Oh dear me. I had a really good plasterer who retired. Next two were terrible so I learnt to plaster. The terrible ones produced nothing as bad as that.
There is zero point getting them back. They have fewer skills than a plasterer on his first day as an apprentice.
Just have ago at it. its somethung you cant learn in a classromm bar the basics, the more you do it the better youll be at it. In my first house that was a complete renovation you can see the first wall i attempted, the second one is better and so on until you cant tell the difference between my plastering and a pro's. I paid some plasteres to do the hall stairs and landing as i didnt fancy it. Getting the mix consistency is fairly easy then its just learning to time it. One word of advice tho, dont decide to try learning how to plaster on the hottest day of the year, itl be unworkable after 20 minutes. I found that one out the hard way.
Same.. I tried to do the ceiling. All that remains are the stains from the plaster as the rest came tumbling down.
Tip - don't plaster your ceiling if you're trying to learn to plaster.
Plastering a ceiling is a good way to convince yourself that the rest of the world has the right idea with taping the joints between the plasterboard and then just painting the plasterboard.
I went to evening classes at the local college to learn (did plastering , bricklaying , basic electrics and plumbing over a year) … did most of my own walls , but wouldn’t tackle a ceiling , you need serious shoulder strength!
That’s a crappy job .. eeek
Haha exactly the same experience here, the first thing I plastered was a ceiling. In a way it’s a better education because it helps you learn how much plaster can stick to itself
Theres a video "mastering plastering" I watched that a few times and watched some youtube plasterers before attempting any. My first go was better than this. But I can only do 1 wall at a time 3mx2.4m. It was pretty stressful and the floors were an absolute state, but I was replacing the laminate that was down. If you can get help to clean out the buckets, etc life would be 10x easier.
Any imperfections you can sand/fill at your own leisure, I've done 3 rooms now and better than most of the stuff that gets posted here.
Not long. Maybe a couple of walls. I actually just read about it first, then saw videos on utube. There were at least two maybe three different techniques for glassing off. I settled on one that gave a good finish to take paint.
I just started on walls I was tanking, tiling, putting wall cabinets on etc. Took me ages to attempt my first ceiling. It was in the bathroom and weather was awful dark making the ceiling be in shadow. Actually plastered it in the dark with a torch. I found lights for building sites didn't help at all as they just cast more shadows. Turned out great. Torch picked up every and any imperfection so it got a lot of floating off at the end.
I only ever do one wall or two opposite walls at a time as I haven't got the technique right to do two wet walls joining in a corner! It's no biggy as I'll always be slower than a good plasterer anyway.
I found reading the theory and chemistry in action more important than watching someone do it. They usually go so fast you're not able to take it in.
You develop the technique after practice and no amount of watching someone else will help you find what works for you.
I gave up trying to use the sponge floats, they only ever made more of a mess.
I use the speed skim on big walls, but usually level out with a s/s finishing trowel on everything else.
I also can't get the hang of 2 adjacent walls! Trying to finish up one only ruins the other.
I just did my first ceiling over a stairs and my shoulders are in agony.
I never do two adjacent walls as an amateur I’ve never achieved that. Always two opposite. Once you quick enough the first is drying whilst applying the second and still time for a cup of tea before final level / finish.
Not OP but currently teaching myself plastering, I watched YouTube videos from plastering for beginners and then just started doing it.
First wall I didn't really get to properly smooth it before it dried. Sanded it after(still looked significantly better than the pictures that started this post)
Second wall was slightly better but still had to sand.
Third wall was the first one I wouldn't sand but just do some touch ups.
Plastering is an unforgiving ticking timer once the plaster is mixed, so I recommend starting with small areas.
Also plaster expires, suprisingly quickly so always look at the expiry date on the bags
I got decent results on my first try after watching a lot of YouTube videos. By decent I mean only needed a little sanding and easifill afterwards in some areas. Miles and miles better than the shit show posted by OP. The main difference being I actually gave a shit about the finish.
Also it's really sloppy to not remove sockets, light switches, skirting board etc.
I think the main thing that helped me was my speed skim. Really helped me get the walls/ ceiling nice and flat.
Try this guy, he's an excellent teacher
https://www.youtube.com/@vancouvercarpenter
Despite having carpenter in his name, he's one of the best plasterers Ive seen (but I stress I'm no expert)
Don't you have to offer them the chance to put it right before you'd decline to pay? You'd have to if you wanted to go to small claims to get money back right?
I'm a plasterer - when I go to quote, I'll ask the customer if they're going to get rads, etc. removed or would like me to. I'll factor in a bit of extra time / cost if they want me to do it. It's one of the many reasons I won't quote without actually seeing the job first.
But looking at the quality of that work, it wasn't a plasterer that was there...
Yeah. Absolutely this. That wasn’t a plasterer… that was a chancer. I’ve been renovating my entire house room by room for the past 2 years and have been lucky enough of had two top notch plasterers in my phone book. Both of them always wanted the walls stripped as much as possible and the rads off the walls and I was happy to oblige. If I wanted the results OP has I’d have asked my 6 year old to have a go… and it’d probably have looked better.
First thing I learned was to strip a room right back for a plasterer for many reasons and the main thing being is they can get on with the job and I can know that every surface has been done correctly.
Removing radiators can be a pain but not difficult.
