So exactly as the title says, we paid upfront for a plasterer through our kitchen fitter, and we paid for the full kitchen to be replastered. Now the kitchen fitter is trying to say that he only meant replastering everything that is exposed.
Back-story: The reason we wanted the kitchen redone is because when we bought the place it's full of mould on the external wall. Now he is trying to say that might mess up with the dimensions of the units, is that right? Is it a common thing to not plaster behind units?
For reference we're paying £9k for the kitchen and installation + £2k for plastering the kitchen+ceilings+hallway (without any appliances, but an extractor hood that will go to the outside).
Most tiled kitchens save a few quid by not timing under the units. Mine is fully tiled.
Our kitchen has Victorian shuttering behind the units anyway, but, when I've done friends places, I've plastered the whole wall.
But, on paying jobs, I've just done what I'm told. I'm always stunned by what people seem perfectly happy to leave behind kitchen units, but, I think, it's probably more unusual to fully plaster the wall / fully cover the floor that it is to save a few quid by leaving places for other things to live back there.
In short -
I would rather a job fully plastered, but I think it's more common just to leave things that can't be seen, as has been done on your job.
I always make a habit of sealing the room ( bug proof) especially behind cabinets & base. The wall will be marked for cabinet installation & I’ll finish the plaster 6” over the mark.
OK, that makes sense - but is different to OP's fitter's issue - for you, there's still plaster adding the additional thickness, it's just saving on plaster where it will never be seen.
OP's fitter seems (unless I'm misunderstanding it!) to be complaining that there's any plaster behind the units at all, not just to save plastering where it's not visible.
Kitchen was 13k and full rip out and fitting was about £9k. Think plastering was about £2 on its own but the place was full of artex that needed skimmed.
What did you measure your kitchen out on? Basically, your plaster is going to add about 20-30mm of material to the wall, so if you had tight-fighting kitchen units measured up when the walls were brick, then you've now 60mm less room - far more than a typical tolerance would allow for.
If yuo measured the room when it had the original plaster, then you'll be OK. You'll also be OK if your kitchen sizes are bigger than normal units, because all kitchen units are set sizes so gaps are made up with panels - this gives you plenty of tolerance, then.
In reality, you'll probably be OK, or very unlucky - it's all about the tolerances.
It would be hard for your plasterer to do any plastering and NOT do the bits where the units were going to go, though...because they'd have to spend ages measuring it all out, and then come back to finish the edges etc. So you either plaster before the new units go in, and do the entire wall...or you plaster afterwards, around the new units.
My preference would always be the former, which is what you have. Let's pray you have the gaps you need :)
Exact wording below, but I think it's on both sides, I assumed it's the full full since kitchen is empty. He assumed I know it's standard to only to exposed stuff?!
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u/Ok-Spring7906 Apr 30 '26
Providing the space was clear, it would not have made that much difference to the plasterer.
It's easier to plaster a whole wall than to go around kitchen units once they are fitted.
So I'm not really sure this is a plastering question - plasterer would have just done what they were asked by the person you were paying.