Hello,
Please could somebody help me with my query as I am utterly confused.
We bought a house and gutted it all out. I required a plasterer to skim the walls and to put plaster boards on ceilings and in the new loft conversion etc. I chose a Ltd company whose quote was the highest thinking I would not have any issues if I went with them. Based on their glowing online reviews it now appears they are more of a painter/decorator company. So far they have been very courteous & not asked for any money upfront. However they skimmed my whole house with a paper thin coat of Easi-filler 60 & the plaster boards are showing through. I initially thought okay this is maybe just prep work with PVA/Primer or just a 1st coat. To my disbelief, they told me this was the finished product & invoice is due. I was expecting the usual brown-coloured skimming (Multi-finish?) ready for my painter to paint. Also they have not used corner beading on windows stating no need they just need to be sanded down. In fact they now tell me that all the walls/ceiling that has the paper-thin white coat of easy-filler will need to be fully sanded down with a Sander-Vacuum type machine before painting?! I had sourced my own painter who was due to start painting this week - He understandably refused to paint/sand everything down and told me not to partake with any money until I have sorted this issue out with the company. Everyone else that has come to visit are also tutting at their finished work.
Online research suggests Easi-filler is the wrong product but my worker is absolutely convinced it is the best premium product to use. He mentioned it is very popular in Europe & that England should really adopt this approach. He sent me photos, offered to take me to see his finished work (after painting) in other jobs that he has done (mainly commercial) & sent me Canadian YouTube videos on Drywall Installation. I questioned if that is the case then why are British Gypsum advertising Easi-filler as part of their repair range to which he remarked it is a marketing ploy. He remarked if it can be used for patch-working pb or for joints etc then why can't it be used on the entire wall or pb? He also said plaster boards are generally designed to be ready to be painted on directly and putting wet plaster on will add more weight on to it (for example loft ceiling) so i should not be worrying about the paper thin coat of their so called skimming with the plaster boards showing through.
I asked for benefits/advantages on his so-called technique to which he replied: It's more flexible & lighter than multi-finish due to thinner layer, you get a smoother soft painted finish, less chance of condensation/mold as more breathable, less chance of cracking especially on ceilings/stairs. When I disagreed stating not all plastering/skimming work has cracks; his answer to that was "mist coat may help multi-finish not to crack but is the wrong way as primer should be used".
He is very passionate & confident in his dry-lining work that he has offered to guarantee his work in writing (signed/dated). He also suggested I allow him to fully complete the smallest bedroom i.e sand down, prime & paint on top of the easy-filler 'skimming' they have done to show me how amazing 'dry-lining' is! He also said in other places where he has used it, there has been great results - in terms of longevity, this stuff apparently lasts 14+ years. He also remarked that I should ignore other people's negative opinions on his work be it family/friends, other professional tradesman or plasterers cause the technique he has used is very new and rare and that in a few years time it will really hit off! He also tells me it is also being used in new housing developments - but I said to him that is because they're probably wanting something that's cost-effective and fast. His response to that was I should research price difference between Easi-fill and Multi-finish; which I did and told him in that case I am being charged crazy prices for material instead of labour! He refuted it saying it's same labour intensive regardless of whether it's multi-finish or Easi-fill...
He also commented that he is not a mind reader & I should have explicitly stated I wanted multi-finish but I think that comment is unfair because as a novice / non-professional, I was under the impression skimming in UK meant the brown coloured wet plaster. It is the 1st time I have ever seen anything like this and just recently due to this incident I've come across all these technical words - dry lining, gypsium, easi-filler 60 etc etc etc! Apart from that comment I would like to think we have a good working relationship. He has given me some time to think about where to go from here & come to a resolution. This company has cheekily offered to quote me to do the sanding, prime and paint my house knowing full well that I had already sourced my own painter.
All is on hold at the moment but it is now having a knock on effect on all the second fixes etc. I really don't know what to do. I am feeling so confused, is it going to be a case of Iphone vs Samsung, jam or cream first on a scone type of debate
or am I truly being conned? Is it unfair that I asked for skimming and got a thin layer of Easi-filler on my walls and ceiling? Any expert advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
Please could somebody help me with my query as I am utterly confused.
