lizzie Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hi all Have had a quick look around but cant find my answer. Plasterboarding is underway (boarders do skim too so all one contractor). We are using regular stuff on the ceilings but Gyproc Habiito on the walls. My chippe and sparky pointed out to me what they considered to be poor workmanship on the boarding. My project manager just says he looks at a finished job not a part done one. He mentioned holes to plasterers who said they would be taped and we would never know but I am worried we have huge holes around sockets, I can put my hand in one, some of the mvhr outlets have been cut far too big and the pipes taped on a skew....I can see into the roof void and the membrane holes are so big. Boards in corners have been damaged when put up and holes taped over. We know nothing about plasterboarding other than having had work done in our previous house it was a much better standard. Should I ask them to re do problem areas before they get to skimming.......and one more thing would you expect a large ceiling to be skimmed in one go or in sections. Some pics attached. Thanks for any help. Liz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Gaps around boxes are a no-no. The boxes should be tight to the plasterboard, or ideally project into it slightly, so there is no gap. We packed all ours out so they projected a few mm into the plasterboard layer, to both make sure there were no gaps and to make it easier to mark the box cut outs on the boards (just put the board in place and bang it over the box, and it leaves an imprint for the cut out) The workmanship looks bloody awful, and I think there is a strong probability that you will get cracks in all those areas with big voids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Sorry but that is as rough as can be. I would be marching them off the job if they are not going to re do the rubbish bits. If they just skim that, round the sockets the plaster spanning mid air will just break off when the sparky screws a socket home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Thank you so much both. I thought it was awful too. Your comments have decided me. I am going to go to site at 7.30am and ask them to reboard the worst areas. I would sack them but it might take me weeks to find more and then I will lose my tiler (he has been messed about for months) ........but if they dont redo it properly then I will have to sack them and wait for tiling until January. I was supposed to be living in this house months ago but told everything takes time if you do it properly! Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I see the good, the bad, and the ugly in my line of work (electrician) but I can honestly say I have not seen that bad. It pains me to see poor workmanship, the usual being the boarders burst a board because it is too big to fit and shrug their shoulders and say "the taper will fix that" Best of luck getting it resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 You. must get rid of them If there boarding is that rough there skiming won't be good It may likely be terrible like there boarding As already pointed out above Its pretty bad It's you that will be stuck looking at it Also your project manager is wrong stating that he only looks at the finished job He should have reacted in the same manner as my fellow posters Good luck Gary 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSharp01 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 OMG, Yep - off .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Construction Channel Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 WOW, I have seen some pretty bad boarding before but you are now winning, they have been watching youtube again havent they and usually you would do large areas in one go, it just involves more people skimming, but as above i wouldn't be overly sure about their skimming if that is how they leave their boarding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Fack me....Edward Scissorhands would have cut those out neater Show them the door. Rebook the tiler and take the hit. These issues will come back time again with cracks and cave ins. Have you checked how many PB screws have not been driven fully home? Eg not proud so you can feel them but not torn through the PB surface paper ? 'Heads popping' will last years. . My current customers house looks like someone shot the ceilings with a tommy gun. Have you paid them for the aforementioned atrocities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 1 hour ago, lizzie said: Hi all Have had a quick look around but cant find my answer. Plasterboarding is underway (boarders do skim too so all one contractor). We are using regular stuff on the ceilings but Gyproc Habiito on the walls. My chippe and sparky pointed out to me what they considered to be poor workmanship on the boarding. My project manager just says he looks at a finished job not a part done one. He mentioned holes to plasterers who said they would be taped and we would never know but I am worried we have huge holes around sockets, I can put my hand in one, some of the mvhr outlets have been cut far too big and the pipes taped on a skew....I can see into the roof void and the membrane holes are so big. Boards in corners have been damaged when put up and holes taped over. We know nothing about plasterboarding other than having had work done in our previous house it was a much better standard. Should I ask them to re do problem areas before they get to skimming.......and one more thing would you expect a large ceiling to be skimmed in one go or in sections. Some pics attached. Thanks for any help. Liz Just had another look at your post on my laptop I can clearly see what has happened they have not used Habito boards before Judging by the score marks They have tried to cut the sockets out with a knife or serated knife fine for any other plasterboards Nor Habito Jigsaw only for cut outs As Nick has pointed out the screws arnt counter sunk They may be using standard drywall screws Not the Habito screws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_s Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 As others have said, if they can't make a good job of the boarding then their skimming skills will likely be disappointing at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Thank you all I really appreciate your help. I am struggling with it all. Before they started I asked project mangaer to ensure that they had familiarised themselves with gyproc habito and that we bought the correct screws. I was assured on both counts that all was good. Clearly not, they have only been on site 4 days and are supposed to be there for a few weeks yet. After seeing this shambles over the weekend I asked my pm today about their previous work (I understood he had been and seen them on a job to see the quality if their work) he told me he had gone on the pictures and blurb on their web site and it all looked good! I am beyond distraught with this house, we are months behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stones Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I think you need to have a frank conversation with your PM as well as the crew doing the boarding. You are after all, paying your PM to look after your project. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Apart from what has already been said there looks to be a shortage of screws in them boards esp the pic showing the corner and the roof. Hard to tell if the white marks on the ceiling are screw holes filled over. You should have a screw every 300mm along a stud or joist. Should look more like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hi, Thats very rough, personally Id get another crew in. You 'sound' fedup with it but the hassle down the line will annoy you more I suspect. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 My kids could do a better job - sorry for being blunt but that is atrocious ..! First thing is ask to see the fixings box or the invoice - Habito screws have a different part number and a different head design. Check here http://www.british-gypsum.com/products/high-performance-screws-for-use-with-gyproc-habito?tab0=1 If the screws are wrong, get them removed and the boards replaced - scrim and splash isn’t a replacement for proper boarding. Secondly, bin the board team ... that’s not acceptable workmanship and they need to go. Thirdly... take your PM somewhere quiet and explain the facts of life, and how you’re paying his mortgage and he works for you - shortly before asking if he’d like to leave at the same time as the boarders ... anyone can pick a trade from google ..!! He needs a wake up call ... Ask lots of questions here - we are here to help..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I am not the world's best plasterboarder or plasterer (I have done areas up to the size of say a chimney breast), but I think he should perhaps be using plasterboard boxes (the push-in type with grippy side flaps) not wall mount boxes if those are sections where there are service voids and space behind. On skimming plaster - yes they should be doing contiguous areas in one go up to boundary elements to avoid joins. Plastering is not exactly slow to do - a large room a day is perfectly doable by one plasterer. As they do it it will be in sections, but aiui they always plaster up to an existing wet edge and then spend a lot of time polishing the surface. People on here know more than me and will explain things I have wrong. Three Weetabix for Breakfast today! Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I just cut a hole in a plasterboard wall to find out what is behind it and it is narrower than the vertical gap between the two sheets in the corner picture. They don't look flush either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 13 hours ago, lizzie said: [...] I would sack them but it might take me weeks to find more and then I will lose my tiler (he has been messed about for months) ........but if they dont redo it properly then I will have to sack them and wait for tiling until January. I was supposed to be living in this house months ago but told everything takes time if you do it properly! [...] That type of worry was precisely what made me delay sacking our builder - and now I have to grit my teeth every time I look at our front wall. The errors will, over time, be moderated by other trades compensating for the poor workmanship, and then forgotten by everyone else other than me. Debbie winces every time I told her about delays earlier in the build. Now we'd rather pay for mistakes we make rather than pay for the labour to make mistakes for us. Tell it it like it is @lizzie The in-built owner's desire to push on to completion is one of the dynamics that fuel acceptance of poor workmanship. We'd now rather live in a caravan than accept any more poor workmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Agree with all that. The problem here is the result of the project manager's choice of tradespeople. What's the point in googling plasterers - why doesn't your PM have at least one, and ideally two or three, teams he can call on? You shouldn't be expected to go onsite at 7:30 to tell people how to do their jobs. That's your PM's job - otherwise what are you paying him for? You're getting to that stage of the build where things will be on show. I still wince most days at some of the tiling and skirting boards in our house. Others may not notice, but you will, and that's why getting this right now is so important, even if it slows things down. All the very, very best. Do feel free to come on here and rant at any time - you'll get a lot of sympathy from those of us who've been there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiehamy Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 That's awful - and agree on lack of screws, although our plasterer had a good chuckle at how many we put in - says 'o fooking chance that'll move' when skimming. You can see how many screws we put in here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 I'm a mere DIY'er but ffs have some pride! If in doubt put more in. Tbh I think I went 200mm ctrs then took on board @Nickfromwales comments and have been doubling up: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Screws are pennies, blast them in ! Filling, sanding and redecorating costs significantly more my friends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oranjeboom Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Good luck Lizzy! I have some plasters turning up tomorrow for quotes, so your story has made me extra vigilant! No consolation I am sure, but we are about 2yrs behind on this build. Every delay is a kick in the nuts, but I think when you reach the plastering stage, it's at this point that you will regret letting your standards go in years to come. Stand your ground with these cowboys. It'll only encourage them to carry on with their crap workmanship on other builds also. Good luck! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 8 hours ago, oranjeboom said: ... but I think when you reach the plastering stage, it's at this point that you will regret letting your standards go in years to come. +several million Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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