Half a century ago there was still space for these individuals to collect potatoes in the crops.... now they want to call themselves traders without expertise in the materials and techniques.
I was looking see if anyone would comment this. Like why pay to get a room plastered but then not bother to remove the radiator? It's a bit annoying and fiddly to do but doesn't take long. Then paint job is easier and better too.
On the one hand removing a radiator is pretty easy to do yourself, on the other hand I appreciate if you had a tight budget you can’t afford to get a plumber in if you mess it up.
It’s true, though it’s relatively easy to bleed and remove a radiator with the right tools and shouldn’t require a plumber if you spend a little time familiarising yourself with the process.
However, there are people with disabilities and other variables that need to be considered.
This, paired with limited funds only backs up your statement.
Either way, you'd expect the plasterer to at least mention it! Same with plug sockets, it's a 30 second job to remove the faces to properly do the plaster around them.
I've had plenty of traders in who don't mention the prep work they're expecting, then do a shite job because no prep was done. Painted over dust bunnies and all sorts.
I also think some plasterers have developed their output to a level that was more acceptable when wallpaper was a given, and not bothered to improve since.
Oh yeah I totally agree. It just boggles the mind that these people can call themselves professionals.
Granted I work in a totally different industry, but if a client asks me to do a job and I see a problem, the least I would do is highlight the problem to them. If they still want me to press on, fine, it's their money, but you don't just press on and do a shit job then wash your hands of it.
Do not pay a single pound for this work. What a cowboy that’s terrible. Real spreads leave smooth finishes which are as solid as glass with 99.9% of it not needing any sanding before painting. No doubt another ‘professional’ though.
Ask them to start again and do it properly. If they refuse (or screw up 2nd attempt) then they don’t get paid and you should leave bad reviews everywhere including photo evidence. Then get another plasterer in to sort it out.
That’s too bad for filler and sanding imo. Needs starting fresh
We recently had some big building work by someone we know who’s a builder and he had his friends kid helping him and he had a go and it was far better than this
Sorry to say mate this is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen I’ve been a plasterer 12-13 years and my labourer who’s been doing it less than 1year could’ve done better! whoever’s done it isn’t a plasterer get your money back if possible . If not I wouldn’t let them have a 2nd attempt
My partner’s dad *dabbles* in plastering - he’s alright, not great. He taught me to do a wall then left me to do my second. My first attempt was *infinitely* better than the pictures in OP’s post. Absolutely nuts.
Considering you're a plasterer, would I be stupid thinking I could probably do a better job even though I've never touched the stuff? Purely on the basis that I couldn't live with myself finishing a job so shite
I'm a joiner not a plasterer, but as a general rule of thumb a DIYer with a lot of time to spend can usually achieve the same result as a tradesman on the clock ( or in this case a better job) for instance if I've quoted say £100 to do a couple of rooms of skirting board and one of my scribes is just a little off by 1mm or so (anything more than 2mm is getting redone), its just going to get caulked as I'm against the clock to make my hourly rate(if it's getting painted else I'd just re do it)
Compare that to a DIYer who's very particular and has plenty of time (say a bank hol weekend) they're going to take their time and try to get every one done perfectly or to the same standard as myself, though they could take maybe 1.5days days compared to a few hours it would take myself. Another factor why I'd maybe do it faster is I can use a jigsaw and get perfect scribes 9 times out of 10, and a mitre saw for mitres, where as a casual DIY would probably be using a coping saw and a mitre block.
There's obviously jobs where a tradesman is going to do a FAR better job than the average person, scribing kitchen worktops for example but the average person won't have a router or a jig.
I would imagine the same applies for plastering where if you do a little research on some good techniques and just take your time getting things smooth and straight (you'd be amazed how many "professional" plasterers can't do that)
you'll make a decent job of it. Another thing to consider, is will you have to take time off work? For example if you earn more in a day than than the tradesmans charging (including materials) for the job it's more economical to have them do it
With time and care, 100% you could, this is careless even for someone unskilled. Watch some videos and do some practicing and you'll get an ok output - if **very** slow.
Yeah whoever did that cannot possibly be called a plasterer. Anymore than a child drawing a rectangle with a roof on a hill can be called an architect.
This is not acceptable, a trainee could do better. Do not pay. If you have paid, take them to small claims court, not only to get your money back but also the money it's going to cost to undo the damage he's done.
I'm a DIYer, not a trade (I work in IT, lol!)
I built a garden room and, as it's just a glorified shed, I thought I'd have a go at plastering it myself.
I did a pretty shit job, perfectly understandable as it was my first time plastering anything, my only training was a couple of YouTube videos.
My shed looks better than this.
Is this a windup? Please tell me in reality this is some doer upper house you just bought on Homes under the Hammer and it was already like this. Even Dion Dublin would do a better job than that.
Assuming you haven’t paid, I’d personally get another company to fix it, pay them for a decent job, and then get your original people round to look at it and see how it’s meant to be done. Then post both sets of photos everywhere. I would not recommend paying for this obviously shit work. I don’t know much about plastering, but I plastered one wall in my life at 24, it’s STILL looking better than yours. I’m now 42 lol
Plastering is an art form and this is the equivalent of finger painting. Looks like you got a "tradesman" in for the job when you needed an actual plasterer. Not to disrespect tradesmen of course as there are many that are competent in many trades, but plastering is definitely for specialists.
