another gloomy post - is everyone a plasterer?

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spark2010

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After completion of my city and guilds last month and a few privates alongside, the new beginning was in sight. I'm starting my NVQ next month and the pieces are slowly falling into place. The thing is after reading the last few posts on here i'm starting to think im wasting my time.. with most on here saying work is tight, new builds with plastering become idle in 10 years and adhmeds 100 grand a year plan ... its looking bleek...

Sorry i'm about to add to the misery, As you know I work in a builders merchants and we are opened all this week. Yesterday and all day today, nearly every single customer was buying plastering related products. Even my colleague at work joked with me saying everyone is plastering except me...lol

Today I noted to myself about who was buying the plastering stuff. Im not joking .... the first 30 customers today, 23 had trolley fulls of multi finish, beads, bonding etc. Im irish and all that and it was especially very disappointing to see that not one of those customers were english (or irish). None of them could hardly speak any english and most of them were pulling out wads of cash paying for the goods and trying to get discount, I mean we sell multi finish at £3.76+vat a bag. One guy asked me today which sharp sand do you use for rendering and at what ratios. I asked him has he done is before and he said no but he said he is a plaster but nor rendering. I refused to help him.

I suppose its a bit of jealousy on my part that I should be the one buying the plaster and doing what I have a love for... but its more annoyance and the eastern europeans are destroying everything . I spoke to a few of them today none have qualifications and a lot of them are chancers. A few of them are genuine as i see them everyday. It seems to me that everyone is calling themselves plasterers. A lot of them dont know how to work out areas for multi finish and another today asked my after bonding how long does he have to wait for to skim on top of. That guy had an old woman who he was doing the job for beside him and hes asking me that......... it goes on and on...

This is so depressing to see
 
This will always happen in any job or trade where the barriers to entry are nil.

On the flip side these cowboys wont be gettin any repeat work.
 
MAte every man and his dog can skim now days inc painters plasterers tilers roofers chemists fireman truckers lol.
Well at least they think they can.
Thing is most people that require plastering doing in there house DO NOT HAVE A CLUE .Chancers and idiots that no nothing go in there completely fcuk it all up and charge them a fortune
.SAdly in the last 5 years this i have noticed massive increase in this.
Going to college and getting a NVQ in plastering to me seems like a waste of time. I personaly know so many plasterers that are out opf work its unreal.
But the same goes for bakers, fencers, tyr fitters every trade and job is struggling.
Make no mistake plastering has given me and my family a wonderfull life in the past and i have earnt very very good money in the past but the last 3 years have been c r ap.
I would not encourage my son to take this path.Youd have been better doing nvq in electrics or plumbing mate and thats the sad truth.
 
If I was starting again I would be a plumber. Any daft **** can say he's a plasterer it's a joke
 
There seems to be so much negativity on this forum of late. But everyone seems to sit there takin it up the ass and moanin.

With Jans new yrs resoloutions near does everyone have a plan. Anyone doing any retraining non related to the building game or adding a new skill to your bow. If you dont like it retrain or do summit else???
 
I do all building work but big scale bricklaying roofing plastics and Electrics and heating systems gas
I have subbed my electrics out for years so last year i decided to go on a course to get qualified in electrics,noyt part P but to be a full scope electrician so i can do al tesitng and electrics in a domestic situation.
im now over halfway through and in final year.
I been doing this s h i t for over 20 years i got carpel tunnel in both hands,bad right elbow, re-activ e arthritus keeps plaging me and more mussle problems than i can be botherd to write on here.
Becuse electrics is always first call for most intenal building i thought id learn it .Then ill get electric showers and the tiling,the chasing out - plastering etc it weill lead to more work with other trades i can do.
With the ultimate plan being able to knock plastering on the head in a few years time apart from the odd patch here and there.
 
barryed said:
If I was starting again I would be a plumber. Any daft **** can say he's a plasterer it's a joke
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The same applies to a plumber mate just because someone can change a tap unblock a sink does that make them a plumber you have chippys that can only do first fix. There is good and bad in every trade wether it be building teaching finance etc etc. As a trade we are lucky in as much as joe public wouldnt know where to start plastering but they will attempt to do their own plumbing and electrics so it beats me why you guys get so down about our trade.
 
It seems your getting wind up over nothing mate, lets face it we are on our holiday getting ready for the 2011 season to kick off. Jan not a bad month feb a bit slow, March weather breaks clocks change away we go happy days. You have to be POSTIVE and say to yourself am one phone call away from been busy.
 
