Plastering pointers/questions

lastbuilders

Hi,



I am doing a self build and am getting some quotations from plasterers. I have asked them if I can look at some of the jobs they have done and wondered if anyone could give me some pointers for things to look out for, questions to ask etc?



Any help appreciated as I will be deciding on this in the next week or so.



Lastbuilders

The Hill Billy

If you get to view some of their work (& remember that they'll only show you their best stuff!) - things that I'd look out for would be:

General quality of walls & ceilings - no visible joins where plasterboard slabs meet, no screw/nail depressions, no chipped plaster or scrapes, etc.
Quality of angle finishes - ceiling/wall joins & corners, window reveals, no visible angle beading, etc.
Finishes around sockets, light switches.

If the house-holder is there when you're having a look - ask them for their opinion of the quality. Also ask them what the plasterer was like when working there. Were they tidy workers? Did they clean up after themselves, etc.? Chances are if the guy takes a sloppy attitude to working that his work will be sloppy too.

Hope this helps...

Salem

Good advise there Hill Billy,
Could you tell us how a plasterer charges for their work and give me a rough idea on how much per sq. meter ?? ... I will need one on a new house soon ... Is it advisable to get the same guy to do an external render finish ??
One other thing ... This render that has a dye in it and suppost to have a different but very nice finish ... Is it any good ?? Is it any more expensive ??
Cheers

Carb

Also, try to se the plastering with the lights on. My brother didn't realise how bad the plastering was until he turned on the lights after he got power. The light on the ceiling shows every ripple and dip.

The Hill Billy

Salem wrote:

Could you tell us how a plasterer charges for their work and give me a rough idea on how much per sq. meter ??

I've recently received a quote of €10 per sqm for skimming a bedroom. I know the guy well & he's a top notch plasterer. Very tidy too. He's based in Skerries if that's of any use.

Salem wrote:

Is it advisable to get the same guy to do an external render finish ??

If your guy does a decent job on skimming I would say that his external rendering would be good too.

Salem wrote:

This render that has a dye in it and suppost to have a different but very nice finish ... Is it any good ?? Is it any more expensive ??
Cheers

What sort of render is it? (Sand & cement with a dye?)
Do you mean more expensive to purchase or more expensive for the plasterer to apply?

The Hill Billy

And by the way - get a cost for the entire job.
Don't fall into the trap of paying a daily rate like I did once.
I paid a bloody fortune for a crap job that the schyster dragged on & on.
I ended up kicking him off the job & finished the job myself (never plastered before). Ya live & learn...

Also, if you can - hold off paying the plasterer in full until you've at least put an undercoat on your new walls & ceilings. This really brings up any blemishes too.

Salem

Hill Billy,
Sorry about the bad description but the stuff I'm talking about is
www.k-rend.co.uk/flash.htm ... Believe its a bit more expensive but have ye' heard of anybody using it ??
By the way do you have a contact number for this guy ?? I might like to take a look at his work ...
I'm over near Blanchardstown ...
Cheers ...

The Hill Billy

Salem:

Which of the products are you thinking of using? Brickrend?

Not sure if my guy does this work. Will be seeing him Friday & will run it by him then. (Blanch may be a bit out of his way but will ask him anyway.)

Salem

Hill Billy,
The Scraped Texture is what I'm after ... Even if your mate hasn't used this, he might give his opinion on it ...
Thanks for that ..

The Hill Billy

Are you thinking of the silicone-based render? Any particular reason?

What about using sand & cement with Sika (http://www.sika.ie/ie-con/ie_con_pro_concrete) & a concrete dye?

What area are you looking to have rendered?

Salem

Brickwork up to bedroom windows and render on up to roof level ... Gable end will be rendered fully with just a brick soldier course half way up ...
No particular reason for the silicone stuff ... Just thought it looked like a finish which would never require maintenance ...

O-Ninio

Reveals are very important and at the heads of doors some especially in modern apartment block run at very funny angles you may not notice it immediately but if you put a blind in the window look at the distance between the top of the blind at the left and right side and there can be quite a difference.
If you get a plasterer who will clean up after themselves that is all the better but sometimes unheard of some of them like to plaster everything in sight.
It is definately worth getting a quality skim coat though a fella we sometimes use is €250 a day but worth every penny because of the quality but acts like a god does not clean up etc.

The Hill Billy

My guy is around €350 per day.
He's clean, but is that worth the extra €100?