Ceiling plastering nightmare

[mas0282]

Hi all - would be very grateful for your advice on a problem I have.

I recently had a new ceiling installed in my flat. The builders did a poor job of skimming it, so I had another plasterer come and re-skim it. He had lots of good references, was experienced, etc.

Anyway, it turns out that he has made a total mess of the ceiling as well. It's probably worse now than it was originally. The problem is that it isn't smooth - there are lots of small scars/ridges/dimples all over the ceiling. WHile you can't notice this at night, in the the daylight it's obvious.

The plasterer came back to have a look and admitted that it wasn't up to scratch. It's a big ceiling and he said the plaster must have been going off quicker than he could get it on! Unfortunately, for various reasons, it would be impossible to have the ceiling skimmed again, which is probably what it needs given the number of defects.

My question is this - although the finish will never be perfect, would it be possible to fix the worst defects using easi-fill? I.e. put easi fill over (in some cases it might be quite a big patch) and then give it a rub down. I know that it will take a long time and be labour intensive to put easi-fill over all of the defects, but time spent on the job isn't an issue, I just need to get it up to a reasonable finish.

Or will using so much easi fill just make it even worse?

Any advice appreciated - am at my wit's end, can't believe two plasterers (both recommended) have got this wrong.

 

[stevethespreader]

I know that it will take a long time and be labour intensive to put easi-fill over all of the defects, but time spent on the job isn't an issue, I just need to get it up to a reasonable finish.

Or will using so much easi fill just make it even worse?

Any advice appreciated - am at my wit's end, can't believe two plasterers (both recommended) have got this wrong.

you will be supprised how quick you can snag work with easifill it wont take that long and it wont make it worse it will only improve it, how big is the ceiling? and why cant you skim it again?

 

[mas0282]

Thanks for the advice.

The ceiling is about 8 metres by 4 metres.

I can't have it reskimmed for a number of reasons. First, I have floor to ceiling glass windows and the ceiling (having already been reskimmed once) is now below the level of the windows. I know that a plasterer could try and compensate for this but realistically I can't ever see it looking that good. It doesn't look great now to be honest, the ceiling sort of connects straight into the glass rather than sitting flush with the window frame. Plus the ceilings are not that high and we would lose more ceiling height.

The other main reason is that we are living here - it's a one bedroom flat and both the living room and bedroom ceilings have been plastered. The prospect of having major plastering work done for a third time is just too much - the wife is going to divorce me! The building project was supposed to take 6 weeks originally and be completed by March 2011. Here we are over six months later (the original builders were a disaster) and the place still isn't finished. It's taken a massive toll on our personal lives and, while I want the job doing to a good standard, I can't keep having stuff redone forever.

So you reckon some easifill might do the job? I can post some pictures if it helps. Unfortunately there are defects ALL over the ceiling, so I reckon about 25 - 30% of it is going to need easi fill on and then a rub down. My concern was that where a lot of easi fill was put on the ceiling might "bulge" ever after being rubbed down.

Ceilings are a nightmare - even with supermatt paint the light is so unforgiving.

Thanks again.

 

[stevethespreader]

Thanks for the advice.

The ceiling is about 8 metres by 4 metres.

I can't have it reskimmed for a number of reasons. First, I have floor to ceiling glass windows and the ceiling (having already been reskimmed once) is now below the level of the windows. I know that a plasterer could try and compensate for this but realistically I can't ever see it looking that good. It doesn't look great now to be honest, the ceiling sort of connects straight into the glass rather than sitting flush with the window frame. Plus the ceilings are not that high and we would lose more ceiling height.

The other main reason is that we are living here - it's a one bedroom flat and both the living room and bedroom ceilings have been plastered. The prospect of having major plastering work done for a third time is just too much - the wife is going to divorce me! The building project was supposed to take 6 weeks originally and be completed by March 2011. Here we are over six months later (the original builders were a disaster) and the place still isn't finished. It's taken a massive toll on our personal lives and, while I want the job doing to a good standard, I can't keep having stuff redone forever.

