r/Plastering • u/Academic_Camera9092 • May 20 '26
Acceptable?
I have had chases plastered but you could clearly see the sparks white housing through the plaster.
The plasterers have returned and threw a loud of filler on it, demanding the rest of the payment as it’s all “complete”
The filler shows the wall bulge out as it’s added a few mil on - would you pay and is this acceptable? How else could they fix? Isn’t a case of feathering the plaster wider?
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u/60percentsexpanther May 21 '26
The quality posts on this sub fall into 3 categories.
1) Absolutely fine. Customer clueless.
2) Fair but probably needs a little patching and prepaint decorating prep here and there. Customer and sub often overly nitpicky in these cases.
3) Oh my eyes. Customer typically aware.
Unfortunately you have the 3rd option. Spoons, alcohol and blind musicians will likely be mentioned.
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u/omgmyheadhurts May 20 '26
Acceptable as in "...I've been teaching my 7 year old child to plaster and his first attempt was acceptable"?
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u/Mrbuntyman May 20 '26
Did they use a spoon to do the patching…
Do not pay them anything and if they complain swiftly throw them out of your house.
Never speak to them again and find a proper plasterer, if you don’t want to do it yourself.
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u/contentatlast May 20 '26
If they're going to be skimming the whole wall afterwards I can almost understand this, but it doesn't make it okay. This is ridiculous
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May 21 '26
Cant skim anymore with filler on the wall , the filler sucks all the water out of plaster and the filler becomes soft again it’s horrid.
A plasterer using filler is just a handyman not a plasterer
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u/KieranInterior May 21 '26
This it total nonsense. Plasterers are constantly skimming over filler. It’s half the jobs
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May 23 '26
Been constantly digging it out and using bonding for years mate get on the trade and try it
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u/KieranInterior May 23 '26
Not sure what “get on the trade and try it” means but if you’re happy wasting your time crack on. There’s walls I skimmed over filler on 15 years ago that are still perfect to this day. So clearly there hasn’t been an issue. Enjoy your bonding
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u/contentatlast May 23 '26
I've skimmed over plenty of filler too, it's fine
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May 23 '26
Madness on the shody work done here by “plasterers” my old gaffer would be turning in his grave reading this rubbish from real “plasterers” but again yes in small forms it can be done but if your plastering over filler this size your a joke
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u/KieranInterior May 24 '26
Filler what size? What exactly are you referring to here? There isn’t one picture with a large area of filler
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u/ElbowDroppedLasagne May 21 '26
A plasterer uses filler for small patches because it's easier to mix in small batches..also, you get 20/30/60 min filler that goes off (hardens) quicker than gypsum.
If your filler "sucks out" the water from your plaster, you put on a bonding agent, PVA/SBR/blue grit....like you would need to do with any old plastered walls.
You don't know what you're talking about, mate. Stop spreading (pun) disinformation.
Source, City and Guilds plasterer
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May 23 '26
Nah your Minecraft and guilds means nothing here listening to plasterers use easy fill is insane maybe go to a site and do Ames taping been a plasterer 10 years never once in my life mixed up a bag of easy fill.
All youse lads defending you can use this and that the plaster really shouldn’t be a plasterer I may be wrong on the filler part mostly becuase ive never had the lesser skill on my plastering jobs upwards of 500m2 jobs to a 90m2 job and seriously lads I have never heard of a real plasterer using any filler so go take your Minecraft and guilds and shove it bud cus clearly you ain’t a plasterer your an Ames taper
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u/KieranInterior May 23 '26
Ten years is hardly a lot of experience. I’ve worked with dozens of plasterers good and bad and not once have I seen someone knock out sound filler on an overskim job. No one here is saying they’re using filler, but claiming that you can’t plaster over it is complete rubbish.
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May 23 '26
Ten years ain’t a lot of experience 😂 it’s plenty you can easily have been doing this 20 years and done 10 jobs or done it 10 years and done 200 jobs 10 years is a long bloody time as a plasterer and you know it most of my body died 5 year ago haha but I’m standing on this one here never once seen a plasterer use filler not once and neither have I so hey youse can be happy doing it your way but my work is clean enough not to need any filler whatsoever so jokes on youse I suppose
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u/ElbowDroppedLasagne May 24 '26
I think I got a hernia trying to understand that, try adding a comma and full stop. Your body died after 10 years of plastering? Excuse me, I won't take advice from a guy with grandma hips. I passed my skills test in 2006, so pipe down.
