Poor plastering job :(

Made_Without

Feel like they have really rushed it :mad:

Wall corners look rough and the there are some uneven patches on the walls and ceilings.

what kind of sandpaper can I use to smooth it off?

Also, it was completed yesterday and I hope to start decorating next weekend

What should I put before the paint? Something like this?
http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/z/ZINACOAT/

Seems pricey :eek:
Can I use a normal matt, gloss or eggshell paint on it?
What is a mist?
Do i need a primer or a base?

Clueless C*F

macman

Is this just a skim coat, or completely new plaster?
If new plaster, you can't paint it after a week-it needs to dry!
Why would you want to put gloss paint on a plaster wall?-the norm is emulsion of whatever finish you prefer.

Made_Without

macman wrote: »

Is this just a skim coat, or completely new plaster?
If new plaster, you can't paint it after a week-it needs to dry!
Why would you want to put gloss paint on a plaster wall?-the norm is emulsion of whatever finish you prefer.

The plasterer said it would be fine as long as the entire wall / ceiling is a pale pink rather than brown or patchy. Is this wrong? Not so happy with the job so don't know what to think.

The place is currently empty whilst I decorate etc. I have the heating come on 4x a day but the windows are all closed and the windows are dripping with water. Am really worried that the poor ventilation may cause problems.

So are you suggesting I can put the paint I want directly onto the plaster? Thought I'd read it needs some prep of some sort

C*F

keystone

1. If you are unhappy with the finish why did you pay him and in any event why isn't he being dragged back to correct the poor workmanship?

2. If hes skimmed it then you can paint after 24/48 hours. If its a complete replaster up from brickwork/blockwork then its four to six weeks.

3. You can't accelerate the process by heating it.

4. Use a mist coat for prepping the plaster. Use ordinary contract emulsion and thin it to 30% water 70% paint. The idea is that its thin enough to soak into the plaster but can just about still see the plaster like a milky coat. Sheds own brand paint is probably thin enough already - theres so much water in it!! For the second coat use your finish paint thinned by about 10% and the top coat as it comes.

Cheers

macman

You still haven't said if it's a skim coat or a replaster?
Leaving the heating on and the windows shut is pointless-how do you think the water vapour is going to disperse? You need to ventilate it with open windows, at least during the day.

Made_Without

keystone wrote: »

1. If you are unhappy with the finish why did you pay him and in any event why isn't he being dragged back to correct the poor workmanship?
Made mistake of using a family friend recommendation - I don't want to ruffle feathers if I can tidy up the bumps myself. Big lesson learned!

2. If hes skimmed it then you can paint after 24/48 hours. If its a complete replaster up from brickwork/blockwork then its four to six weeks.
walls are skimmed; ceiling has new plaster boards +plaster.

3. You can't accelerate the process by heating it.
The heating comes on for about an hour 4x a day - this is something I have been doing prior to the plaster - it's just so that the place doesn't get too cold.

4. Use a mist coat for prepping the plaster. Use ordinary contract emulsion and thin it to 30% water 70% paint. The idea is that its thin enough to soak into the plaster but can just about still see the plaster like a milky coat. Sheds own brand paint is probably thin enough already - theres so much water in it!! For the second coat use your finish paint thinned by about 10% and the top coat as it comes.
Thank you this is useful. Will find a cheap batch of emulsion to get started.

Cheers

macman wrote: »

You still haven't said if it's a skim coat or a replaster?
Leaving the heating on and the windows shut is pointless-how do you think the water vapour is going to disperse? You need to ventilate it with open windows, at least during the day.
Might be pointless - hence me coming to ask for advice. I cannot leave the windows open when the place in not lived in so I am in a bit of a sticky situation. I am not trying to accelerate the drying by heating as I explained below.

andrew-b wrote: »

You need to let the plaster dry as naturally at possible. The windows will stream with condensation but you need to keep wiping them down and let fresh air to circulate. Accelerating the drying process too much may cause it to craze and give you more hassles than it's worth - we had this with some patches of DIYed skimming that were in direct sunlight in the heat of a summer so dried out too quickly. You can get away with painting slightly sooner than some are saying provided you use the right paint such as gliddens contract matt or dulux supermatt (watered down as per instructions on side of tin) which will still allow the plaster to give up it's moisture to the room...though i would still wait for it to be visibly dry and not use your finishing colour until it's fully dried out. Basically you want to avoid using any paint with vinyl content before it's fully dried...and that included Dulux Rich Matt which still has vinyl content (though i've got away with it in the past it's not worth risking IMHO).

