Screw Pops - Ceiling worse than before decorator started

[canalsiderenovation]

We lived with our house plastered with just a white mist coat sprayed on (which the decorator did) for 3 years as we wanted everything to settle before having it properly decorated. In this time we have some cracks and we had quite a bit of popping (I'd say about 12 screw pops) on some of the plasterboard ceiling in the kitchen (this is where we have a glazed gable and very high ceilings). About a month ago the decorator did our kitchen properly and did a lot of prep, sorting out the pop marks where there was them. We have started to notice that we have a lot of pop marks - infact more than there ever was before and certainly not ones that were there before he started decorating when we look back at photos. I wonder if in his sanding/prep (he had one of those huge sanders on a stick and had scaffolding) he actually caused more screw pops, had to fill them and with the very hot weather this past week it's caused them to pop again but we now have probably in excess of about 20. The decorator is well established with an excellent reputation and we have generally been thrilled with his work but the ceilings are difficult in the kitchen as they are so high but am I being unreasonable to raise this? Here's a couple of pics of some of the worse ones (it's hard to capture on camera).

 

 

[wozza]

The Screw pops will be due to movement (expansion / contraction) or impact - what do you think that the decorator could have possibly done to make previously un popped screws pop?

 

[Dave Jones]

not the painters fault. Those are massive 'pops', were the correct screws used ?

[canalsiderenovation]

12 minutes ago, wozza said:

The Screw pops will be due to movement (expansion / contraction) or impact - what do you think that the decorator could have possibly done to make previously un popped screws pop?

 

 

I don't know really but we have lived in the house 3 years since it has been plastered so any movement or expansion and contraction should surely have happened already. It just seems odd that since he has sanded, prepped, filled and decorated etc we now have screw pops we didn't have before. The sander on a stick thing surely would cause movement/vibration?? If I'm being unreasonable I won't raise it as we have paid up and he's finished but its just frustrating we have a situation where the ceilings are even worse than before he touched it. Yes the right screws were used and the plasterer was highly recommended too and the decorator even complimented his work (it probably wasn't helped by the fact the house was plastered initially in November so we had dehumidifiers etc drying out and this is why we left it so long to have it properly decorated to give things chance to dry out and settle properly). 

 

Just annoying we are going to have to pay someone to come back and do it again!

[nod]

It’s usually due to bad shapes on joists or trusses Joist hangers are the main culprit Counter batoning is a must At the very least trusses should be done 

Everything in ours will be done even the chunky Posi joist 

Edited June 4, 2023 by nod

[TonyT]

Not the painters fault. the joiner who put the plasterboard up would be the better person to apportion fault.

[RichardL]

FWIW - I got damage like that after re-tiling/battening/re-insulating -  but thats hammering over the whole roof & somewhat expected.

 

Has anyone been repairing the outside of the roof space?

[canalsiderenovation]

9 minutes ago, RichardL said:

FWIW - I got damage like that after re-tiling/battening/re-insulating -  but thats hammering over the whole roof & somewhat expected.

 

Has anyone been repairing the outside of the roof space?

Nope. Nothing.

[Discoeye]

+1 for the painter being innocent and another good point raised about correct size screw but general movement expansion/ contraction as stated by wozza and unfortunately through the painter doing his job a few more have popped.

[Nickfromwales]

Yup. Don't shout at the painter. If they were pole sanding then you should commend them, as a lot won't bother as it's hard work BUT it is necessary for flat smooth surfaces and an excellent finish.

The person who screwed the boards on has likely used too few screws, and the boards have pulled away from / were never tight against the joists.

Every refurb I ever did, which had plasterboard nails and not screws, but where we were to plaster over artex etc, I always got my drywall screw-gun and put screws in every 6-8". You could literally see the boards pulling up to the joists as you went along the joist, and almost every single nail would pop.

This is the fault of the boarders, and bean-counting the screws. 

 

[canalsiderenovation]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I need to get the plasterer back and then the decorator again 😕

[Nickfromwales]

40 minutes ago, canalsiderenovation said:

Thanks everyone. Looks like I need to get the plasterer back and then the decorator again 😕

Not quite! Just go buy a box of PB screws and screw one in every 150-180mm and do that along each joist. DIY job tbh, and you'll know it's done correctly then. Then just fill each one and get the decorator to sand back and paint again. May as well just yank off the band-aid and deal with this once.