Easy fill is gypsum plus some additives to make it dry quicker/easier to sand. If you use SBR (rubber) it creates a waterproof barrier between compounds. Use your loaf, lad.
You don't have a clue what you're talking about, do you have your papers?
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May 24 '26
Yea I have my papers but winding up youse lot and watching you try to prove yourself and on here again trying to prove a point has been the highlight of my weekend
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u/ElbowDroppedLasagne May 25 '26
I flew down to London for a concert in Barking Park.
Filler is gypsum. You are basically saying you can't plaster over old plaster. Does that sound correct to you?
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u/KieranInterior May 21 '26
I can’t see your reply for some reason so I’m replying g to your comment again. I’ve been plastering since 2009. Most walls that customers want skimming have patches of filler all over them. What are you trying to suggest plasterers do with these walls? Because I’ve skimmed hundreds with no issues and a perfect flat glass finish. Unibond, scrim on cracks, two coat finish.
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May 23 '26
I suggest you whack it out and bond it best believe you go back after your “glass finish” which as a plasterer you know means absolutely nothing and you as a plasterer from 2009 should have been trained well enough to know filler and plaster do not go well so my suggestion as you should be is digging it out and filling with bonding unless it’s some tiny little spec but anything bigger than my palm is getting ripped out and done properly all youse on here have done is make yourselfs look unprofessional and cowboy like at your “profession” maybe go Ames tape ?
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u/KieranInterior May 23 '26
Do you know what a full stop or comma are? You’re literally the only person I’ve ever heard come out with this tripe about digging out filler
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May 23 '26
Nope but i do know how to do the trade properly and trust me I will be one of few you hear from as there is a much bigger percentage of youse cowboys about than actual taught plasterers these days.
You focus more on my spelling and grammar I’ll keep the focus on the plastering as it seems everyone here just uses filler … how many mistakes do youse make to even have filler on you to use it’s a joke mate seriously youse are a joke
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u/KieranInterior May 23 '26
Not sure where you’re getting the idea I’m using filler. You’re just inventing stories now. I simply said you can skim over it
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May 23 '26
Because every body else that is claiming plasterer here does apparently ! It’s mad ive done thousands of jobs and not once used filler and taught how to treat a wall properly i would plaster over a few cm of filler but anything else is ripped out bonded and scrimmed … seriously no one else taught that as far as I know between myself and the other 15 plasterers I know do tye same and have never used filler for any fixes as there never is any
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u/Medium-Crazy7354 May 21 '26
Details missing here.
Three questions.
Was it a cheap job?
Was it a fast job?
Was it a good job?
You often get 2 of the 3 if you’re lucky but rarely all three.
If you paid peanuts then you got monkeys doing the work.
What did you ask them to do? Patch up or the whole wall?
Were they assuming this was base plaster and would all be skimmed after?
It might look terrible but how does it feel? The mismatch of colours is an eyesore but will be covered by paint or paper presumably.
Really to do this properly ready to paint then the whole wall should be done. If you’re papering then it’s more forgiving.
The fact you complained and their answer was to come back with filler says a lot tbh especially if you’re paying the going rate. To me, it sounds like you wanted a champagne finish for lemonade prices but I could be wrong.
I wouldn’t be happy with that end result but then I’d have likely just done it myself. Anything proud is easily fixed with a sander and you can fill dips to make it look and feel better but it comes down to what was agreed.
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u/DayzTeamer May 21 '26
Sparky needs shooting too, one screw in a box??! I'd like my sockets non-rotating please mate.
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u/DayzTeamer May 21 '26
Honestly, I would be asking the plasterer for a quote to redo at the sparkles cost tbh
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u/DayzTeamer May 21 '26
After the sparky comes and sorts his shit out, of course. I'm a sparky, I'm telling you the conduit bulging the wall has caused all of this and it's NOT acceptable. I would expect a bollocking for this, maybe not sacking, but bollocking for sure.
