Plaster Skim Thickness & Finish on New Boarding

[MidlandsJohn64]

Hi,

As part of a large building job (£150k) most of the walls and ceilings in my house have been boarded (dot & dab) and skimmed. My schedule of work and hence my contract states that the plaster skim should be 3mm thick. The general finish of the plastering appears uneven in places, very rough to the touch and we can see and feel the joint tape. Also when holes have been cut out for spot lights we can see that all over the ceilings the skim thickness is fractionally over 1mm. We do not expect a perfectly smooth finish by any means but are we being unreasonable in expecting the thickness of the skim to be generally 3mm with a minority of areas being slightly more or less depending on the board underneath? Also should we expect 10 to 15% of the new walls and ceilings to be covered in white filler which has not been finished smooth and flat? We have raised this with our builder but at the moment they are claiming this is all normal and perfectly acceptable, despite what our contract says.

Many thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Richard C]

As part of a large building job (£150k) most of the walls and ceilings in my house have been boarded (dot & dab) and skimmed.

I don’t know what you specified but that’s a fairly large contract spend & I would expected a “proper plastering job” on the block work walls & not just D&D/skim; it’s typical for a large developer who will shave costs where ever they can but not bespoke building work; IMO it smacks of cheap!

My schedule of work and hence my contract states that the plaster skim should be 3mm thick. The general finish of the plastering appears uneven in places, very rough to the touch and we can see and feel the joint tape. Also when holes have been cut out for spot lights we can see that all over the ceilings the skim thickness is fractionally over 1mm.

3mm skim thickness is the nominal specification; in practice the total thickness of the skim could be up to 5mm in places. Recommended & accepted skimming practice is to apply 2 coats in quick succession to get a flat, level & smooth finish; if 2 coats had been applied, it would be virtually impossible for the plaster to be only 1mm thick! It’s too thin & is why you can see/feel the joint tape & the surface feels rough in places.

We do not expect a perfectly smooth finish by any means

Why on earth not?

are we being unreasonable in expecting the thickness of the skim to be generally 3mm with a minority of areas being slightly more or less depending on the board underneath?

No, absolutely not; but it’s the finish that’s important & not the plaster thickness.

Also should we expect 10 to 15% of the new walls and ceilings to be covered in white filler which has not been finished smooth and flat?

NO but if filler has been applied, it should have at least been sanded flat & smooth so as to be invisible when painted. Some light filling in, say, up to half dozen spots on a large wall would not be unreasonable if a skilled plasterer is having an “off day” but no more; if the walls & ceilings are covered in filler then the plasterer wasn’t very good!

We have raised this with our builder but at the moment they are claiming this is all normal and perfectly acceptable, despite what our contract says.

That’s a load of old tosh, especially if your contract stipulates what you expect. But it rather depends on the price you’ve paid; if the jobs been “done on the cheap” with your knowledge then it’s the old adage, “if you pay peanuts, you tend to get monkeys”.

 

[MidlandsJohn64]

Richard C,

Thanks for your reply, it has confirmed our suspicions about the plastering. It is a big job (2 storey extension and renovation throughout) and a lot of money! The job was put out to tender and the price was not the cheapest we could have got. The general building work is to a high standard but the plasterer is a sub-contractor and the quality is very variable. I feel on much firmer ground telling them to fix it now. Thanks.
John

 

[Richard C]

I feel on much firmer ground telling them to fix it now. Thanks.
John

Do post feedback on how you get on.

 

[roughcaster]

Another plastering tale of woe that we read about on here so often nowadays,,,,,on this occasion, where an expensive job has been rushed/skimped, and finished in a poor quality condition, .... and filler being used to touch up 10 to 15% of dodgy areas, on newly plastered walls and ceilings,,, shocking,,, A competent "plasterer" would never put himself in such an embarrassing position, as to have to go back over such large areas of his work and patch it up/smooth it off with filler etc,,,, plus,, you should never be able to feel the tapes on the joints, let alone see them, through a normal double coat of skim. The excuse from the builder that "this is all normal and acceptable" is "waffle" and he knows it,,,, but he'll be assuming that you don't.

Roughcaster.

 

[brist]

Seems like he skimmped and applied only One coat of multi fiish instead of 2 and your walls should be smooth and flat.

 

[noseall]

we would struggle to get our skim as thin as 3mm.

 

[gday2uk]

Also when holes have been cut out for spot lights we can see that all over the ceilings the skim thickness is fractionally over 1mm

You sure they didn't tape and fill the joints and it's really the decorator having an off day with his roller

 

[MidlandsJohn64]

Hi gday2uk,

If only that were the case. We haven't even started decorating yet

We have the cores that were cut out to allow the lights to be fitted by the Electrician and the thickness of the skim on these pieces of plasterboard are marginally over 1mm in thickness. Given that these cores have been taken from locations all over the ceilings then it's reasonable to assume that the thickness of the skim is pretty much that all over.

Joints have clearly been taped as we can see and feel the tape

Not sure they have been filled correctly though as the skim sinks in on some joints.

We have a site meeting tomorrow so we will see how the main contractor reacts to their subcontractor doing such a bad job!

Thanks once again for everyones help.

 

[Richard C]

Not sure they have been filled correctly though as the skim sinks in on some joints.

The joints will not have much strength in them; probably the next thing to happen is that cracks will appear along the joint lines within 6 months or so as it all dries out.

 

[MidlandsJohn64]

Hi,

Had site meeting this morning and the MD of the builders saw sense and has agreed to re-skim the problem areas. In the end the schedule of works and the Thistle plaster data sheet was convincing, combined with the fact that I told them there was no way I was going to accept the work (and of course that would mean they wouldn't get paid). Will have to make sure remedial work is ok but it looks promising. Thanks for the help, it is very much appreciated.

John

 

[roy c]

Hi,

Had site meeting this morning and the MD of the builders saw sense and has agreed to re-skim the problem areas. In the end the schedule of works and the Thistle plaster data sheet was convincing, combined with the fact that I told them there was no way I was going to accept the work (and of course that would mean they wouldn't get paid). Will have to make sure remedial work is ok but it looks promising. Thanks for the help, it is very much appreciated.

John

How about a donation to the "Poor Plasterers Fund " then.....?

 

[roughcaster]

Nice one there Roy... .... If ya don't ask, ya don't get.. Merry Christmas to you mate.

Roughcaster.

 

[MidlandsJohn64]

I'm sure the satisfaction of pointing out to your fellow plasterers the error of their ways will be payment enough

 

[roughcaster]

I don't think these "fellow plasterers" are plasterers John. Good luck with your job though.

Roughcaster.