We bought a house and gutted it all out. I required a plasterer to skim the walls and to put plaster boards on ceilings and in the new loft conversion etc. I chose a Ltd company whose quote was the highest thinking I would not have any issues if I went with them. Based on their glowing online reviews it now appears they are more of a painter/decorator company. So far they have been very courteous & not asked for any money upfront. However they skimmed my whole house with a paper thin coat of Easi-filler 60 & the plaster boards are showing through. I initially thought okay this is maybe just prep work with PVA/Primer or just a 1st coat. To my disbelief, they told me this was the finished product & invoice is due. I was expecting the usual brown-coloured skimming (Multi-finish?) ready for my painter to paint. Also they have not used corner beading on windows stating no need they just need to be sanded down. In fact they now tell me that all the walls/ceiling that has the paper-thin white coat of easy-filler will need to be fully sanded down with a Sander-Vacuum type machine before painting?! I had sourced my own painter who was due to start painting this week - He understandably refused to paint/sand everything down and told me not to partake with any money until I have sorted this issue out with the company. Everyone else that has come to visit are also tutting at their finished work.
Online research suggests Easi-filler is the wrong product but my worker is absolutely convinced it is the best premium product to use. He mentioned it is very popular in Europe & that England should really adopt this approach. He sent me photos, offered to take me to see his finished work (after painting) in other jobs that he has done (mainly commercial) & sent me Canadian YouTube videos on Drywall Installation. I questioned if that is the case then why are British Gypsum advertising Easi-filler as part of their repair range to which he remarked it is a marketing ploy. He remarked if it can be used for patch-working pb or for joints etc then why can't it be used on the entire wall or pb? He also said plaster boards are generally designed to be ready to be painted on directly and putting wet plaster on will add more weight on to it (for example loft ceiling) so i should not be worrying about the paper thin coat of their so called skimming with the plaster boards showing through.
I asked for benefits/advantages on his so-called technique to which he replied: It's more flexible & lighter than multi-finish due to thinner layer, you get a smoother soft painted finish, less chance of condensation/mold as more breathable, less chance of cracking especially on ceilings/stairs. When I disagreed stating not all plastering/skimming work has cracks; his answer to that was "mist coat may help multi-finish not to crack but is the wrong way as primer should be used".
He is very passionate & confident in his dry-lining work that he has offered to guarantee his work in writing (signed/dated). He also suggested I allow him to fully complete the smallest bedroom i.e sand down, prime & paint on top of the easy-filler 'skimming' they have done to show me how amazing 'dry-lining' is! He also said in other places where he has used it, there has been great results - in terms of longevity, this stuff apparently lasts 14+ years. He also remarked that I should ignore other people's negative opinions on his work be it family/friends, other professional tradesman or plasterers cause the technique he has used is very new and rare and that in a few years time it will really hit off! He also tells me it is also being used in new housing developments - but I said to him that is because they're probably wanting something that's cost-effective and fast. His response to that was I should research price difference between Easi-fill and Multi-finish; which I did and told him in that case I am being charged crazy prices for material instead of labour! He refuted it saying it's same labour intensive regardless of whether it's multi-finish or Easi-fill...
He also commented that he is not a mind reader & I should have explicitly stated I wanted multi-finish but I think that comment is unfair because as a novice / non-professional, I was under the impression skimming in UK meant the brown coloured wet plaster. It is the 1st time I have ever seen anything like this and just recently due to this incident I've come across all these technical words - dry lining, gypsium, easi-filler 60 etc etc etc! Apart from that comment I would like to think we have a good working relationship. He has given me some time to think about where to go from here & come to a resolution. This company has cheekily offered to quote me to do the sanding, prime and paint my house knowing full well that I had already sourced my own painter.
All is on hold at the moment but it is now having a knock on effect on all the second fixes etc. I really don't know what to do. I am feeling so confused, is it going to be a case of Iphone vs Samsung, jam or cream first on a scone type of debate
or am I truly being conned? Is it unfair that I asked for skimming and got a thin layer of Easi-filler on my walls and ceiling? Any expert advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
But please tell me it can totally be rectified... right?