That's another fine mess you've got me into....

[Useroftheforce]

Woe is me...

I have made a mistake, hands up I have learnt a hard lesson here. The plastering job I have received is certainly not what I expected or asked for.

I need someone to put it right.

How on earth do I go about finding someone with enough experience, compentance and professionalism to rectify the cock up I have been left with?

What's wrong?

I asked for a top quality job and I was willing to pay for it. I received a few quotes to replaster three rooms all 4m X 4m is size. The one I settled for came in at £1200 which I thought was very reasonable. It took the guy five days, one man. To be fair he used at least 10 bags of hardwall to repair blown plaster before the ceilings and walls were skimmed with multifinish. alot of work.

The actual wall surface themselves don't feel lumpy, bumpy or scored. So far so good. The main problem is not the large surface areas, it's the attention to detail and care that's lacking.

Things like how the openings of the two chimney breasts have been completed or rather not completed. Just a rough raw edge. How there are little bits of plaster that have popped off the edges of ceilings where the wall paper was removed from the walls, after the ceilings were skimmed (which admittedly is my doing) but how they have just been left out from the process of skimming and ignored. How the bottom of the plaster which is supposed to be a uniform bottom 2" from the floor represents the himalayas and it obviously not flat. How the joint interfaces between the walls to walls and walls to ceiling are not joined seamlessly. "The decorator should be able to... " grrr

The decorator is going have a fit, and I don't blame him.

After an hour or so of me pointing out defects and him hurriedly trying to crush bits of almost off plaster up to reuse and rectify, I paid him and showed him the door. I realised he was not capable of working to the required standard. Which is a shame because I think he was genuinely crushed that I was not satisfied with the job.

I can tell before the painting process, it's going to look **** and I am not happy at all. I know, new plaster should look flawless.

Ok, admittedly I am a perfectionist, if the job is worth doing etc...

I assume that to rectify the problems would take a competent plasterer a day to complete. Although the whole point here is that I am not the expert. I need to find an expert, who is patient, compentent and diligent to rectify the situation, if that's possible. In the Reading area.

Thanks in advance, sorry to go on a bit, sorely put out.

 

[1john]

if you really are this displeased i think most the guys here are going to tell you that you need it to dry out and be pva'd and all reskimmed again.

otherwise a tip top dicorator with a load of easy fill and some reams of sand paper may be able to work some magic.

 

[Useroftheforce]

It's not that I am displeased at him personally - I didn't actually show him the door. I am not that rude. I just stopped pointing out the problems. Thanked him and paid up. I realise that is just my frustration and vulnerability leaking out, mainly at my own lack of savy...

Anyway...

I don't know if I am being overly picky. I think that's the problem. I might be looking at a pretty reasonable job without knowing it. Perhaps the decorator will be able to rectify. But is it normal to pay someone to plaster a room and then pay a decorator to sort out the plasterers short cummings?

I imagine it is possible to plaster a room to a standard where it is entirely possible to paint it and achieve a perfect finish. Again I just don't know if that is a reasonable expectation?

 

[dextrous]

I know I'm "spekkin for a decking" here, but it isn't entirely untypical for a tradesman to finish his work up to a standard which the next tradesman will be prepared to pick up from. Thus bricklayers sometimes leave internal pointing/brushing a bit rough which the electrician or plumber or plasterer will be able to work with, followed by the carpenter, who will deal with problems when putting skirting board on, then the decorator and so on.

It's only the general builder, (or the occasional diligent and pro), who will leave it in a state which would make their life a bit easier at the next stage.

 

[1john]

agreed, i like to do as many of the jobs as possible, that way i can think ahead for lots of things, when i batten a wall i make sure that there will be fillets for rads, bo battens where pipes or sockets need to be and so on, and make sure that the battens line up properly with the board edges ect.

when people are only doing 'their bit' it can end up a bit awkward for everyone else after them. i once went to do a second fix to find out that the 'plasterboarders' had dabbed over all my metal boxes and i had to find them afterwards

OP, could you post some pics of what is really bothering you, just out of interest to me??

