorbing unevenly: prime with Atlas NKP primer used neat, Atlas Uni-Grunt or Atlas Uni-Grunt Ultra concentrate.
- Smooth and barely absorbent, such as concrete: give it a bonding coat of Atlas Ultragrunt bonding primer.
The full range is in primers.
How to Apply Atlas GO!
- Stir. The mass is ready to use; stir it with a paddle that does not whip in air. Liquid on top after storage is normal — mix it back in.
- Roll it on. Atlas recommends a Scotch-Brite roller. Spread an even coat, no thicker than 3 mm. If it feels stiff, add clean water — 2 % at most, about half a litre per 25 kg.
- Flatten straight away. Draw the coat smooth with a stainless steel float or skimming blade immediately after rolling. By trowel, press it firmly onto the surface instead.
- Second coat. Wet-on-wet once the first coat is matt and dry to the touch, usually 1 to 2 hours at 20 °C and 55 % humidity. If the first coat has hardened and dried, dampen it with water first.
- By machine. Atlas names Wagner PS 3.39 and HC 950, and Graco T-MAX 506, Mark VII and Mark X, with the main filter removed.
- Sand and decorate. Sand with 150–220 grit only when the surface is completely dry, remove the dust and prime as the paint or wallpaper maker asks.
Use Atlas GO plaster between +5 °C and +25 °C, avoid rooms that stay above 70 % humidity for long, and never apply it to surfaces that get wet in use. Clean tools with water straight after use; blades and floats are in skimming blades and spatulas, and boards, tape and adhesive in drylining.
Ordering, Delivery and Collection
- Dispatch: the same day when the buckets are in stock.
- Delivery: after the order, the team contacts you with the most cost-effective way to send it. Parcels up to 25 kg can go next day; pallets go next day or in two working days on the economy option. Every delivery is kerbside.
- Collection: from the Renders World counter at Unit 9A, Central Trading Estate, Southampton SO14 5JP — Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 12pm.
Buckets bought from Renders World can come back in their original condition within 14 days — the details are on the cancellations and returns page. Renders World also stocks the sister finish GTA in 18 kg and 5 kg tubs. Store Atlas GO plaster between +5 °C and +35 °C and use within 12 months of production. Short frosts in transport are allowed; a frozen bucket must thaw fully and be mixed back to a smooth paste before use.
Atlas GO! Plaster: Questions Before You Buy
How many buckets of Atlas GO! do I need?
Allow about 1.5 kg of Atlas GO plaster per m² per coat. One 25 kg bucket skims about 16 m² once, so a two-coat skim of a 4 × 2.5 m wall (10 m²) uses about 30 kg — two buckets.
Can I tape plasterboard joints with Atlas GO!?
No. Atlas gives taping and pre-levelling to its sister product, Atlas GTA. Tape and fill the joints with GTA, then skim the whole board with GO!.
Which roller should I use?
Atlas recommends a Scotch-Brite roller, followed straight away by a stainless steel float to flatten the coat.
How long does Atlas GO! take to dry?
About 4 to 4.5 hours for a 1 mm layer at 20 °C and 60 % humidity. The next coat can go on earlier, wet-on-wet, once the first is matt and dry to the touch.
What paint can go on Atlas GO!?
Acrylic, latex and ceramic paints. Sand, remove the dust and prime as the paint maker asks before the first coat of paint.
Can I skim over fresh gypsum plaster?
Yes, once it has dried out — allow about one week per centimetre of plaster thickness at 20 °C, longer in cold or damp rooms. Prime it if it is very absorbent.
How thick can one coat be?
Up to 3 mm. Deeper hollows need levelling first — with GTA or, for a whole uneven wall, a plaster coat such as Goldband.