Help - My worker has skimmed using Easi-filler

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Ali123

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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.
 
Even if they have taped and jointed it they should sand it down , its part of the process . They should of also used external corner tape or beads on your corners . Have you got anything written Down what they’re agreed to do ? All is not lost because you can ova and skim over what they have done .
 
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.
I feel asleep half way through ................What happened ?
 
I feel asleep half way through ................What happened ?
Lol, to cut the story short, I was expecting a full reskim of the house and I am now left with easi-filler on all the walls and ceiling. The long essay is in relation to my worker marketing easi-filler and convincing me he has used a premium product.
 
Even if they have taped and jointed it they should sand it down , its part of the process . They should of also used external corner tape or beads on your corners . Have you got anything written Down what they’re agreed to do ? All is not lost because you can ova and skim over what they have done .

Thank you so much, that makes me feel relieved - so there is no need for sanding down etc? It can be applied directly?
 
Lol, to cut the story short, I was expecting a full reskim of the house and I am now left with easi-filler on all the walls and ceiling. The long essay is in relation to my worker marketing easi-filler and convincing me he has used a premium product.
Have you put a straight edge on the walls
 
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.

Oh but you need to put pictures of this up.

All sounds very weird. Boards can be painted so drylining is only for filling joints. No need to go over the boards.

If...IF...he has stumbled on some new miracle way of working (which he hasn't) then he's still contracted to leave you paintable surfaces.

So either make him sand it all down and inspect it carefully before you pay him or dig your heels in and insist that it's skimmed properly - the choice is yours.

Do you have anything in writing?
 
Here is one room completed
 

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Don’t pay him for the new fangled board finish. You could get it over coated with airless plaster as it will go straight onto Easifill, but you still need to have corner protection installed. Airless plaster is more expensive than multi finish though. Whatever it costs you, take it off his money.
 
Here is one room completed

That actually looks alright on my shitty phone but if you can see the joints and the corners are just board and it's full of trowel marks, then I say f**k it, make him skim.

Sounds to me like he's taken on something he shouldn't have to keep his lads going in January.
 
Several emails and whatsapp conversations were exchanged. I am going to go through them all and see exactly what was mentioned. However in our face to face meetings we never said to him cover all our walls with easi-filler. We repeatedly used the word skimming / reskimming and even in his invoice he wrote "skimming". He now tells me their team does not specialise in "wet plaster" only dry-lining. Neither parties signed any contracts as such so I do not know where I stand. I did say to him, I was happy with his plaster-boarding the loft and insulating the rooms etc. I told him I will definitely pay for that - I have paid some towards it. He has now agreed it may have been miscommunication and it was wrong of him to assume that as a non-professional I would have known. He also said next time he will ask customers 3x whether they require "multi-finish" or "gybsium" (his spelling not mine and whenever I googled it, it kept taking me to BG website)!!!
 
I will try and get some better photos especially of the edges etc when I go visit the property this evening - feel so depressed seeing the walls like that...
 
Here is one room completed
What's shown in that photo isn't even a skim of Easifill, it's tape and jointed with a slurry put over the boards in my opinion.
It's really, really simple, you asked for the property to be skimmed and this chump has tape and jointed it, you owe him precisely nothing. In fact it could easily be argued that it will now cost you more to end up with the type of finish you desire. The fact that it may look fine once decorated is utterly irrelevant.
 
And some more pics
 

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That is s**t. The joints aren’t wide enough and the slurry coat or whatever he’s done is hit & miss. Also, Easifill is an expensive way of doing it, at about £12 a 10 kg bag. He’s a muppet.
:cry: But please tell me it can totally be rectified... right?
 
Several emails and whatsapp conversations were exchanged. I am going to go through them all and see exactly what was mentioned. However in our face to face meetings we never said to him cover all our walls with easi-filler. We repeatedly used the word skimming / reskimming and even in his invoice he wrote "skimming". He now tells me their team does not specialise in "wet plaster" only dry-lining. Neither parties signed any contracts as such so I do not know where I stand. I did say to him, I was happy with his plaster-boarding the loft and insulating the rooms etc. I told him I will definitely pay for that - I have paid some towards it. He has now agreed it may have been miscommunication and it was wrong of him to assume that as a non-professional I would have known. He also said next time he will ask customers 3x whether they require "multi-finish" or "gybsium" (his spelling not mine and whenever I googled it, it kept taking me to BG website)!!!

Well there you go then, he knows that's not skimming and he's done that because he can't skim.

You're quite within your rights not to pay until it's skimmed.
 
I've still not bothered to read it , thought it was an overskim lol
 
I like the feature in between the sockets. Is that European too?
Has he done the whole house like this?
It can be rectified, but it’s going to cost you.
 
Looks like they've taped it then took a sponge to it and dragged the residue all over the board. As long as sealed properly skimming shouldn't be a problem.
 
to be honest I would just get a good painter now unless you really want it skimmed?
I guess I am utterly disappointed at the sub-standard finish of my walls and new pb being covered in this "slurry" and then the shock of being told by him that this is the finished skimmed look . I feel let down and cannot justify having to pay thousands £££. Our painter/decorator won't paint unless it's all sanded down and this so-called company said for an additional £1000, they will sand for us using their professional plaster-sander (no chance).
 
I always generally say this as a joke but I’m going to say it with a little sarcasm but mostly serious......A GOOD DECORATOR WILL GET THAT!! Not a lot of choice unless ya wanna fork out again :coffe:
 
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