Have to say I agree with Henry.... you made your bed now you have to lie in it :-)

Be positive... I recon 3 days on the trowel is more than you earn workin 6 days at Jewsons so I guess who cares :-)

Plasterers will always be needed as long as there are houses .... look at roof thatchers not many thatched houses any more but they still earn a fortune :-) Look at Blacksmiths not many people go to work in a horse and cart but they are mega busy...

Things change and things evolve you cant stop it you just got to make the best of what you can. Look at this stone effect rendering and marble plastering they will start to pick up soon as well....

Thats my opinion yes it sucks but when one door closes another 2 will open :-)

Danny
 
Henry what u say above is pretty much right.
But not everyone can afford to be out of work.
Im fortunate that a few weks here or there doesnt make any differnce to me but to others it does.
Young lads with high mortgages young kids car loans expensive slutty wives etc need regular work mate.
I ts just hard out there full stop for everyone expect plumbers.there making a fcking mint this last month with frozen pipes,condensing boilers that have froze up etc etc.
 
i wonder what the plumbers forum was like when speedfit or hepworth came out...?

:RpS_lol:

ive heard the only people that make money in a recession are drug dealers and 'businessmen'...

anyone wanna buy an 'tenner bag'? comes with a free packet of skins... paypal accepted?
 
I tell ya Chris we aint out this recession by a long way pal.
Im so lucky i can do other trades cus if i couldnt i know id be fcuked.
The plasterers in my hometown are working for beer money, 2 freinds of mine have gave the game up one retrained as bus driver,other now doing door work.
 
Quite funny really, of you go on a course to be plasterer you get the s**t ripped out of you, but if your a plasterer wanting to do a trades course it seems okI`m like skimming, i can do all trades, i made my money doing houses up years ago, re wire, central heating, plastering.Plastering will stay my 1st trade though, as i still like to do it.I know plumbers and sparks struggling for work, so what ever you do if your not top of your game, and a good buissness head you will struggle in a recesion.
 
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Well the only positive thing about plastering work in the East midlands is companys are going out of business everyday and everyday another one goes belly up its one less competitor for me ;)
 
more fool the stupid cnuts who hire these chancers. its britain over and over ,no one wants to pay anything for a decent tradesmen but they will spend thoushands on big daft tv sets that will be out of date in 12 months time

sounds about right tho them asking what ratio to mix - ha bet the customer would love to hear that conversation.

you just get your head down sparks and carve a rep for yourself - a good spread with a good rep will always find work.
 
plasterjfe said:
more fool the stupid cnuts who hire these chancers. its britain over and over ,no one wants to pay anything for a decent tradesmen but they will spend thoushands on big daft tv sets that will be out of date in 12 months time

sounds about right tho them asking what ratio to mix - ha bet the customer would love to hear that conversation.

you just get your head down sparks and carve a rep for yourself - a good spread with a good rep will always find work.
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Thanks, just hoping to be out full time by march, thats my personal deadline (my current job doesnt know that tho) !!
 
Essexboy said:
Back in Poundland in April then pmsl.
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oh ya essexboy, that post that MRDIYER started about the cracked ceilings and i saw you put a comment there about "tell your plasterer put scrim on the joints"
pmsl.... did you see the replies you got lol.... even mrdiyer himself was confused about your comments.... and like skimmin2day said "you smoking joints" pmsl

listen essexboy, i tell you what, when i leave poundland in march i can get you a job there, you will get good product knowledge pmsl
 
spark2010 said:
After completion of my city and guilds last month and a few privates alongside, the new beginning was in sight. I'm starting my NVQ next month and the pieces are slowly falling into place. The thing is after reading the last few posts on here i'm starting to think im wasting my time.. with most on here saying work is tight, new builds with plastering become idle in 10 years and adhmeds 100 grand a year plan ... its looking bleek...

I suppose its a bit of jealousy on my part that I should be the one buying the plaster and doing what I have a love for... but its more annoyance and the eastern europeans are destroying everything . I spoke to a few of them today none have qualifications and a lot of them are chancers. A few of them are genuine as i see them everyday. It seems to me that everyone is calling themselves plasterers. A lot of them dont know how to work out areas for multi finish and another today asked my after bonding how long does he have to wait for to skim on top of. That guy had an old woman who he was doing the job for beside him and hes asking me that......... it goes on and on...

This is so depressing to see
Click to expand...

who knows how to work out areas for multi?! I just look at the area and guess what I think itll be, does that make me a s**t spread? ;)

dude you got good points, but you have JUST left college, you do seem to be coming across a bit of a knowit all! no offense...

