Lime botch job?

L

Leber

New Member
Hi,

This is my first post and I'd be really grateful for some advice. I've just had an internal wall hacked back to the brick and then plastered in lime. We chose lime to help deal with a very slight historic damp problem at the very base of the wall, as this was recommended to me by a couple of surveyors (it's an old building). The plasterer was also recommended to me as good with lime and seemed to do a good job with the scratch coat. But yesterday he did the so-called finishing coat and it's a real mess (pictures attached).

He told me it was all done, but when I complained he agreed to come back in a week and do another finishing coat. I haven't paid him the final amount (the rest was paid on his 2 previous visits), which is why he's agreed to come back. Trouble is, I've now lost all faith in his abilities. I know lime is trickier than cement, but surely there's no excuse for the mess he's made? He certainly gave the impression he knew what he was doing until now! Should I give him a chance to come back and have another go or am I within my rights to withhold the final 30% payment and find someone else who can do it properly?

Many thanks for any help.
 

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the chap you employed was no plasterer. he will no be back, not capable of doing the job.
 
Interesting post...Why did he do the whole wall and what was the advice the "surveyors" adviced about the "historical damp" ?

Welcome to the forum :hola:thanks :birra:
 
Vincey said:
Interesting post...Why did he do the whole wall and what was the advice the "surveyors" adviced about the "historical damp" ?

Welcome to the forum :hola:thanks :birra:
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Hmmmm yeah and more to the point why was it finished by thumping a stiff badger across it!!!!!!
 
thats a really poor attempt at plastering by anybody's standards ,looks like it's already been damaged by damp
 
Vincey said:
Historical damp ?
I not a damp expert so interested to know what it is tbh
And who is "we" decided, might be multi trader :p
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It might be the op choice was to go with lime, he
Might have been reading up on it and just want to prevent future problems, nothing wrong with it. How's applied and finished it's a turd I'm not questioning it tho.
Up the multitraders :popcorn:
 
Hah, thanks all. Yeah, it's pretty special...

Any way that this can be rescued by a professional or does it all have to come off and start again?
 
zolco said:
It might be the op choice was to go with lime, he
Might have been reading up on it and just want to prevent future problems, nothing wrong with it. How's applied and finished it's a turd I'm not questioning it tho.
Up the multitraders :popcorn:
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Surveyors, multiturders all same to me

:musculoso:
 
Leber said:
Hi,

This is my first post and I'd be really grateful for some advice. I've just had an internal wall hacked back to the brick and then plastered in lime. We chose lime to help deal with a very slight historic damp problem at the very base of the wall, as this was recommended to me by a couple of surveyors (it's an old building). The plasterer was also recommended to me as good with lime and seemed to do a good job with the scratch coat. But yesterday he did the so-called finishing coat and it's a real mess (pictures attached).

He told me it was all done, but when I complained he agreed to come back in a week and do another finishing coat. I haven't paid him the final amount (the rest was paid on his 2 previous visits), which is why he's agreed to come back. Trouble is, I've now lost all faith in his abilities. I know lime is trickier than cement, but surely there's no excuse for the mess he's made? He certainly gave the impression he knew what he was doing until now! Should I give him a chance to come back and have another go or am I within my rights to withhold the final 30% payment and find someone else who can do it properly?

Many thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
That's crap, not even been scoured before trowelling, you said the scratch was ok,! Was it three coat work. The first coat pricking up/scratch is simple. The floating coat should be ruled flat and devilled then the setting coat goes on flat as f**k, you can't get it like that in the picture even a board skimmer with zero experience on backing coats could have got it flatter on a proper ruled surface, I doubt the 30% retainer will entice him back, unless he charged you a fortune, getting another lime plasterer will be hard too, knock off and re-do, would be my advice
 
Leber said:
Hi,

This is my first post and I'd be really grateful for some advice. I've just had an internal wall hacked back to the brick and then plastered in lime. We chose lime to help deal with a very slight historic damp problem at the very base of the wall, as this was recommended to me by a couple of surveyors (it's an old building). The plasterer was also recommended to me as good with lime and seemed to do a good job with the scratch coat. But yesterday he did the so-called finishing coat and it's a real mess (pictures attached).

He told me it was all done, but when I complained he agreed to come back in a week and do another finishing coat. I haven't paid him the final amount (the rest was paid on his 2 previous visits), which is why he's agreed to come back. Trouble is, I've now lost all faith in his abilities. I know lime is trickier than cement, but surely there's no excuse for the mess he's made? He certainly gave the impression he knew what he was doing until now! Should I give him a chance to come back and have another go or am I within my rights to withhold the final 30% payment and find someone else who can do it properly?

Many thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
What did the surveyor/surveyors say the cause of the damp was? Any pics of the wall before plastering and with the scratch coat?
There's a few bubbles which means the scratch coat still too wet to top - this time of year I would be leaving the lime for 2/3 weeks before topping.
 
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