I have just done a comparison on this for anyone interested in using machines in you daily work.
I have done 2 identical new build houses, worked out material cost and labour time. i'm not breaking records but average things out over a week Based on 1 plasterer and 1 labourer all nett of vat
1, Traditional sand cement. £ 1.30 mt 2 50 mts floated in a day upstairs
Not having done this in a while it was hard graft. Its heavy, the mix changes from nice to wet to stiff and depending on your help you could be waiting for gear. fair bit of waste too when scraped off ready to float. Gets easier on the ground floor but still not a nice feeling knowing your machine would have the wall on in 5 minutes and its gonna take you over 15.
2, Hardwall £ 2.25 m2 30-40 mts a day of finished walls rendered and set
That gives me time to get the job right, keep clean and make sure its right, go off do some beading and then skim it without steam coming out my ears. Very little waste. When there is more of you then the m2 will increase and you can get 2 sets of skim in aswell but for me that works well. I like that the room is finished, that everything happens indoors and that there is variety in the day. Nice to bill for x amount of finished work instead of 50% complete arguments. It dries quick enough even in winter
3, CPI £ 3.00 m2 80 mts floated a day
This was good in that you could float a good area per day and that everything can happen indoors with no need to clean the machine till the end of the day. Nice to work with but you will be looking at the waste you scraped off like its £££££ Its expensive way of doing things. Its not easy to get hold of a rep to order.
I have done 2 identical new build houses, worked out material cost and labour time. i'm not breaking records but average things out over a week Based on 1 plasterer and 1 labourer all nett of vat
1, Traditional sand cement. £ 1.30 mt 2 50 mts floated in a day upstairs
Not having done this in a while it was hard graft. Its heavy, the mix changes from nice to wet to stiff and depending on your help you could be waiting for gear. fair bit of waste too when scraped off ready to float. Gets easier on the ground floor but still not a nice feeling knowing your machine would have the wall on in 5 minutes and its gonna take you over 15.
2, Hardwall £ 2.25 m2 30-40 mts a day of finished walls rendered and set
That gives me time to get the job right, keep clean and make sure its right, go off do some beading and then skim it without steam coming out my ears. Very little waste. When there is more of you then the m2 will increase and you can get 2 sets of skim in aswell but for me that works well. I like that the room is finished, that everything happens indoors and that there is variety in the day. Nice to bill for x amount of finished work instead of 50% complete arguments. It dries quick enough even in winter
3, CPI £ 3.00 m2 80 mts floated a day
This was good in that you could float a good area per day and that everything can happen indoors with no need to clean the machine till the end of the day. Nice to work with but you will be looking at the waste you scraped off like its £££££ Its expensive way of doing things. Its not easy to get hold of a rep to order.