There are a LOT of chancers out there, but thats life, cant do anything about it! theres a few things Im not very experienced in so I imagine I would get told "your a s**t spread/chancer" too, the world aint black and white! qualifications dont mean s**t either, not unless you take small steps after getting them.
 
quick lesson in plastering quanitiy surveying -

buy 1 bag of multi finish/board finish

read side of bag, there it says 'covers approximately 10m2 @ 2mm thickness'...

buy 1 bag of hardwall/bonding

read side of bag, there it says 'covers approximately 3m2 @ 10mm thickness'...

I really should have been a rocket scientist... I'm wasted on this game.. :RpS_blink:
 
ffs... did you not go to school?
3m2 @ 10mm = 30m2 @ 1mm
30 divided by 16 is 1.875m2 per bag
so, if youve got 10m2 @ 16mm its 10 / 1.875 innit... 5.3 bags

lets say youve got a patch 1m2 and its 20mm deep...
30m per metre at 1mm thickness yes? so 30 divided by 20 is 1.5bags per metre..
you have 1m2 to patch so 1 / 1.5 = 0.6 bags...

try it again...
0.78m2 @ 18mm deep...
30 / 18 = 1.6666 recuring, call it 1.6...
0.78 / 1.6= 0.4 bags..

basic maths, youd learnt that age 11...

and you can take that to the merchants :RpS_biggrin:



you can work everything ive just said out from 'covers 3m2 @ 10mm'




now, if you had a job that was 875m2 @ 12mm thickness...

theres a bit of dubbing out, 1 hole is 0.75m2 and its 15mm to bring it level with the wall before youve put the rest on, the other hole is 0.3m2 and 12mm deep, before youve put the rest on...
how many bags would you need? not accounting for wasteage and assuming youre gonna get it absolutely bang on flat @ 12mm


edit: calculations adjusted cos it was pointed out that i'd got it wrong.. :RpS_lol:
im off to start my 'rocket scientist apprenticeship'... :RpS_blink:
 
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yup, steeped in it... :RpS_blushing:

along with cynicism...

point is 'who knows how to work out coverage?'.... well, everybody, its written on the bags...

doesnt make you a sh't spread, but it makes you a sh't businessman..
if the job was huge, you could end up being thousands of pounds out either way....

using 'guesswork' to price jobs makes you lucky if youve got it right, and incompetent if youve got it wrong...

on a small job you can 'estimate' materials fairly accurately, its what most of us do because you can pretty much price it by the 'set' or 'gauge'...

but on bigger jobs youve got to price it by the metre, and if you cant work out how many metres youre gonna get out of a bag, youve got absolutely no idea how much material youre gonna need... so how you gonna price the materials in?

thats all it was, not meant to offend, just show that pricing materials is reasonably easy, all youve got to take into account is wastage, and thats down to how good you are....

or your team is...

I think 5-10 percent extra is a fair 'estimate' for a medium sized job...

and 20 percent for a massive job cos the lads will be having the materials off site for private work... :RpS_wink:
 
lol...

well done chris w, i think freerider just went in guns blazing... thing is freerider im not saying if you cant work out multi finish your a s**t spread, if you
read between the lines is the bigger picture im talking about. By the way as chris W expertly pointed out it is quite common sense to work out materials,

multi finish 9m2 a bag at two coats... from that any area can be worked out
bonding 2.75m2 a bag at 11mm thickness
etc etc

Free rider u comment on me just coming out of college and a know it all, im not a know it all. im not calling my self a plasterer, more of an apprentice plasterer, but the above calculations i assumed everyone knew but obviously not, ive done jobs based on the above calculations and it worked out perfectly to
the last trowel full. So please read carefully next time, i think you freerider are the know it all, and dont take that the wrong way freerider im not trying to be rude!!

sparks
 
thats what i like about sparks he aint calling himself a spread and he,s gone and educated himself about the trade in the right way not like some of the one day merchants
 
Yes everyone is a plasterer and a .......

It does not matter what game you are in, software engineers subed out to india, bus drivers who can't speak english, HGV drivers who can't read the road signs, call centre workers who live the other side of the world, even supermarket workers I can't understand.
The only ones who English are the MPs and they are the ones who have let the world and their mother into this county .
As MPs are employed by us we should sack the lot of them and replace them with workers on the minmum wage, then they would know what it feels like.
 
well that was a interesting read lol, i think everyone moans about the trade they do (or there jobin general) but in the long run how many people can say 5 years ago they were earnin good money week in week out? the trade will pick up again and at the same time hopefully kick all the chancers out
 
Capitol perhaps we should sack them and replace the with foreigners as they seem to know how to get best out of this country.
 
This is the worst spell ive gone thru in many a year.Every time i go out there is some plonk with PLASTERER on the side of a transit.I wish i was 16 again i wound not go into this trade knowing what i know now, it's crap!!
 
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