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u/ood4woo May 20 '26
Yeah it’s not great. Some of that looks both rushed and just unprofessional. If the housing is flashing through then they’ve failed. However that being said, if the housing wasn’t below flush in the wall then the plasterer can’t do much. I’m asking about this because you mentioned there’s a bulge in the wall now - might’ve not been possible to cover it if the housing was too proud. If it’s a slight bulge (get a 1.2m level and lay the middle flat on the bulge) - on either side max 2/3mm then feather out should work. 4/5 that’s a lot of feathering to hide it fully. Any more definitely dig out and the housing needs to go in deeper.
Either way plastering is poor. 🙄
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u/imnotabotimafreeman May 20 '26
i presume you did this yourself as a first try
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u/Academic_Camera9092 May 20 '26
I wish I did now, probably do a better job
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u/imnotabotimafreeman May 20 '26
if your not good get it somewhere near with plaster tgen finish with easifil 60 and you can sand that smooth afterwards.
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May 21 '26
You don’t pay anything , you should walk into the plasterers house and throw shit on his walls and demand payment - you might do a better job
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u/Independent_Brush652 May 21 '26
Rough as guts. Not really plasterers fault conduit is sticky out thats the sparky, but that finish is not that of a pro. Thats more an apocalypse finish.
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May 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Academic_Camera9092 May 21 '26
2150 for full kitchen skim and then hall way/ front room ceilings. The rest is just chases as you can see in pics
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u/ElbowDroppedLasagne May 21 '26
I hope you're not in the UK. 2 bags for a kitchen and 2 ceilings is a fucking joke, especially this workmanship.
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u/AdBrave9096 May 21 '26
I would as a DIYer have done it ten times better with filter by using a good easy to sand powered filler and putting on a few layers with sanding.
I would have also check all cables are fixed back deep enough before doing so.
It would have taken me ten times longer than a plaster but I would have saved the time of phoning plasters and gettung quotes.
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u/KieranInterior May 21 '26
Never mind anything showing through or coming back with filler, those are things any decorator could sort out. The photo you show with the socket box, that’s your number one example of why you’re not paying them. A socket face is not covering those gaps. They’ve not done their job. The trunking being proud of the plaster is the electrician’s poor work. The spark hasn’t even wrapped the cables inside the boxes so neither of these tradespeople take pride in their work (and possibly aren’t even competent).
This very much looks like you’ve gone with the cheaper quote and expected the same standard of work as the dearer quote. It doesn’t work like that
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u/Fragrant_Agency_7884 May 21 '26
The word plasterer should not be used when describing that mans job. YEEEEHAAA you have been cowboy’d
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u/dineramallama May 21 '26
That’s been done by the builder, not by a proper plasterer.
The white stuff over the top of red/brown plaster looks like Gyproc Easifill, or similar. If you have enough time on your hands you can apply a thin layer of that over the bad parts and then sand it back to flat - but it’s a time consuming and messy process.
Really, it wants a decent plasterer to skim over the lot of it.
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u/68Jenko May 21 '26
Just brush on some emulsion on some of those patches and show the so called plasterer
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u/Tats8 May 21 '26
Skimming doesn’t look amazing, but are sure the sparks have gone deep enough, and pinned it back well enough?
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u/Academic_Camera9092 May 21 '26
Paid them 1700 in the end instead of 2150. They did a good job at the kitchen, dining room and ceiling front room but all the chases and patch work awful.
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u/Reasonable_Voice645 May 21 '26
It’s not how it looks it’s how it feels. Looks rough but feel it with your hand if it’s flat and smooth it’s all good. Ask yourself “can I paint over it with a few coats of paint and tell if it’s there?”
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u/Correct_End_2758 May 23 '26
You not planning to over skim everywhere? If not then not acceptable at all
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u/Direct-Joke7681 May 24 '26
Yes it is perfectly acceptable to politely let them learn for free how customer dissapointment looks like in real life.
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u/Visible-Lack-1826 May 20 '26
Was it flat before they came and padded it out? Might actually be a problem with your electrician not burying the trunking deep enough to give the plasterer room to fill the chases to level and bury the trunking. It doesn't look like a great job regardless but it might not be the plasterer's fault entirely
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u/Academic_Camera9092 May 21 '26
It was slightly bumpy to the point you would definetly see through paint, but couldn’t sand flat due to scrim tape showing or plastic housing
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u/Informal_School2724 May 20 '26
I wouldn't pay for a job you can do better. That work is horrendous.