Ceiling skimmed over artex, not quite the finish I expected

49IM

I had some plastering done as part of a larger job, and it went over an artex ceiling. This is the finish I've found today after completion - almost the entire ceiling has the pattern still visible on it and in much of it I can feel the ridges if I touch it. The pictures are pretty bad from my phone, but you get the idea.

To put it in context, I paid £1000 for:

> removal of 3m x 2.4m of single-skin blockwork wall, disposal of waste
> move lightswitch, move socket (4m of chases total) and make good to plaster finish
> skim entire ceiling (3.5m x 3m)

In retrospect, the cost seems hugely excessive and I could have done the demolition and disposal myself in a day with a skip, then got a proper plasterer in (these guys are general builders). I have currently paid them £500 (he asked for it half way through) and have received a bill for the remainder. Bit of an odd decision from a life-long DIY penny-pincher but my mind was on other projects and I wanted it done, I guess.

I would like to know 1) if this finish is the best we expect over artex and 2) if not, how to carefully approach the subject of righting it, without attracting grief or causing more problems.


Any guidance is appreciated,

redmalc

We had a similar job done last year and the plasterer reboarded the ceiling first before he plastered and the cost was £600 for a 6m x 4m ceiling

glasgowdan

Plasterers can get a smooth finish over artex. That is a job where they've simply not used enough multifinish. I'd get them back, being reasonable and pleasant about it.

TheCyclingProgrammer

I wouldn’t pay for the ceiling until the job has been done properly. If the artex was deep they probably should have given it a thin bonding coat first before skimming. I hope they PVA’d the ceiling first!