 

[Useroftheforce]

I have taken some pictures of all the offending items. To be fair, visually speaking the rest of the job looks ok, to my untrained eye.

Hole in finished wall.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Hole in finished wall.

Dining Room fire place
So - I just paint that edge do I ?

Dining Room fire place

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

So - I just paint that edge do I ?

Wavy wall
The plaster is not flush to the architrave here. It's a few mm low. The architrave is not painted on the rear so it's hard to see. The wall was modified you see.

Wavy wall

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

The plaster is not flush to the architrave here...

What hapened here?
A bit which was just forgotten

What hapened here?

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

A bit which was just forgotten

Top of the same door frame
Just another 2cm with the trowel is all that would take.

Top of the same door frame

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Just another 2cm with the trowel is all that would take.

I'll chop out all the sockets
Sockets not chopped out.

I'll chop out all the sockets

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Sockets not chopped out.

It doesn't show up - but look at the right edge - that's what all the edges are like.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

What am I supposed to do with these edges. It doesn't show up - but look at the right edge -...

Missing skim

Missing skim

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Just sloppy.

No plaster round the nail..

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Why not remove the nail and put some plaster in there?

Nail removed and plaster applied on the other side...

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Like you did this side.

Ok it's behind the Rad - but I specifically asked for these to be filled in again.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Ok it's behind the Rad - but I specifically asked for these to be filled in again.

Can you see the roughness in that corner joint?

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Can you see the roughness in that corner joint?

Plaster too thin. Doesn't cover the door frame and not flush with architrave. Same problem as the other one above.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Plaster doesn't cover the door frame and not flush with architrave.

Lots of holes in the multifinish on the joint.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Lots of holes in the multifinish on the joint.

Great big gouge in the ceiling not plastered

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Great big gouge in the ceiling not plastered

Another bit just left -

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

Another bit just left -

This rounded chimey breast is completely bumpy - I would have thought the plaster should be skimmed round.

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

This rounded chimey breast is completely bumpy - I would have thought the plaster should be...

What's supposed to happen here then?

Untitled

• Useroftheforce
• 19 Mar 2010
• 1

What's supposed to happen here then?

The guys previous experience is building sites.

 

[Seasider53]

Got to say for someone whose just started doing occasional plastering jobs, I'd be embarrassed by that work.

None of it looks as though it's done by someone who is worth £1200!

I'll leave it up to the pro's on the board to answer how to remedy but suspect pva and a reskim in many instances.

Feel sorry for you though and understand your concerns.

 

[Micilin]

The horse has bolted now , and this won't be much use to you -but anyone else browsing here for advice about plastering who is getting someone in - LOOK AT THEIR WORK FIRST, or speak to previous clients. If they are not prepared to do this, or take you round to a satisfied customer, don't even contemplate using them ,regardless of price or soft chat.

For you,perhaps the best route -- you first need to get the decorator in to tell you what he can and can't do. The above advice applies to him also. If he is reputable, he will either be able to put it right or put you in touch with a plasterer who can -he should have toshed out enough of their work to know who was decent or not.

If he recommends the spread, and he is happy to decorate it, then the onus will be on him to leave you with the job you want.

Unfortunately, it often takes as long or longer to put work right than to do it properly in the first place - eg I could throw on 30m2 and be finished in 3 hours, but leave a day's making good behind me. Hopefully you will get it done in a day, but that fiddling about is deceptively time consuming. Make sure you nail down exactly what needs to be done before agreeing price.

You don't want to hear this now but it's a pity you paid him up fully. He looks and sounds like a cowboy. After he made the comment about the decorator, the response was to say "I'll ask the decorator what the extra is to fix those bits, and deduct it from your price" I would perhaps have given him a couple of hundred on that condition at most until it was resolved.

 

[Useroftheforce]

I do want to hear it believe me... your advice is most welcome.