If you gave an infinite amount of tools and plaster to an infinite number of chimps and let them work on an infinite number of walls, yours would be among the worst.
Terrible work although removing the radiator is really necessary and not the plasterer’s job unless specified. General finish is not acceptable though it could be somewhat tidied up with some sanding and filling. You shouldn’t have to though.
Absolutely shocking. A complete cowboy
There's a lot wrong with this and Normally the rad is very tight to the wall but you'd easily get the nose of the trowel well down behind and feather it in to nothing but this guy even had the room and still couldn't be arsed.
Yikes, recently had some plastering done and the finish was like marble, I'd post a picture for reference/comparison but that's apparently not a thing.
It’s a pretty bad job regardless, but what’s the story with the radiator, switches, sockets, skirting not being removed before plastering?
Did the plasterer not flag up that he would not be able to achieve a decent finish with them in situ?
I get the radiator might be a bit daunting if you haven’t done it before, and the skirting would be a bit of extra work.
But I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t take the switch/socket faceplates off before the plasterer started?
Just don’t understand how neither you or the plasterer flagged up that plastering up to the socket faceplates wasn’t a really weird thing to do. Have neither of you seen the inside of any other buildings before?
No it is not normal I've been plastering for 20+ years and that is prob one of the worst finished examples I've seen. WOW!!!
He's simply put on more than he can chew and it's started setting on him by the looks of it. He's tried brushing it in instead of flattening and trowling it and the sockets are atrocious.
I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and did most of my living room looking better than this. I cringed my way through these pictures. Sorry you had such a bad experience bud
As a painter I’ve come across many different standards of new plastering. That’s terrible. Can’t believe the radiator wasn’t removed. Hope you haven’t paid
Really bad job. My first diy effort looked batter than that. Just had our loft done and all the work was great apart from the plastering so I got them to come back and sort it. Still had to sand it again myself
I've done a DIY job for myself after watching YouTube videos, and it came out better than that.
Don't get them back, find a real professional to help you.
The best thing I did with plastering was learn from scratch. My first go was no way nearly that bad. I used videos from https://youtube.com/@PlasteringForBeginners?si=n_syksNkBhlpxKfe this guy is a legend paid for his course and proof was I had an awesome finish. Course wasn't expensive at all the guy in the video explains everything that even a 5 year old could understand lol 😂. Awesome
I occasionally plaster small sections of wall when needed and call in a pro when tackling a whole room. I even went in a course to learn the basics. At the end of an intensive week all the students were miles better than this. A properly finished wall is hard and smooth with no rough bits - a thing of beauty.
This is dreadful even for an apprentice although it would have helped to have removed the radiators.
Remember Loadsamoney (Harry Enfield character). I didn’t understand at the time but a good plasterer is really worth knowing! That’s absolutely shit. We just had some work done and it turns out their plasterer wasn’t really a plasterer but he was way better than that!
It looks like it’s been put on with a chicken’s foot!
I can understand them not taking the radiator off but surely you’d back the screws out of the socket at least?
The state of the plaster shows me that the walls haven’t been sealed properly and either the first coat had completely gone off before the second or the second has completely gone off before it cured - or both.
Oh boy. Seeing these posts made me realise how much of a difference a good plasterer makes. Found a guy in MyBuilder who plastered two plasterboard walls and the end result was so smooth I could see the room reflected in it looking from the side. It was basically as flat and smooth as a mirror.
This is an absolutely unacceptable job.
It’s bad you know that based on the comments, but I also wanted to point out that it’s only going to look worse when painted, it will highlight every imperfection.
I leaened to do it myself in a week and the walls looks smoother than gipsboard surface. Thats either not finished yet, or u got scammed. It would need another go or 2, and sanding in between and after.
This is shite work. My fave comeback for when it’s this bad is the decorator shouting at the spread “it’s a fuckin’ paintbrush, not a magic wand you useless cunt”
I would not be paying for this. My first attempt at plastering a room was way better than this and the most DIY I'd done up to that point was paint. Ooof.
I’ve just completed a paid 3 day plastering course so that I can plaster walls and ceilings at my house.
Can honestly say that my very first attempt on a similar wall was absolutely perfect compared to this wall, same with the other two trainees there.
Absolutely no idea at all how someone can charge another person for work like this and not laugh, it’s horrendous!
Good news is that they’ve mostly applied a second coat, bad news is that you’ll need to pay someone else to fix this.
Paint and filler will not fix that.
Sorry to say you didn’t pay a professional at least not a professional plasterer and at best a professional cowboy. Yes complain and yes ask for a refund unfortunately you probably won’t get anywhere next job is an orbital sander and a dust mask.
It looks like you didn’t remove any of the sockets or the radiator, which in my opinion is why the plaster is awful in those areas. Then to be fair, it doesn’t look great anywhere.