So you reckon some easifill might do the job? I can post some pictures if it helps. Unfortunately there are defects ALL over the ceiling, so I reckon about 25 - 30% of it is going to need easi fill on and then a rub down. My concern was that where a lot of easi fill was put on the ceiling might "bulge" ever after being rubbed down.

Ceilings are a nightmare - even with supermatt paint the light is so unforgiving.

Thanks again.

i sympathize i know what its like to have some bad work done in your home, the ridges you are on about would have to be mostly sanded down or scraped back but other than that the easifill should get rid of most blemishes and wont look like there are bulges everywhere if done right, also it dont sound right that the skim is literally touching the glass, this is bound to cause cracks as the window is opened and closed? if it was to be skimmed again a good spread could taper it in there so no more thickess is added or what about running a small plastice bead along the window to seperate the plaster from the window (just some thoughts from me), yes some pictures would be good to look at, a few pics of the bad work and espec where the skim meets the window

 

[mas0282]

The plaster doesnt crack because the windows are fixed. I really appreciate the thoughts but I'm afraid getting it re-skimmed is a no go because of all the upheaval.

Here are some pictures of the work - it's difficult to take good pictures but to put this into perspective these are photos of some quite large areas of the ceiling.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68705890@N02/6249331991/in/photostream/

My main concern with easi fill is that, at the moment, the light shows up "bumps" across the ceiling where I think it has already been filled (the plasterer did a load of filling after the mist coat). I'm just worried that lots more easi fill with = lots more bumps. Is it really possible to get a ceiling flat with enough sanding?

 

[Alastairreid]

For the sake of a few hours upheaval it would be worth while getting both ceilings reskimmed properly you are a long time looking at them.

And just to add! anyone leaving a job like that has no right to call themselves a tradesman.

 

[stevethespreader]

The plaster doesnt crack because the windows are fixed. I really appreciate the thoughts but I'm afraid getting it re-skimmed is a no go because of all the upheaval.

Here are some pictures of the work - it's difficult to take good pictures but to put this into perspective these are photos of some quite large areas of the ceiling.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68705890@N02/6249331991/in/photostream/

My main concern with easi fill is that, at the moment, the light shows up "bumps" across the ceiling where I think it has already been filled (the plasterer did a load of filling after the mist coat). I'm just worried that lots more easi fill with = lots more bumps. Is it really possible to get a ceiling flat with enough sanding?

these are pictures after he has snagged it with easifill? and your ceiling is over 30m2 with 30% of it like that? you can snag only snag so much with easifill of course you could improve it but i would recommend a reskim it would actually be quicker? done in 1 morning and also with the results you want, get a spread that knows how to use a pair of stilts its going to be a lot less hassle and messy than easifilling and sanding and having a crap finish you will have dust everywhere if you do that, i know you have chosen 2 crap spreads already and would be very wary about hiring a 3rd (who could after all be another numpty) but i may be able to take that worry away for you, i would love to help you out but ive got tennis elbow at the moment , but i know another spread and like me he travels and london would be no object, but i would have to see if hes free or when hes free the lads even had his work featured on grand design 30m2 ceiling is no prob have a think about it

 

[stevethespreader]

The plaster doesnt crack because the windows are fixed. I really appreciate the thoughts but I'm afraid getting it re-skimmed is a no go because of all the upheaval.

Here are some pictures of the work - it's difficult to take good pictures but to put this into perspective these are photos of some quite large areas of the ceiling.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68705890@N02/6249331991/in/photostream/

My main concern with easi fill is that, at the moment, the light shows up "bumps" across the ceiling where I think it has already been filled (the plasterer did a load of filling after the mist coat). I'm just worried that lots more easi fill with = lots more bumps. Is it really possible to get a ceiling flat with enough sanding?

