To set fair is to trowel out the final finishing coat of plaster to a completely smooth, level surface. This step follows the roughing-in or browning coats, filling any remaining imperfections. Plasterers rely on this technique to create a pristine, paint-ready wall that shows no trowel marks or hollows.
Heard on the job
Once the browning coat cures, we can set fair the whole wall and get out of here.
Insider tip
Rushing the base coat makes it nearly impossible to set fair properly, as the finish coat will just sink into the underlying divots.