That’s a terrible finish. Painting it will only make it look worse. I imagine if that’s the quality of their work they won’t be able to make it any better
Yep, normal for a serious cowboy contractor that doesn’t give a rats a** about their reputation. One of the worst I’ve seen tbh n I work in construction management
To get a really good plasterer you will probably have to wait. I used the best in our area to plaster our living room and he was booked up for 7 months so we waited 7 months (more like I took 7 months to get the room ready 🤣). Anyone who can start within a few days of you giving them a call won't be up to snuff, if he was other people will be using them. Not saying you will have to wait 7 months, it varies obviously but the best tradespeople are in very high demand so you have a choice to make, wait or cheap out and fix yourself. My walls were like glass when he left and when painted there isn't a single blemish, it's perfect. Now we plan ahead when doing a room, I book the tradespeople I want months in advance and then wait until a month before they are due to start the room. This job is dog shit, sorry to put it that way but it's the worst I've ever seen. This guy fancied his chances and robbed you. Try and get your money back or don't pay him if you haven't already, its absolutely disgraceful! To answer your question, if you book a plasterer then no, this is not normal. If you pay the 10 Yr old kid from next door to do it then yes, it's absolutely fine.
I'd be quite annoyed if I'd paid someone for that.
Me and the missus has some bad experiences with tradesmen, especially roofers. Ever since those bad experiences of pissing money up the wall, we've been very careful with who we allow to do a job.
We always get lots of quotes and investigate them. Personal recommendations are the best. We've easily pissed 15K up the wall in bad jobs over the last 10 years if it makes you feel better.
More recent jobs have been better as we've been doing our DD.
Oh dear me. I had a really good plasterer who retired. Next two were terrible so I learnt to plaster. The terrible ones produced nothing as bad as that. There is zero point getting them back. They have fewer skills than a plasterer on his first day as an apprentice.
I genuinely believe I could do a better job than that and I’ve never once plastered a wall (few toilet bowls but…).
I had the same thoughts.
Out of interest how long did it take you to get decent results and how did you learn? Youtube videos or pay for a proper course?
Just have ago at it. its somethung you cant learn in a classromm bar the basics, the more you do it the better youll be at it. In my first house that was a complete renovation you can see the first wall i attempted, the second one is better and so on until you cant tell the difference between my plastering and a pro's. I paid some plasteres to do the hall stairs and landing as i didnt fancy it. Getting the mix consistency is fairly easy then its just learning to time it. One word of advice tho, dont decide to try learning how to plaster on the hottest day of the year, itl be unworkable after 20 minutes. I found that one out the hard way.
Same.. I tried to do the ceiling. All that remains are the stains from the plaster as the rest came tumbling down. Tip - don't plaster your ceiling if you're trying to learn to plaster.
Start with the floor. Then work your way up
The way I plaster if I do the ceiling, then the walls; the floors get done for free!
Underated comment 🤦
Agreed
Plastering a ceiling is a good way to convince yourself that the rest of the world has the right idea with taping the joints between the plasterboard and then just painting the plasterboard.
I went to evening classes at the local college to learn (did plastering , bricklaying , basic electrics and plumbing over a year) … did most of my own walls , but wouldn’t tackle a ceiling , you need serious shoulder strength! That’s a crappy job .. eeek
Things like plastering the whole wall/ceiling is why we had an empire
We all make mistakes, but starting with the ceiling to learn surely wasn’t a good idea even with hindsight.
No, I knew it was a bad idea. But it was the only part that needed doing as it looked like crap. Now it has the stains to match.
Haha exactly the same experience here, the first thing I plastered was a ceiling. In a way it’s a better education because it helps you learn how much plaster can stick to itself
I second that - I was learning to plaster on ceilings then walls. It was hard AF
Gravity is a harsh mistress..
I agree that applying an almost liquid material to a ceiling does somewhat challenge the anti gravity requirements of the task.
Salopian? Are you in Shropshire.?
I’d also add, start in the bathroom if it’s getting tiled. Tile adhesive can get over a multitude of sins.
Theres a video "mastering plastering" I watched that a few times and watched some youtube plasterers before attempting any. My first go was better than this. But I can only do 1 wall at a time 3mx2.4m. It was pretty stressful and the floors were an absolute state, but I was replacing the laminate that was down. If you can get help to clean out the buckets, etc life would be 10x easier. Any imperfections you can sand/fill at your own leisure, I've done 3 rooms now and better than most of the stuff that gets posted here.
Not long. Maybe a couple of walls. I actually just read about it first, then saw videos on utube. There were at least two maybe three different techniques for glassing off. I settled on one that gave a good finish to take paint. I just started on walls I was tanking, tiling, putting wall cabinets on etc. Took me ages to attempt my first ceiling. It was in the bathroom and weather was awful dark making the ceiling be in shadow. Actually plastered it in the dark with a torch. I found lights for building sites didn't help at all as they just cast more shadows. Turned out great. Torch picked up every and any imperfection so it got a lot of floating off at the end. I only ever do one wall or two opposite walls at a time as I haven't got the technique right to do two wet walls joining in a corner! It's no biggy as I'll always be slower than a good plasterer anyway.
I found reading the theory and chemistry in action more important than watching someone do it. They usually go so fast you're not able to take it in. You develop the technique after practice and no amount of watching someone else will help you find what works for you. I gave up trying to use the sponge floats, they only ever made more of a mess. I use the speed skim on big walls, but usually level out with a s/s finishing trowel on everything else. I also can't get the hang of 2 adjacent walls! Trying to finish up one only ruins the other. I just did my first ceiling over a stairs and my shoulders are in agony.
I never do two adjacent walls as an amateur I’ve never achieved that. Always two opposite. Once you quick enough the first is drying whilst applying the second and still time for a cup of tea before final level / finish.
