Quality of Plastering

[dishman]

Just thought I'd get a few opinions on the quality of this plastering job. The wall itself feels level. There are just a lot of these marks which have a slight roughness to them.

I assume that they will not be visible when decorated. The plasterer said they were normal and nothing to be concerned with.

The only annoyance is the straight lines before the bay are a bit wonky.

Thoughts? Good job? Poor job? Or just a competent job?

The area above the bay (the frame surround) had to be chopped away a lot as this was a weak area. On one side you can see a slightly raised square where they did not get it perfectly level. You can just see it in the first picture.

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[roughcaster]

Were they learners?? What a mesy looking job,, very poor.

 

[dishman]

What specifically about it is poor?

 

[motorbiking]

it's a half an hour job to give that a light rub with a sanding pad. I suspect it dried quicker than they hoped.

 

[dishman]

I think that was the case - they did mention that the walls (the ones that look worse) went off very quickly (much quicker than they expected they said). So that tallys with your assessment.

Would one expect the plasterer to do any remedial tidying? Or the decorator?

I let them do one room as a test. The rest of the house needs doing to, so I am using this to judge thier quality.

 

[roughcaster]

A good plasterer will NEVER blame the materials for a poor finish. He should be able to cope with the plaster going off quicker than usual,, we've all been there, There are blemishes visible in nearly every photograph. A good plasterer will always clean off the woodwork, window frames, and the sockets. A painter and decorator should NEVER have to correct/sand down a wall that has been plastered by a "plasterer". Overall Dishman, in my opinion, that is a poor looking job.

 

[dishman]

Appreciate your views roughcaster.

I have not paid them yet. What would you expect a good resolution to be to sort it?

 

[Bosswhite]

Appreciate your views roughcaster.

I have not paid them yet. What would you expect a good resolution to be to sort it?

You have not said how much you are being charged, how are we not to know it is a reasonable price ??

 

[dishman]

The invoice is for £608, which is on the mid to high end of the quotes I got. I do not know if you think that is excessive or cheap. But it was certainly in the ball park of the quotes I received.

The guy seemed to really care about his work, hence, I made my choice based on that. He also has some good local feedback.

That was for a fully plasterboarded ceiling and bay ceiling. And to chop out some of the bay reveal/frame (top part) and re-plaster. The rest of the walls were skimmed.

The room is 5.17m(l) (inc. bay) x 3.6m(w) x 2.5(h)

 

[motorbiking]

Before you get the rest of the house plastered, I'd suggest insulating the bays as they look like single skin walls. £50 worth of Celotex PL4000 (40-65mm) would make a big difference to damp and heat loss in the room.

 

[dishman]

I intend to insulate the bay when it is re-rendered on the outside.

So, the concensus is to ask the plasterer to bring the finish up to an appropriate standard before paying?

 

[Nozzle]

I don't see the detail in the photo, but it just looks like some plaster is darker and some is lighter.... but it's going to be painted or papered right? I could see you might grumble if you have edges not square and true (it's not possible to pick up that detail in the pictures) but anything else is just wingeing.

Nozzle

 

[dishman]

Appreciate the opinion Nozzle. That is really what I am trying to ascertain. With no experience of seeing multiple finished products, I am not sure what is considered an acceptable finish and/or what will be invisible once painted and is therefore just cosmetic.

The light areas have a slight different texture. It appears to be flat and level though.

The only wonky lines are the ones under the cill where the bay curve starts.

Should have this been tidied up by the plasterer? Should he have given it a quick sand down etc.

 

[roughcaster]

Bad blemishes will show up even after they are painted over. If you pay £600 for a job to be done, you expect it to be done right, and just to add, this is only "skimming", the easiest form of plastering,, also, multi finish plaster is not meant to be sanded down.

 

[dishman]

So what would the appropriate solution in this?

Would you deem it bad enough to withhold payment until rectified?

Here are some more close-up images:
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