Caulk/Plaster/gaps

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by DavidC, May 4, 2016.

  1. DavidC

    DavidC New Member

    Hi
    I have just has the living room re-boarded and plastered and new skirting/architrave fitted (costing nor far off £2,000) but I am not happy with the skirting/architrave and I would like to know if my grumbles are realistic.

    The guy fitting the skirting/architrave has hammered in some nails that have bent, the hammer has hit the architrave in a few places giving minor but noticeable chips/dents. The bent nails have just been hammered home bent over. If/when I repaint I would pull these nails out for, hopefully, a better finish, but why should i have to do this. it is clear to me that the chippie knew what he was doing but did not think it worthy of correcting.

    The skirting has been nail gunned to the wall leaving dents and the nails holes have not been filled.

    The same builder plastered the walls as well as fitting the skirting. The skirting does not follow the "flatness" of the wall (or the wall follow the flatness of the skirting) leading to quite large gaps that have been filled with builders caulk.

    By far my biggest concern is the caulk that he has used to fill gaps between the skirting/wall and the architrave/wall/ has not left a 90 degree profile. it is more of a crescent shape. I think he smoothed it down with his finger. This does not give a definite line between the architrave/wall nor the skirting/wall so when I come to decorate there is no definite line to paint to or to wall paper too.

    If I came across this when decorating I would scrape out all the caulk/filler (of whatever type) and refill back and smoothing to a 90 degree profile.

    Although the new architrave and skirting are the same thickness The architrave has not lined up with the skirting deepness wise and as a result the skirting is about 8 mm prouder than the architrave, this is quite noticeable. I would have assumed that a chamfer could have been put on the end of the skirting to make it tie up with the architrave.

    Would it be unreasonable to ask for the work to be remedied or am I too nit picky.
     
  2. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    That's tatty.
     
  3. DIYDave.

    DIYDave. Screwfix Select

    As a diy'er and if I was the customer, I wouldn't be happy with the vast majority of what you have detailed

    Nail heads are often left not filled on this type of work as it's generally expected that the decorator (may be you) will fill these during his prep work

    Bent nails and missed hammer blows are sloppy work though. Again can be sorted with filler, by the decorator. Are you painting the timber or leaving natural, staining ?

    Caulking, know exactly what you mean and seen it all the time, same as dodgy silicone work, one of my pet hates. Definitely a "finger job" as you say leaves a concave shape and messy junction between skirt and wall. I bet that the caulk will also shrink back and crack

    Skirts and arch not lining up - funny that the bottom of the walls never seem as flat as higher up the wall and tend to bow in or out giving alignment problems

    This could have been sorted at the time but obviously too much effort. Sounds like a rush job and definitely shoddy work

    Holden question...... Have you paid in full yet ?????? Any money held back at this stage ?????

    Agree with you, not happy with some of the work, talk to the guy first, document, photos, etc and explain what you are not happy with. Also point out what you are happy with, your not being unreasonable here

    Good luck
     
  4. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Seldomed use a hammer for 2nd fix carpentry,usually used a nail gun, much neater finish.:)
     
  5. CGN

    CGN Screwfix Select

    If the walls have been boarded then there is little excuse for the walls not being 'flat'. How has the PB been fitted up to the door frames? Unless the existing plaster was hacked off, then the door frames would probably need packing out to the level of the new PB. I'm thinking that this may be the start of the mismatch in levels between skirting and archs and possibly an excessive build up of plaster.
     
  6. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    As above newly boarded should be absolutly flat.

    There is no excuse for having bent nails or hammer roses in timber or even nail gun head marks. Putting nails in and then finishing with a nail set is a basic skill even the most junior starters get taught this. Nail gun marks can be avoided by setting the pressure and depth on scrap of timber first.

    Not aligning the architrave and skirting again is fairly basic and since he boarded the walls should have resolved this himself.

    It sounds like you have a DIYer trying to pass himself off as a trade person.

    Covering up some of these mistakes is a real pain especially the hammer marks. I would certainly try and get them remedied or get the guy to stump up for a professional decorator to do the work
     
  7. That's sloppy indeed, David.

    I don't understand the skirting and archi being 8mm out if they are of the same thickness - can you explain what this twit has done here? (If the archi had been sticking out more than the skirting, you could live with it if it looked ok, but not the other way around. And a chamfer would also be tatty.)

    Filling in nail holes is usually pretty easy, and a wee smear of filler/caulk would almost certainly be needed on these nail heads anyways. BUT, hammer 'donks'?! Nooooooooo! These are a pain to fill and make good as they are so shallow and don't have crisp edges. And for a supposed 'pro', that's awful.

    Bent nails?! Man, even I pull my bent nails oot and start again... :oops:

    And I fully agree with the rounded caulking - that's hellish too, and you are not being fussy here. The very tiniest of 'roundness' right where the skirting meets the wall - 1 or 2mm radius - fine, but you want an essentially crisp line there.

    And to not get the boards and/or skirting running flat against each other - oh for pity's' sakes... :(

    I'm a DIYer like Dave above and, whilst it certainly takes me at least twice as long (ok, around 5 times...) as a pro to do such jobs, I would not stop until it was acceptable. And the above list chust ain't.

    What should you expect from a plasterer/joiner - which this guy is effectively claiming to be? I mean, what state should the work be left in before the decorator comes in? Well, I guess a wee bit of nail-filling (he probably spent more time nail-filing...) will always be needed. Perhaps even a smear of filler if the archi mitres aren't perfect. And almost certainly a bit of finishing sanding here and there chust to get it all tickety-boo before undercoating - such as at mitres if wood fibres are sticking up, taking the raw sharpness off the timber edges, etc. But NOT to have to redo poor caulking and NOT to have to fill in hammer dinks.

    Can you post some photos, David? Close-ups of the archi/skirting joins. And low-long photos against the wall showing what the skirting lines are like. A close-up of the skirting caulking would be nifty too

    We badly need a laugh on here...

    Er, I mean it'll help us to gauge how poor it is.

    (Set you camera to 3MP resolution and the photos should come out <2MP which is what you need on here.)
     

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