Old style plasterers labourer

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Get on this chaps.
Been working in this old boy's house ( he's 82). He said to me why no labourer. Explained we do the work ourselves cuz a decent young labourer is hard to find. He tells me in his day a good labourer would load out, board ceilings and stud, skim them and move on ready for him and his pal to rough out and skim! Thought it must be a wind up, but he's adamant. Think I should ask him where these old boy's are?
 
a labourers job would be to erect a split head scaffold throughout the house. usually on a sunday, so that the ceilings could be skimmed on monday.
hod the course stuff for floating, mix the skim for the walls and mix the screed the floor.
you would never let a labourer fit plasterboard, skim plasterboard, or even touch a trowel.
 
Think his point was more of a, 'you got more from your trade year's ago than you do now ' type of thing. When I was labouring in the eighties, the older chaps had me doing everything within weeks. Had to master the prep work and mixing of course, but I was skimming small walls /ceilings. Cutting and boarding. They kept a watchful eye, but never once implied just because I was a labourer I wasn't to muck in. Only 4 years later they let me say I was a plasterer. Lads got to crack on, how else do you learn?
 
3 way split if you were good enough in my day
Was a trade in its own
i had to let my friend go, still a bit sore that my trade cant pay a man to help out.
As much as i might moan that he was on £80 a day cash , on most jobs he was well worth it.
Been gone over 8 years and i still miss him
 
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