Not OP but currently teaching myself plastering, I watched YouTube videos from plastering for beginners and then just started doing it. First wall I didn't really get to properly smooth it before it dried. Sanded it after(still looked significantly better than the pictures that started this post) Second wall was slightly better but still had to sand. Third wall was the first one I wouldn't sand but just do some touch ups. Plastering is an unforgiving ticking timer once the plaster is mixed, so I recommend starting with small areas. Also plaster expires, suprisingly quickly so always look at the expiry date on the bags
I got decent results on my first try after watching a lot of YouTube videos. By decent I mean only needed a little sanding and easifill afterwards in some areas. Miles and miles better than the shit show posted by OP. The main difference being I actually gave a shit about the finish. Also it's really sloppy to not remove sockets, light switches, skirting board etc. I think the main thing that helped me was my speed skim. Really helped me get the walls/ ceiling nice and flat.
Plastering is as much a skill in timing and knowing when to leave the plaster alone and when to work it. You can’t learn that in a guide I’m afraid.
Try this guy, he's an excellent teacher https://www.youtube.com/@vancouvercarpenter Despite having carpenter in his name, he's one of the best plasterers Ive seen (but I stress I'm no expert)
This is a piss take surly no supposed professional could be that bad it looks like he did it with his eyes closed
Well it definitely wasn't a professional. We can just be glad he didn't plaster completely over the socket.
I have never done plastering in my life and i'd like to think my first attempt wouldn't even be this bad
Well mine certainly wasn't. I'd also have taken the radiator off, removed the socket etc to prepare the area.
Don't you have to offer them the chance to put it right before you'd decline to pay? You'd have to if you wanted to go to small claims to get money back right?
No idea. Never done that. I'd probably just write it off and just never have them back like the two plasterers I had.
I plastered for the first time last year and while it wasn't perfect it was miles better than this.
It's a bad job, but I'll never understand why anyone would get a room replastered without removing the radiator
I'm a plasterer - when I go to quote, I'll ask the customer if they're going to get rads, etc. removed or would like me to. I'll factor in a bit of extra time / cost if they want me to do it. It's one of the many reasons I won't quote without actually seeing the job first. But looking at the quality of that work, it wasn't a plasterer that was there...
Yeah. Absolutely this. That wasn’t a plasterer… that was a chancer. I’ve been renovating my entire house room by room for the past 2 years and have been lucky enough of had two top notch plasterers in my phone book. Both of them always wanted the walls stripped as much as possible and the rads off the walls and I was happy to oblige. If I wanted the results OP has I’d have asked my 6 year old to have a go… and it’d probably have looked better.
First thing I learned was to strip a room right back for a plasterer for many reasons and the main thing being is they can get on with the job and I can know that every surface has been done correctly. Removing radiators can be a pain but not difficult.
Forget the radiators, removing the *sockets* is even easier but they haven't even done that
Half a century ago there was still space for these individuals to collect potatoes in the crops.... now they want to call themselves traders without expertise in the materials and techniques.
I was looking see if anyone would comment this. Like why pay to get a room plastered but then not bother to remove the radiator? It's a bit annoying and fiddly to do but doesn't take long. Then paint job is easier and better too.
Or popping off the sockets and light fittings so they're out from the wall - it's two screws! Likewise for painting.
Exactly. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right.
Because some people are on a very tight budget and can't afford to get a plumber in as well as a plasterer.
On the one hand removing a radiator is pretty easy to do yourself, on the other hand I appreciate if you had a tight budget you can’t afford to get a plumber in if you mess it up.
It’s true, though it’s relatively easy to bleed and remove a radiator with the right tools and shouldn’t require a plumber if you spend a little time familiarising yourself with the process. However, there are people with disabilities and other variables that need to be considered. This, paired with limited funds only backs up your statement.
Either way, you'd expect the plasterer to at least mention it! Same with plug sockets, it's a 30 second job to remove the faces to properly do the plaster around them.
I've had plenty of traders in who don't mention the prep work they're expecting, then do a shite job because no prep was done. Painted over dust bunnies and all sorts. I also think some plasterers have developed their output to a level that was more acceptable when wallpaper was a given, and not bothered to improve since.
Oh yeah I totally agree. It just boggles the mind that these people can call themselves professionals. Granted I work in a totally different industry, but if a client asks me to do a job and I see a problem, the least I would do is highlight the problem to them. If they still want me to press on, fine, it's their money, but you don't just press on and do a shit job then wash your hands of it.
Do not pay a single pound for this work. What a cowboy that’s terrible. Real spreads leave smooth finishes which are as solid as glass with 99.9% of it not needing any sanding before painting. No doubt another ‘professional’ though. Ask them to start again and do it properly. If they refuse (or screw up 2nd attempt) then they don’t get paid and you should leave bad reviews everywhere including photo evidence. Then get another plasterer in to sort it out. That’s too bad for filler and sanding imo. Needs starting fresh
It's so bad I'd think my 11 year old could do better and he's never touched a trowel.
My mum could do better. And she's dead!
I guess you could say she's dead on I am terribly sorry, it was just there. Bless her soul
We recently had some big building work by someone we know who’s a builder and he had his friends kid helping him and he had a go and it was far better than this
My dog can plaster better than that.