Thanks this is really useful! I feel a lot more armed with what I need to go buy.

In my experience with having plasterer's in the finish is rarely perfect though shouldn't be that far off..being too much of a perfectionist has it's downsides! I'd alway gently rub down your fresh plaster by hand with some sandpaper on a sanding block (use an offcut of wood to make your own) finishing up with a fine grade to take out any imperfections and if necessary use a fine surface filler to fill any nicks and re-sand. Worth the extra couple of hours of prep in my opinion..though it would of course be nicer to just be able to paint straight on. A couple of coats of emulsion will take out minor imperfections though plus give you a nice basecoat for your final choice of colour. But don't even think of putting sandpaper on it until it's visibly dry else you'll make it worse because it will be too soft still. Make sure you brush down the walls and wipe over with a damp cloth to remove all the dust before you paint having sanded them down.

Thanks! I bought some fine sandpaper today. I wont even attempt this til Saturday - hopefully a week in-between will ensure it's dry.
Will pop in and take a look tomorrow eve.

C*F

keystone

Made mistake of using a family friend recommendation - I don't want to ruffle feathers if I can tidy up the bumps myself. Big lesson learned!

Cheap then was it? I can imagine the conversation going something like this "Ouch that seems a lot I can't afford that! - well I can do it quickly for you one evening for x% less but it may not be perfect - yes OK that will be fine then."

Cheers

Made_Without

keystone wrote: »

Cheap then was it? I can imagine the conversation going something like this "Ouch that seems a lot I can't afford that! - well I can do it quickly for you one evening for x% less but it may not be perfect - yes OK that will be fine then."

Cheers

Actually no. £2350 - the price quoted. No ouch - no haggling for less. They could have quoted more if they wished. I have another thread that states what was involved- look it up; and the comments there were that the price was about right / expensive.
I went with the family friend as they came recommended.

They said it would take 6-10days and finished in 4 by 'bringing in more man-power' so that another job could be started this week.

Keystone - you can provide really great advice, so I wonder why you sometimes become nasty in your comments. If you work in the london / middlesex area feel free to pm me your details and I will gladly take you up to quote / do some work.

My only fault here is inexperience. I've never owned a place before and am trying to do it up - tackling some things myself by doing a whole heap of research; or calling in the so called experts.

C*F

macman

£2,350 for a skim and boarding the ceiling? What are the dimensions of the room?
There must have been more than that involved if it was 10 days for one man.
If the property is unoccupied (and presumably unfurnished) then can you not leave an upstairs window open?

keystone

Chocolate*fish wrote: »

Keystone - you can provide really great advice, so I wonder why you sometimes become nasty in your comments.

Oh it really wasn't supposed to be nasty at all and I'm truly sorry if you took it that way. Sometimes its necessary to dig a little in this way because on a forum like this you can't see the problem and you inevitably only get one side of the story. I hadn't cross-correlated the two threads - my bad for only having one braincell I guess.

Friend of friend or relative or or not then I stand by what I said before then if he should be asked to come back and rectify the faults.

My only fault here is inexperience.

Thats not a fault its a learning curve which we all go through from time to time. Actually none of us ever stop learning. The most important thing is never be too nice because it will cost you money. Like not feeling able to summon the guy back.

I always get very cross with my customers when they DON'T mention something they are not entirely happy about. Theres always a solution.

Cheers

Al1x

If the plaster has some big lumps on i scrape them off before sanding. I use a medium sandpaper as i find the fine sandpaper gets you nowhere! After sanding you should wash the dust off with a damp cloth. The first coat should be watered down, it will suck into the plaster and dry pretty quickly. This coat of paint will show up any imperfections that you can then correct with a bit of filler/sanding. I usually then do another watered down white coat then do a final coat in the chosen colour.

Hope this helps