Plaster jointing tape showing

myhooose

Hi,

I've just had a £1100 of plastering done and on whole I'm pleased with the job. As I've never had any plastering done before I'm not sure what level of finish is acceptable. In some areas the scrim tape shows through and can be felt when running a finger over it. Is this considered normal for plastering or do you think I should ask the plaster to fix it? He quoted a week to do the job but has done it in 4 days.

He also replaced some coving and there is a step between the new and old where it has been butted together. Am I being too picky?

sallyrsm

I've just done a week's plastering course at College (to see if I fancied doing my City and Guilds) and I can tell you that even as a total novice, leaving the scrim tape visible / feelable is not acceptable.

If you can see/feel the tape there is not a thick enough skim coat on. Everything should be smooth.

If you were in Lincolnshire I'd come and touch it up for you... I could do with the practise!!

mvteng

No your not being too picky. That sounds pretty bad

DVardysShadow

If scrim can be felt or seen it is wrong, but sometimes you can see an image of it due to how the plaster has gone off, which is OK [IMO].

Bear in mind if you emulsion it, many blemishes will disappear.

myhooose

Thanks for the replys

In some areas I can definiatley feel the scrim. I think I'm going to ask him to put it right. Is it an easy job to do?

jason_s_2

If you can feel the scrim tape get him back to sort it, he hasn't put the skim on thick enough, and to be honest i would be a bit cautious as to if he has put the 2 coats on. Did you see him do any of the work?
Thats just bloody shoddy workmanship and lazyness.

myhooose

Unfortunatley I did not see him when he was doing the work so don't know if he applied 1 or 2 coats.

misgrace

I agree with all above it is shoddy workmanship, I come across this quite a lot as a P&D, by then the plasterers have had thier money and off, and I know they are not going to come back just to touch up a bit of scrim.

You might have to fix it yourself, it is easy, I know its not down to you, but the chances of getting them back are zero lol, let me know how you get on,and if no joy from them, I will tell you how to sort it out.

aliasojo

This kind of thing is exactly why I do so much in the house myself now. It's getting harder and harder to find people who care enough about their work to do a good job.

I wouldn't be happy about the tape OR the coving, you're definitely not being picky. A bit of care and time spent could easily have blended the join. Obviously not interested in doing a quality job when an in and out version is quicker.

dave82_2

Sorry to bring back an ancient thread but I have a releated question!

Our plumbers plasterer has done the bathroom and there is one bit that the scrim tape shows through. Hoping it is just showing through as the plaster goes off.

How would I go about fixing it if I need to paint before the plasterer can come back to fix it? Somone said "You might have to fix it yourself, it is easy"

What would I do?

misgrace

lol this is an old thread, I was the one that said it

Wait till plaster goes off first, and if you still can see the material of the scrim, then knock up some filler, not the readymade stuff its a nightmare to sand down, spread the filler over where you can see the scrim, and feather the edges, meaning spread out the filler at the edges.
When dry, get an old worn piece of sandpaper and gently sand the filler, if you still see any of the scrim, do it again, but it should cover it in the first fill.