Young lads plastering

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im 22 I think that some colleges NVQ courses are quite shocking, I also think (qualtiy before quantity) is being overshadowed due to large companies taking on many of the younger lads putting them on poor wages and making them throw boards up willy nilly and then skimming as much as possible and not pulling £100 a day. Personally I think its a dieing trade in some aspects and youger lads don't see Plastering as such as they would plumbing or being an electrician. plastering is been overlooked by the general public as an assesity and that is the bigger problem. To your actual point no i don't think youger lads are any less or more. There is always good and always bad. simples
 
malc said:
in my time in the trade since 1963 there has always been chancers in boom times, usually plasterers labourers trying to have a go. the odd one doing ok. one i can think of became a millionaire.but most of them failing in recessions, it always was boom and bust .
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wasn't he known as superhod?
 
thing is,are there the plastering contractors about now that can give apprentis's the broad experiance most of us had 20 yrs ago?
 
Freerider said:
I think a lot of it is being too keen and inexperienced, like you say you are still learning after 8 years, about same time as I've been plastering too, I made so many mistakes when I was younger it was unreal, went out on me own too early, it killed my confidence and took a long time to recover from it, it takes years to build up a reasonable amount of knowledge and skill, I've only become properly established in the last couple of years and **** me I still make mistakes! but who doesn't!! so I wouldn't be so hard on the youngsters, most of it just comes from ignorance and overly keen to get out and make something of themselves, which in effect, isnt actually a bad thing, just let them learn by their mistakes! :)
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I couldn't disagree more. Why should a paying customer have to put up with people making mistakes whilst learning on the job.
The inexperienced should be making their mistakes whilst working and learning from an experienced tradesman, who can help spot any mistakes and then explain and or show how to remedy the situation without it impacting on the finished work.
I believe the problem is that people want everything instantly nowadays. They don't want to put the time in to learn anything properly, hence short courses and muppets that are labourers one minute and then taking on their own work the next.
As an example how many people come on this forum as obviously complete novices and then within two years they act/talk/write like they're proper experienced spreads.
It takes years and years to become competent across the wide spectrum of our trade.
Rant over.
 
malc said:
very good answer. i did not know max quatarman .
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I knew him, saw him carry a wheel barrow full of S&C up the stairs in his extended Hod, The spread he worked with John McLintock was fast as f*** floated and set a huge 5 bed house in two days all internal walls S&C
 
KevRM said:
I knew him, saw him carry a wheel barrow full of S&C up the stairs in his extended Hod, The spread he worked with John McLintock was fast as f*** floated and set a huge 5 bed house in two days all internal walls S&C
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Hmmmmmmm???!!!
 
Is he some kind of plastering leg end????????????????........what about tommy tippee!!
 
CurrierPlastering said:
I spent the day at the knauf trainning center the other day and was very impressed. Compared to spraying normal skim these non gypsum pre-bagged plasters are much more suitable for machine application. You can stop when you want. No need to worry about setting in the pipes ect.

Before everyone says its shite maybe they should see it in person and think about the advantages on site.
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iv used it you doughnut and been on several sites wheres its been used. mainly commercial. its ****. not once has the client been happy with it afterwards

the advantages are not worth the cost and time. it is only even remotely time saving if there are thousands of meters to go at ready at the same time. the stuff that goes over boards is all dependant on how the boarding and tape and jointing has been done, which has to be done near perfect. there is also a lot of sanding. and it is being pushed to people that have no trowel skills. its a terrible time wasting product with a poor finish
 
henry said:
dot and dab killed the trade to a certain extent.
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My sentiments exactly , when dot and dab came in it took the skill out of plastering . It opened the gates to semi skilled operatives. I don't know what it's like where you live but in Huddersfield and surrounding areas every other van has plastering on the side
 
Mickyboy said:
My sentiments exactly , when dot and dab came in it took the skill out of plastering . It opened the gates to semi skilled operatives. I don't know what it's like where you live but in Huddersfield and surrounding areas every other van has plastering on the side
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Surely thats the point in new products? To make it easyer to do a job and cheaper. Who the hell designs a new system that makes it harder
 
Did you ever use siraphite finish you could put miles on and a lot of the ceilings were artex they weren't like houses now with on suites and cupboards everywhere
 
Good post Essex, also free rider. I'm not bashing all the young lads coming through.

The point I'm trying to make is, some younger lads learn to skim to a decent standard. Go on site expecting 50 m2 runs day in day out, which doesn't happen. They take on domestic work expecting it to be the same as sites, and it's not.

Like Essex says, there seems to be a rush to get out and be your own boss earning good money, which doesn't happen. Why? Because you don't get your head down and learn every aspect of what the old school guy is teaching you. Most learn skimming and then their off.

All I'm saying is I can't see many of the young guys coming through being or wanting to be good all round plasterers, learning every aspect of the trade.
 
Come on Gary you know as well as I do that just because you can put miles on doesn't make it quicker, you've still got to trowel it up. Sirapite could be a complete pain in the arse at times.
I know from listening to you over time that you're a genuine quick spread, as I used to be and my old man before me, but there are limits to what can be achieved speed wise if even a half decent standard is to be left behind us.
Max Quarterman made his money by being the plastering contractor who just happened to be subbing off his old man who was the developer. This obviously was a story that would make good print so was omitted from the story.
 
Part of me thinks today's youth doesn't want hard work though I have seen more and more vans knocking about - though some will be from sites that have shut up so they go out and undercut everyone as they have little or no overheads.
We have have letters though from young'uns wanting to learn but with things the way they are workwise there is no way we could afford to take on an apprentice.

As to the grey stuff, pretty sure that was from the south - I know some plasters used mines gypsum as opposed to flu-ash gypsum. Haven't used or seen grey browning in a while come to think about it.
 
essexandy said:
Come on Gary you know as well as I do that just because you can put miles on doesn't make it quicker, you've still got to trowel it up. Sirapite could be a complete pain in the arse at times.
I know from listening to you over time that you're a genuine quick spread, as I used to be and my old man before me, but there are limits to what can be achieved speed wise if even a half decent standard is to be left behind us.
Max Quarterman made his money by being the plastering contractor who just happened to be subbing off his old man who was the developer. This obviously was a story that would make good print so was omitted from the story.
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i understand what your saying Andy but there was the odd guy that was just mad i knew a spread called David Ramsey and I've seen him float a three storie staircase in sand and cement in 2 hours and you could not fault a bit of it i would even set over his work i have seen him set 80 m2 on his own in one and before last trowel start banging on another hit he was a natural and he was 42 when i seen him doing this
 
surely these super blokes must be cripples by now if they can carry and spread all the gear they are talking about
 
I've heard stories about these spreads, usually little blokes as well. Oh, little Ronnie (for eg) he's fast and good - float a house out in a day, skim it the next etc. it's not till other spreads say they've heard of him or worked with him and say its true that you start to believe them. I'd have to say they're probably knackered by now as well.
 
Must be canny to watch.............like a well oiled machine i would think..........:RpS_thumbup:
 
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