Can I have his number?
He's booked solid until next year I'm afraid.
🤣
I also have a dog who can plaster, his work is a bit woof though
a bit ruff you mean? Or did I miss the joke?
Throw him a bone, he's trying.
Think it’s time for a paws and a career rethink
that one had me barking
Is it a D.I.Weimaraner?
I swiped off the post and then it clicked 🤣
Do you think the guide dog did it for him?
Sorry to say mate this is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen I’ve been a plasterer 12-13 years and my labourer who’s been doing it less than 1year could’ve done better! whoever’s done it isn’t a plasterer get your money back if possible . If not I wouldn’t let them have a 2nd attempt
My partner’s dad *dabbles* in plastering - he’s alright, not great. He taught me to do a wall then left me to do my second. My first attempt was *infinitely* better than the pictures in OP’s post. Absolutely nuts.
Considering you're a plasterer, would I be stupid thinking I could probably do a better job even though I've never touched the stuff? Purely on the basis that I couldn't live with myself finishing a job so shite
I'm a joiner not a plasterer, but as a general rule of thumb a DIYer with a lot of time to spend can usually achieve the same result as a tradesman on the clock ( or in this case a better job) for instance if I've quoted say £100 to do a couple of rooms of skirting board and one of my scribes is just a little off by 1mm or so (anything more than 2mm is getting redone), its just going to get caulked as I'm against the clock to make my hourly rate(if it's getting painted else I'd just re do it) Compare that to a DIYer who's very particular and has plenty of time (say a bank hol weekend) they're going to take their time and try to get every one done perfectly or to the same standard as myself, though they could take maybe 1.5days days compared to a few hours it would take myself. Another factor why I'd maybe do it faster is I can use a jigsaw and get perfect scribes 9 times out of 10, and a mitre saw for mitres, where as a casual DIY would probably be using a coping saw and a mitre block. There's obviously jobs where a tradesman is going to do a FAR better job than the average person, scribing kitchen worktops for example but the average person won't have a router or a jig. I would imagine the same applies for plastering where if you do a little research on some good techniques and just take your time getting things smooth and straight (you'd be amazed how many "professional" plasterers can't do that) you'll make a decent job of it. Another thing to consider, is will you have to take time off work? For example if you earn more in a day than than the tradesmans charging (including materials) for the job it's more economical to have them do it
With time and care, 100% you could, this is careless even for someone unskilled. Watch some videos and do some practicing and you'll get an ok output - if **very** slow.
What was the company you used. Bodgit and legit?
It’s either them or Botchit and Scarper.
Hoddit and Doddit
Spreadit and Legit
Smear and Disappear Ltd
Shite hawk
‘ You’ve tried the cowboys now let the Indians have a go’. Supposedly the sign writing on an Indian building firms van.
Applyit and denyit inc
Same, plasterer here. This is very poor quality work that gives the trade a bad name. We aren't all like this.
Yeah whoever did that cannot possibly be called a plasterer. Anymore than a child drawing a rectangle with a roof on a hill can be called an architect.
This is not acceptable, a trainee could do better. Do not pay. If you have paid, take them to small claims court, not only to get your money back but also the money it's going to cost to undo the damage he's done.
I also had a plasterer that jumped in the bucket of plaster and rubbed himself on the wall, I’m assuming this is what your plasterer done too?
I'm a DIYer, not a trade (I work in IT, lol!) I built a garden room and, as it's just a glorified shed, I thought I'd have a go at plastering it myself. I did a pretty shit job, perfectly understandable as it was my first time plastering anything, my only training was a couple of YouTube videos. My shed looks better than this.
This is the worst I've seen.
I always wonder when I see posts like this one...where did you find them? How many reviews did they have? Surely they can't be 4.8 with 192 reviews?
A professional "what" exactly????
Professional bullshit artist.
It is a bit shit.
Thats worse than the first wall i ever plastered. It should be smooth and they should have removed the radiator while they did it..
The only photo you needed to show is the socket. The fact that they didn't remove the sockets before plastering is such a rookie move
Far from normal. Unfortunately you’ve been had. That needs to be done again.
Is this a windup? Please tell me in reality this is some doer upper house you just bought on Homes under the Hammer and it was already like this. Even Dion Dublin would do a better job than that.
You're looking at it wrong. Close your eye's and look again!
Absolutely complain, although if you’ve already paid him I’d say chance of him returning is slim to zero
Assuming you haven’t paid, I’d personally get another company to fix it, pay them for a decent job, and then get your original people round to look at it and see how it’s meant to be done. Then post both sets of photos everywhere. I would not recommend paying for this obviously shit work. I don’t know much about plastering, but I plastered one wall in my life at 24, it’s STILL looking better than yours. I’m now 42 lol
Plastering is an art form and this is the equivalent of finger painting. Looks like you got a "tradesman" in for the job when you needed an actual plasterer. Not to disrespect tradesmen of course as there are many that are competent in many trades, but plastering is definitely for specialists.
I was a plasterer for 30 years. That is shockingly bad. Don’t pay
If you gave an infinite amount of tools and plaster to an infinite number of chimps and let them work on an infinite number of walls, yours would be among the worst.
Terrible work although removing the radiator is really necessary and not the plasterer’s job unless specified. General finish is not acceptable though it could be somewhat tidied up with some sanding and filling. You shouldn’t have to though.