these are pictures after he has snagged it with easifill? and your ceiling is over 30m2 with 30% of it like that? you can snag only snag so much with easifill of course you could improve it but i would recommend a reskim it would actually be quicker? done in 1 morning and also with the results you want, get a spread that knows how to use a pair of stilts its going to be a lot less hassle and messy than easifilling and sanding and having a crap finish you will have dust everywhere if you do that, i know you have chosen 2 crap spreads already and would be very wary about hiring a 3rd (who could after all be another numpty) but i may be able to take that worry away for you, i would love to help you out but ive got tennis elbow at the moment , but i know another spread and like me he travels and london would be no object, but i would have to see if hes free or when hes free the lads even had his work featured on grand design 30m2 ceiling is no prob have a think about it

just to add theres a young boy that comes on here that loves ceilings and works the london area

 

[mas0282]

thanks for the replies. i understand that it will take ages and be very messy to snag using easi fill, but i guess my question was is it possible to improve the finish. i know that a reskim is the sensible option, but if that cant be done, if the situation can be improved with easi fill

i think 30% of the ceiling will need attention, maybe 20%. not all of it is as bad as the photo i showed you - that';s the worst area

easi fill is messy but when we had the plastering done that was really messy as well? i mean there was dust everywhere, so even if i had it reskimmed surely it wont be that much cleaner?

 

[mas0282]

and sorry - to be clear, no, he hasnt snagged it with easi fill yet. he did some filling after the mist coat but this was at night (which i thought was daft but he was trying to help out because the painter was here moaning that he couldnt get on with the ceilings).

he has offered to come back and snag it properly in the daylight now that it's been painted and all of the defects are apparent.

 

[stevethespreader]

when we had the plastering done that was really messy as well? i mean there was dust everywhere, so even if i had it reskimmed surely it wont be that much cleaner?

mas ill sum your ceiling up in a nutshell its poor work and you should not be paying the plasterer for that kind of work i wouldent even let him back in through my front door let alone come back and do more work for me im sorry the overall finish that is going to be left after he has snagged it will be far from satisfactory, also there should not have been loads of mess while they was plastering, think about it 30% of your ceiling works out @ nearly 10m2 thats a lot of snagging and easifill no good spread would leave a ceiling looking like that and make a mess at the same time, not all plasterers are messy so and sos lol, dont go thinking that every plasterer is like him, btw why is the light hole that big?

 

[joe-90]

Bet he was a foreigner. It's awful. Absolute rubbish. Skim it again - it's not hard to do it right.

 

[paul78]

Take the advice given and get it reskimmed!

Your always going to be looking up and i guarantee it will wreck your head.

Sounds to me that he took on something out of his depth so its his problem to get it sorted, id be gettin your a refund towards a proper job.

How much did the ceiling cost??

 

[stevethespreader]

i have been thinking about this a bit more and i have never come across a ceiling that comes out directly onto the glass of a window has anybody else? was the ceiling overboarded and thats why its down low? and surly if the skims touching the window it is going to get affected by the hot and cold weathers when the window gets hot and cold ect

 

[mas0282]

Thanks for all the comments. I guess reskimming it is the best option but it will have to wait for a bit, there's no way the wife would let me do it now. From what you've all said, it should be a fairly quick job and not too messy, so when I'm back in the good books, I can move our stuff out of the room and get it redone. Of course, having been let down twice, I'm going to find it quite difficult to trust someone now,

He wasn't a foreigner - I got him through mybuilder, he had 90 positive comments (100% positive). I read his reviews in detail, it's not like all the jobs he had done were small. He did some other work and it was good. I think the reality is just that the ceiling was too big for him to do on his own.

Using him wasn't cheap (I am in London), but I went for him because of all the positive feedback. I can't break down exactly what he charged for the two ceilings but it was about £600.

People might say that it was a mistake using mybuilder but I'm not sure how someone in London who doesnt have any friends who've had building work done can get a recommended tradesman? I had the flat refurbished, I used an architect, the architect RECOMMENDED the builders I used first time and they were absolutely terrible!

Steve - sorry if I've confused you. When I referred to the window, it's a glass partition wall. So it's all fixed.