Hi, I’m hoping to get some views of plasterers on here, all views welcome! I had some plastering work done yesterday which is now complete. I’m satisfied with the plastering itself, the walls look great. However there’s a few things I’m unsure of.
1) I paid the plasterer for his labour and I bought the materials. About an hour before he was done, there was one piece of plasterboard left, half a bag of plaster and half a tub of plasterboard screws. He has taken these with him! He did not ask me if he could have them and considering it was agreed I’d buy materials, surely they are my materials and he has no right to take them? Or is this fairly normal?
2) The mess. Oh the mess! Now from talking to people i know, I hear it’s fairly common that plasterers leave a mess as it’s a messy job. However I’m just not satisfied with how much mess he made! He clearly dropped splodges of plaster when he was working high up which have set onto the floor that I now need to clean up. My sink was covered in plaster from where he used water for the job and he’s just left it like that. They had to walk through my hallway and living room to access the dining room that they were plastering and there is messy footprints all the way through.
I cannot tell if I’m just being somewhat snobby or if this is unacceptable? Please help! Thanks in advance :)
EDIT: I’m new on here so not sure how to/if you can personally respond to individual comments but to those who have responded thank you so much. It’s great to have people who are kind enough to take a few minutes of of their day to provide their opinion to help out! Thank you! :)
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hello,
Point 1, 100% they are your materials. Some customers don't mind if they have no need. Its cheeky to take customers materials without asking. You should have pointed it out there and then. It may have been a genuine mistake.
Point 2, tilers, painters and especially plasterers in general will make some mess. it is up to them make sure when working on someone property there should be a level of keeping things clean and tidy in all areas of the property you are working. Minimum your plasters should have done is cleaned up after themselves. Sheeting everything up is another option, adds time to labour but no mess to clean up.
Hope this helps.
HE SHOULD HAVE SHEETED UP ALL AREAS THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE IN, IT MAY NOT HAVE GOT EVERTHING BUT IT WOULD HAVE STOPPED MOST OF THE MESS, NO YOUR NOT BEING PICKY HE IS JUST A VERY UNTIDY TRADESMAN,
I COULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD HIM TAKING YOUR MATERIALS IF HE HAD CLEANED UP AT THE BACK OF HIMSELF BUT TAKING THEM AND JUST LEAVING A MESS IS AT THE LEAST VERY CHEEKY
Hi,
So sorry to hear you had such an experience. We have had cases where we bring our own material leftover and charge the customer just for as much as we will use but whenever the customer is buying materials we always ask in the end if he will need it for something else and we should leave it or we just pay it off and take it ourselves for future jobs. Noone has ever asked us for money but it's the matter of curtesy to ask first.
About the mess..hmm .. one really good tradesmen will always leave the working area exactly the way it was before the start of the job. I have spend 1 hour after my job was done to throw my rubbish and clean behind. It is just a shame.
Hi the materials are yours when you’re supplying so he should have asked you first. And the mess is unacceptable I cover where I’m working and it’s pretty clean when I’m done. Your right to complain although some customers prefer the remaining materials to be taken away. I hope this helps
I can tell you that is not exceptable as for taking any left over material also not exceptable if you sheet up the job before all walk ways there shouldn't be a lot of mess to clear at the end of the job water buckets should be filled using a smaller bucket there for not leaving the sink in a mess hope this helps
if you have paid for the materials then they are yours. Plastering is a very messy job. To work in peoples houses as a plasterer being tidy and leaving no mess should be a very high priority, all floors, carpets, items such as tv's and surfaces such as counters that will be near the area that is being worked on or places that you need access to get water should be covered and after a job you should allow time for a good clean up if there is any mess.
Answered2 May 2021
0
Anonymous user
Yes, they are your materials to keep as you paid for them. Would be the plasterers if he set a price for the whole job.
No excuse for leaving mess! Every job should be cleaned and tidied when finished, whatever the job. I find it easier as you go, then there’s less at the end!
Answered27 November 2021
0
Anonymous user
He should of definitely left your materials as they were yours that you bought.as for leaving a mess you will always get a little bit but they should always put sheets down where necessary and also say mess should be cleaned up.i don't no how people could leave there mess
A Plasterer is only as good as his prep work. There should be sheeted areas all the way from the entrance of the property to the working area. If working in say a kitchen all cupboards, worktops and appliances should be sheeted over aswell. Yes it can be a messy job but being a domestic Plasterer part and parcel of the job is aiming to be as clean and tidy as you possibly can. Now sheeting up does take a bit of time but its the right thing to do in terms of professionalism which in turn gets you a good reputation which leads to more work. Regarding materials the customer usually asks you if you would like to take them if they are of no use to themselves. If they don’t offer you don’t take it’s as simple as that.
I agree with the bulk of the answers given here. If the customer has paid for material then it should not be taken away by the tradesperson unless agreed. With regards to the tidiness of the plasterer it is inevitable that some mess will be made while working but the tradesperson should protect work areas before starting and leave the job as clean and tidy as possible