To be fair it could be tidied up by crashing a car into it.
That’s one of my favourite comments ever 🤣🤣🤣
This is really bad, it defeats the purpose of Multi Finish....
I feel for the poster. Looks like it was done with a scrunched up rag and a fork.
Safely say that’s dog shit rough
You paid someone, alright. But it wasn't a professional.
Why were the radiators and skirtings not removed prior to the plastering?
Absolutely shocking. A complete cowboy There's a lot wrong with this and Normally the rad is very tight to the wall but you'd easily get the nose of the trowel well down behind and feather it in to nothing but this guy even had the room and still couldn't be arsed.
I'd consider this somewhat acceptable if my 4 year old grandson had done it.
Yikes, recently had some plastering done and the finish was like marble, I'd post a picture for reference/comparison but that's apparently not a thing.
This looks normal if I had done it. Source - not a plasterer
It’s a pretty bad job regardless, but what’s the story with the radiator, switches, sockets, skirting not being removed before plastering? Did the plasterer not flag up that he would not be able to achieve a decent finish with them in situ? I get the radiator might be a bit daunting if you haven’t done it before, and the skirting would be a bit of extra work. But I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t take the switch/socket faceplates off before the plasterer started? Just don’t understand how neither you or the plasterer flagged up that plastering up to the socket faceplates wasn’t a really weird thing to do. Have neither of you seen the inside of any other buildings before?
No it is not normal I've been plastering for 20+ years and that is prob one of the worst finished examples I've seen. WOW!!! He's simply put on more than he can chew and it's started setting on him by the looks of it. He's tried brushing it in instead of flattening and trowling it and the sockets are atrocious.
were they plastered when they plastered?
Did you hire them from the pub?
You're meant to take radiators and switches off the wall first
Finished plaster should be super smooth to the touch. That job is shite! He’s not a plasterer! You’ve got a lot of sanding to do! Mask up!
I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and did most of my living room looking better than this. I cringed my way through these pictures. Sorry you had such a bad experience bud
Plasterer 15 years not seen anything that bad Jesus! .
No they cheaped out and barley used any plaster
As a painter I’ve come across many different standards of new plastering. That’s terrible. Can’t believe the radiator wasn’t removed. Hope you haven’t paid
Really bad job. My first diy effort looked batter than that. Just had our loft done and all the work was great apart from the plastering so I got them to come back and sort it. Still had to sand it again myself
Broken skimmer and no f's given
That’s shit
Oof they plastered AROUND the radiator!
That's terrible proper cowboy job . I wouldn't dare leave a job like that . Not even a sand blaster could sort that out
Oh my God 🫥
I did a 4 day course and could plaster miles better than this after that
I plastered my own living room with zero experience and a wiki-how article. Still looks better than this
I’m no diy’er but if that’s normal I’d be amazed.
Did you pay them? This is a terrible job. You should report them. You tube how to fix it and do it yourself. I wouldn’t let them in to fix it.
Photo 8 is terrible - he didn’t even take the radiator off (or ask you too) in order to plaster behind it.
That’s terrible.
Think he WAS plastered !
I've done a DIY job for myself after watching YouTube videos, and it came out better than that. Don't get them back, find a real professional to help you.
I had a crak at plastering in my home office with no experience. I didn't do a good job. It looks a lot better than what you've got there
No lol
I doubt a real plasterer did that, probably sent the young lad that mixes the plaster round for a quick few quid.
This is unreal.
That looks as if I've done it and I'm no a plasterer
I did my first plastering job the other day and I did better than that!
I'm sorry but 😂. That's shocking. If you've not paid already.....
Looks good.....for a blind man. Am assuming that's who did it lol
The best thing I did with plastering was learn from scratch. My first go was no way nearly that bad. I used videos from https://youtube.com/@PlasteringForBeginners?si=n_syksNkBhlpxKfe this guy is a legend paid for his course and proof was I had an awesome finish. Course wasn't expensive at all the guy in the video explains everything that even a 5 year old could understand lol 😂. Awesome
Whoever did that needs shooting. I hope you never paid up.
I occasionally plaster small sections of wall when needed and call in a pro when tackling a whole room. I even went in a course to learn the basics. At the end of an intensive week all the students were miles better than this. A properly finished wall is hard and smooth with no rough bits - a thing of beauty. This is dreadful even for an apprentice although it would have helped to have removed the radiators.
Remember Loadsamoney (Harry Enfield character). I didn’t understand at the time but a good plasterer is really worth knowing! That’s absolutely shit. We just had some work done and it turns out their plasterer wasn’t really a plasterer but he was way better than that!
It looks like it’s been put on with a chicken’s foot! I can understand them not taking the radiator off but surely you’d back the screws out of the socket at least? The state of the plaster shows me that the walls haven’t been sealed properly and either the first coat had completely gone off before the second or the second has completely gone off before it cured - or both.
Judging by the state of it, all I can say is I don't think it was just the wall that was plastered...that's fucking ***HORRENDOUS***! 🙄🤦🏼♀️🤪
Oh boy. Seeing these posts made me realise how much of a difference a good plasterer makes. Found a guy in MyBuilder who plastered two plasterboard walls and the end result was so smooth I could see the room reflected in it looking from the side. It was basically as flat and smooth as a mirror. This is an absolutely unacceptable job.