 

[Richard C]

Mostly been said already but you seem to have been the victim of one who thinks they can plaster rather than someone who actually can & unfortunately there are a lot of them about. I would have gone with my instinct after that 1st hour & chucked him off site; & I have done twice before! For the money you’ve paid, you should have got a first class finish needing nothing else doing to it before decoration other than letting it thoroughly dry out for a few weeks. Difficult to say what can be done without seeing it all; a mix of filler repairs on some walls & complete re-skim on others may sort it to an acceptable standard but it’s going to cost to sort it out & you have my sincere sympathy the clown hasn’t done you justice. Golden rule when having that amount of work done is to go on personal recommendation if you can & ask to see previous work; anyone that’s any good won’t mind.

As an aside, I notice you have a large fire opening there; what sort of fire are you fitting? I should warn you that Gypsum plaster (both base & finish) shouldn’t be used on the wall in the area around the stove. Unfortunately it won’t stand temperatures much higher than 50 degrees C & if you having a solid fuel stove in there, it will probably exceed that. I’ve measured temperatures well into the 90’s in the wall immediately surrounding a multi-fuel stove & exposing Gypsum plaster to temperatures that high will almost certainly see it crack & blow off the wall after a very short time.

 

[Adrian80]

Doesnt look the best to be honest, but i think a lot will be rectifiable. i think you need to wait for it to fully dry out to see whats what.

You might need to get bits reskimmed, but i bet you will be able to save the majority.

Get a wide blade scraper to get the lumps at the bottom off, hopefully your skirting will cover this.

get the crap out the boxes.

wait for it to dry,

bucket of easy fill, 5" filing knife, fine sand paper and a block, and fix up the blemishes.

I think with all plasters that you dont know, get them to skim 1 room, wait to see if its any good, then get them back to do the rest of the house!

at least then you might only have to pay for 1 crap room, and fingers crossed you wont get to duf uns in a row.

I feel for you.

 

[Useroftheforce]

Hi Richard - thanks for you sympathy and to everyone who has offered theirs as well. I am starting to feel less like throttling the nearest hapless undeserving individual!

Frankly, "spending further wedge to rectify", so be it. In the long run it will be money well spent to get the finish I am after. I do understand that rectifying problems after the fact is fiddly and time consuming. I have spent enough time rectifying my own cock up's and other peoples (in my profession).

Being a perfectionist, I try to do almost everything myself - see my massive heating engineering posts in the other forum as an example.

Anyway - the stove to be fitted is a smokeless coal burning charnwood country 4 - 6kw stove. DOes this mean I need to bolster off the top and base coat round the wobbly edged fireplace? (The other horrible edged fireplace won't be used).

 

[Richard C]

the stove to be fitted is a smokeless coal burning charnwood country 4 - 6kw stove. DOes this mean I need to bolster off the top and base coat round the wobbly edged fireplace? (The other horrible edged fireplace won't be used).

I would advise you don’t use Gypsum plaster on the wall within 500mm either side or 800mm above the stove & if that’s what’s on there, I would strip it back while it
it’s still a relatively easy job. Rather than repeat it all again, here’s a link that should tell you all you need regarding what to use.
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1491201#1491201

 

[Useroftheforce]

Regarding the stripping back - what's the best way to do that?

Without any advice I would start off with a 1" cold chisel to isolate the affected area and move on in with a 4" bolster once isolated.

What's the correct way to finish off the joint between the plastered wall and the brick opening which I intend to leave exposed? In other words what I would consider is placing a wooden block flush with the bickwork and rendering and then plastering right onto that, before sanding it back to a smooth edge?

 

[Richard C]

The problem with taking a chisel & lump hammer straight to it is that you can de-laminate the plaster in the surrounding area; if you’ve got an angle grinder, make a cut through the plaster first & then chisel away. I would be tempted to use a steel render stop bead but am concerned that the different expansion rates of the render & steel bead could cause it to crack away. You can render up to a timber batten & then finish off after but as timber is a combustible material, BR’s won’t allow it any closer than 200mm from the fire.

Sorry to keep throwing things up but I assume you are aware that installing a stove is subject to several Building Regulations & is notifyable building work unless carried out by a registered HETAS installer.