Plasterer ruined carpets

DLG1981

I had some work done over the weekend where the plasterer has taken down, re boarded and skimmed one ceiling. He has left the carpet an absolute state not just in that room but on the hallway and stairs that were only laid in October. The job was supposed to cost £550 and he has said he wants £300 for materials and he will knock off the rest to get the carpets clean and said he can “guarantee” all of this black dust engrained in the carpets will come out with a professional clean. I understand there is no way of preventing the dust settling elsewhere in the house but I am reluctant to pay anything until knowing whether the mess he has made will come out rather than having to replace carpet. He has stated he doesn’t have any liability insurance, which stupidly I didn’t check beforehand. Where do I stand on this one? 

twopenny

I think before you pay you need to ask a professional carpet cleaner for his advice.

It's impossible to say from a photograph what sort of stuff it is or how well it's stuck.

Professional cleaners can do amazing things but not the impossible.

On the up side, if it can be cleaned you have your new ceiling and spotless carpet for £300!

DLG1981

The plasterer said it was a lath and plaster ceiling that he has taken down so all the black dust has fallen from above as a result of that. Looks like soot built in the loft that has come down but I would have thought he should have ensured the floors were fully covered before starting the work but he just used a very thin layer of plastic sheeting that has obviously torn throughout the work 😫. He is now threatening to come and pull down the ceiling if I don’t pay for the materials and with it just being me and the kids living in the house I’m feeling backed in to a corner a bit 

stuart45

Don't be intimidated by a thug. He's not allowed to enter your house, and damage your property. There isn't £300's worth of materials in that ceiling. He should be ashamed of that amount of mess. Totally unnecessary. A certain amount of dust around is normal when taking a ceiling down. 
However the carpets may well clean up from that type of dust.

Doozergirl

If that is a manmade carpet then it will almost certainly clean up.  

Of course it isn't good enough, if that was my
house I'd have pulled the carpet up and had it relaid rather than attempt to cover it in the first place, but we are where we are and it probably isn't as bad as it looks.  

Get it looked at by the carpet cleaning pros.  

DLG1981

I was definitely expecting a bit of dust but to be honest didn’t expect him to be fully taking the ceiling down, I thought it was just a reboard and skim so didn’t think it would cause anywhere near that amount of mess so my error as well in not getting a full understanding of what he was doing. I wouldn’t have thought of having to take the carpet up in the hallway and stairs though and they are more of a concern given how new they are and not exactly cheap 😫
As long as they clean up then that’s fine but I’m just wondering if I’ll have any comeback to him if I pay materials and then it doesn’t come clean, especially if he doesn’t have any insurance. Thanks for all the advice though 👍🏻

GrubbyGirl_2

How much of it will vacuum up if it's old soot it should look better afterwards.  That will give you an idea as to how hard it will be for a professional cleaner.  Maybe ask the plasterer to come when the cleaner comes and agree you'll pay for the full job minus what the carpet cleaner will cost?  That really is a mess to be honest.  I had my whole house replastered and because I was replacing all the carpets we kept them down so all that had to be done was remove the carpets when it was all done.  Because of that my plasterers didn't use any protection and they weren't half as dirty as that

ThisIsWeird

Good news:

1) He got rid of the old L&P ceiling.

2) The cost was a not-at-all unreasonable £550.

3) You ain't paid him yet!

4) He did a good job of the ceiling. Pleeeezzz tell us he did a good job of the ceiling at least!

5) He accepts he made a mess, and is expecting only £300 for the job. Hopefully that means he's also learned a lesson, and will use proper dust sheets from now on...

Bad news:

1) He doesn't sound all that apologetic; he's making 'excuses', such as L&P ceilings are dirty. Yup, anyone who has taken one of them down knows exactly how horrible they are - decades or more of accumulated dust and debris. Hellish. BUT, that's why you use proper dust sheets, and not thin rip-as-soon-as-you-look-at-it polythene.

2) He has now resorted to tired old threats and bullying. Aw maaan - why did he have to do that

So, where do you stand? Hopefully not in that mess - boom-boom... (I'm ashamed)

How are you communicating with him at the moment - by phone? Text? Messenger? I suggest a nice, calm, message that makes it clear you will sort this 'in the right manner', but will not be harassed or threatened into doing so; If he tries another threat, you will contact the local police (yes, his would be a threat of 'trespass with criminal damage' - a 'crime').

"Hi Mr Spread. I am pleased with the actual work you have done (if true), and your quote for that work was fair. However, as you know, a significant mess has been left behind, much of it on new carpets, and this is as a direct result of you not protecting these surfaces properly with proper sheeting before beginning the work; I KNOW it's messy work, but the mess should not have gotten on to my carpets. Give me a few days in order to get an assessment of the possible damage, and quotes for a professional clean. I will get back to you with what will be a fair arrangement based on this."

And just get it done. If he threatens again to come into your house uninvited, or if he turns up at your doorstep and won't go away, then you DO call the local Bobby, there and then, right in front of him (get '101' on speed dial if it helps). I doubt what he's saying about taking down your ceilings is a genuine or even realistic threat, but the twit needs to know he MUSTN'T say such things.

Get professional carpet cleaners to come in and assess the work, and provide quotes. For the walls and bannisters, get some cloths and cleaning liquids, and it'll almost certainly come good with very little effort. To be honest, I doubt it's actually possible to bring down an old ceiling, and stick up new boards, without some of it biffing the walls, and a 'spread' isn't going to be doing any redecorating afterwards. You will need a painter for the ceiling in any case, won't you?  A 'pro' would have made all this clear from the outset, tho'.

So, don't be pressurised. Don't be intimidated. Be calm and factual with the guy; "I am sorting it. I will do the right thing. Now, do NOT harass me!"

As a standby - do you have Legal Protection included in your house insurance?

DLG1981

Thanks so much for the feedback, really useful! Thankfully yes he did a really good job of the ceiling so no complaints there. A hoover up with little old Henry didn’t get much of it up but fingers crossed for a professional clean on it 🤞🏻.  

I’m communicating by text to ensure I have it all in writing so will go back with a text like the one you have suggested, thanks so much! If all else fails, yes I do have legal protection with the house insurance. In the meantime I will continue with operation cleanup on the rest of the house. Thanks all for your help and advice!!

ThisIsWeird

Cool.

Almost certainly, this will work out ok. Good ceiling, and clean floors