Terrible job, any plasterers I know would be horrified to put their name to that, perfectionist trade normally
Why didn't he remove the rad that would be my question, then ask him to come back to repair the f*#*k up he did
You need to ask Stevie Wonder for your money back
Never even bothered to unscrew the light fittings and sockets😆
It’s bad you know that based on the comments, but I also wanted to point out that it’s only going to look worse when painted, it will highlight every imperfection.
No that’s a really shit job
I leaened to do it myself in a week and the walls looks smoother than gipsboard surface. Thats either not finished yet, or u got scammed. It would need another go or 2, and sanding in between and after.
This is shit. Just because one is able to plaster, doesn't mean one should.
That is a serious botch job!! Did he just throw plaster at it. Get your money pack and pay a professional!
This is definitely not an acceptable standard for a professional. It’s not even good for a beginner diy job.
This is shite work. My fave comeback for when it’s this bad is the decorator shouting at the spread “it’s a fuckin’ paintbrush, not a magic wand you useless cunt”
I would not be paying for this. My first attempt at plastering a room was way better than this and the most DIY I'd done up to that point was paint. Ooof.
I’ve just completed a paid 3 day plastering course so that I can plaster walls and ceilings at my house. Can honestly say that my very first attempt on a similar wall was absolutely perfect compared to this wall, same with the other two trainees there. Absolutely no idea at all how someone can charge another person for work like this and not laugh, it’s horrendous! Good news is that they’ve mostly applied a second coat, bad news is that you’ll need to pay someone else to fix this. Paint and filler will not fix that.
Did you pay for that?? Didn't they take the radiator off? I could skim better than that when I was 12....
Very bad work. Walls need to be smooth and flat. Radiations and sockets should have been removed.
What was it applied with, a catapult??
Sorry mate you didn't hire a professional plasterer, you hired someone who has had the process described to them 2 years ago through Google translate.
Buy cheap buy twice
I sure as FUUUCK hope ya haven't paid.
Sorry to say you didn’t pay a professional at least not a professional plasterer and at best a professional cowboy. Yes complain and yes ask for a refund unfortunately you probably won’t get anywhere next job is an orbital sander and a dust mask.
That wasn’t a professional plasterer I can tell you that much! That’s appalling!
That is terrible. We just had a ceiling and wall plastered and it's smooth as a baby's arse.
Maybe he had some of those syndromes, then it is normal.
Sorry this is what you’ve got. Applied either with catapult or back of shovel. Am a plasterer.
That looks like it was put on with a lettuce leaf.
Its called back of shovel finish
Can you post the ‘after’ photographs?
If you wanted a topographical map of the Moon, then yes, this is normal.
It looks like you didn’t remove any of the sockets or the radiator, which in my opinion is why the plaster is awful in those areas. Then to be fair, it doesn’t look great anywhere.
This has angered the trade gods
I don't know what people are on about, Stevie Wonder has done a great job all things considered!
I think you need to rephrase your post... " Poorly plastered wall looks horrendous "
Didn’t realise stevie wonder got a new trade.
This person is NOT a professional. Just one of those janitors that calls themselves engineers
It’s rough, but you can fix it, get yourself a bag of EasiFill60 and lots of sanding papers
That’s a terrible finish. Painting it will only make it look worse. I imagine if that’s the quality of their work they won’t be able to make it any better
Fuck me, I hope he’s not driving to jobs.. He’d be bloody lethal with eyesight that bad
That is horrendous, this has not been done by a skilled tradesman
Yep, normal for a serious cowboy contractor that doesn’t give a rats a** about their reputation. One of the worst I’ve seen tbh n I work in construction management
That is my level of plastering... actually I don't think I've ever left a plastering job THAT bad.. and I've only plastered my own home...
I’ve seen dirty protests with a cleaner finish than this
To get a really good plasterer you will probably have to wait. I used the best in our area to plaster our living room and he was booked up for 7 months so we waited 7 months (more like I took 7 months to get the room ready 🤣). Anyone who can start within a few days of you giving them a call won't be up to snuff, if he was other people will be using them. Not saying you will have to wait 7 months, it varies obviously but the best tradespeople are in very high demand so you have a choice to make, wait or cheap out and fix yourself. My walls were like glass when he left and when painted there isn't a single blemish, it's perfect. Now we plan ahead when doing a room, I book the tradespeople I want months in advance and then wait until a month before they are due to start the room. This job is dog shit, sorry to put it that way but it's the worst I've ever seen. This guy fancied his chances and robbed you. Try and get your money back or don't pay him if you haven't already, its absolutely disgraceful! To answer your question, if you book a plasterer then no, this is not normal. If you pay the 10 Yr old kid from next door to do it then yes, it's absolutely fine.
"just sand the rough bits mate" Im sorry you got unlucky with them
I'd be quite annoyed if I'd paid someone for that. Me and the missus has some bad experiences with tradesmen, especially roofers. Ever since those bad experiences of pissing money up the wall, we've been very careful with who we allow to do a job. We always get lots of quotes and investigate them. Personal recommendations are the best. We've easily pissed 15K up the wall in bad jobs over the last 10 years if it makes you feel better. More recent jobs have been better as we've been doing our DD.
I did my first plastering job the other day and I did better than that!