LLgetfa, thank you for your reply,
Obviously, squaring up of CBU can be done by shimming etc, but thats not the point in contention. FWIW: the guys who taught me would one-coat a three wall tub surround - using sticks/screeds - in approx 40 mins. Flat, plumb, square to a perfectly controlled depth.
I dont understand your difficulties with "humps" etc? Assuming that you have basic plastering skills, then floating sand and cement and lime is the most basic form of skill required. It will pull-out all uneven background. Inside corners are rubbed and cut-in to square with a plastic or wood float.
cacher, thank you for your post,
Point is, that floating has not had it's day, it's still widely used, for example, a large, SF Bay Area tile co. that i know of, floated all it's walls and screeded all it's floors and counter tops, no CBU. $10k to $80k jobs.
A long term, secure, mechanical fixing for the wire or mesh is necessary for floating.
What method would you propose for fixing metal to CBU?