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Plastering

How smooth a finish can i expect from skimmed walls and ceiling

I have just had some walls and ceilings skimmed and i am unsure of what i should expect as i have never hired a plastere before.

I have spent quite some time filling in scratches and sanding it down before i could paint it. i also had to fill and shape some corners because the plasterer said that was not his job as he was not a decorator.

Is this the finish one should expect after having trades men in or should a skimming job be ready for paint without me having to do any work?

19 Answers from MyBuilder Plasterers

Best Answer

Sorry to hear you've had problems.

A good plasterer who knows what they are doing,doesn't work for peanuts & takes pride & pays attention to detail in their work should leave you with nothing to do on your walls & ceilings but to paint them.

There's no cutting corners in the building trade.
As with most things in life,you get what you pay for.

Carl.

2011-09-21T13:45:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

Hello,
No, you should not have to do any further preparation work to a newly skimmed wall. A good plasterer will have it smooth and flat with no blemishes. Corners should have a metal strip running down them, this provides a clean straight edge. Also they should not leave plaster smeared over window frames or skirting boards etc.
A good plasterer is hard to find. I know a few plasterers and I only trust one for ceilings and walls that are not going to have paper or tiles added. If your plasterer is not coming back and you are left to repair I would advise you to apply a mist coat first ( watered down emulsion) and then apply the filler. It is much easier to see blemishes in a painted wall and some marks in the plaster don't show through once painted.
Good luck
Steve

2011-09-21T10:20:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

99% of all skimmed plaster work will normally require a light sand down prior to decs. This is usually undertaken by the decorators. However by your description of the plastering you have had done, i.e having to feel and make good corners... this should not be the case. There's no in between with plasterers, they are either very good or just dam right avoidable. Always go by referral, especially if you can view their previous job. Their only as good as their last job!!

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

should be perfectly smooth ready for decorator ,youve not had a plasterer youve had a handyman who thinks hes a plasterer

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

Hi lulu,

From what you have explained unfortunatly im afraid you may have been ripped off. A qualified plasterer would leave you with no prep work to do ( you can paint straight over) it is his job to fill in all the corners and he should have left your wall smooth to the touch (not like glass though as the paint dosent agree to this) if your wall feels rough like sand paper he has rushed the job and not gave it a final polish coat. Infact i wouldnt be suprised if he just put one coat on not like the standard two coats of multi finish. Just out of curiosity can you see the scrim tape through the plaster at the joints?. Get a refund!

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

If you had a decent plasterer you shouldnt need to do any filling or sanding.

2011-09-21T10:20:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

hi there you should have a nice smooth even finish with no need for sanding or scrape corners
it should be ready for decorator to come in and start painting
that is how i leave my plasterwork

hope that answers your question

2011-09-21T10:20:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

No mate. He just did a bad job. I am not plasterer but decorator and can do ready skim to perfect smooth and flat finish. As with multifinish plaster a real professional can achieve perfect corners and walls as a standard. I guess you just hired some stranger. Good professional will leave site clean and walls with necessarily no need for huge repairs.

2013-03-12T11:10:04+00:00

Answered 12th Mar 2013

Basically if you had a competant plasterer in to skim a room all you should need to do is paint.

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

If it was done by a proper plasterer it should be paint ready no filling or sanding required

2011-09-21T10:20:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

The works should of had a final trowel,this would make them feel like glass!

2011-09-21T10:20:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

Hi , simple answer is , if it's done by a professional plasterer
then it should only need a quick bit of sanding if any.
It should have cost you approx 400 quid .

2011-09-21T22:15:02+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

When your walls have been plastered you should be able to paint them without rubbing down.You should not have to do any work.

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

Its hard to find a good plasterer most of them are very messy and rush there work i would not pay them in peanuts. Its the professional decorators what end up cleaning up after them and making there work look good.

2011-10-01T12:40:03+01:00

Answered 1st Oct 2011

Hi lulu It should be ready to paint no rubbing down ,unless the walls are so out of shape that they should have been bonded first,which you should of been advised of other than that they should be smooth no scratches and there should be angle beads on the corners ,or free hand angle trowel finish
both of which should be smooth no filling
Regards
Joseph

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

shape some corners? when finished it you should be able to paint one "miss coat" on and if required, a fine sandpaper, second coat paint, Finished !filling in scratches should not be required!

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

A good plasterer should be able to leave crisp,sharp corners, both internal and external. Only a light sanding with 120 grit sandpaper should be needed to achieve a near perfect paint finish.

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

It should be ready to paint . You should not need to sand it fill it or shape the corners .

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

hi ..does not sound like a plasterer to me ...any decent plasterer that has any pride in his work should leave your walls in a unblemished state so you can just paint ..you should not need to fill in or rub down .. inexcusable ..as for the corners ..he should of used corner beads for this ..people like this give other tradesmen a bad name ...did you hire him through this site ?? if yes please leave bad feedback so no one else has to suffer his rubbish work ...i wish you all the best ..

2011-09-21T10:20:03+01:00

Answered 21st Sep 2011

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