hello,
this is maybe a bit heavy for a first post on here but i could do with some help.
ive been plastering since 2004, by no means full-time (this was never the plan but between the plastering i do and another job, i have enough money) for example i might do 2 weeks plastering and then not plaster again for a while. i started by doing a week long plastering course which i realise is enough for the basics only. my plan was simply to use this to do some work on my own house. from this however i moved on to doing domestic work. ive since done site work and with one exception ive always worked alone.
my finish is to a high standard but i still have this nagging feeling (largely because i did a short course and ive worked on my own generally) that im not doing things quite right or as quickly as i could or should. i sometimes hear stories of people plastering really fast and think something like "that would take me twice as long" or "i could never do it for the same money".
anyway, ive just finished a decent sized bit of work and again im wondering how long someone else would have taken over it. so, once and for all, id like to get to the bottom of whether im missing some tricks or i just work at a slower than average pace. as far as i can see the only way to do this is hiring myself out for cheap or free to another plasterer. anything like an apprenticeship is out of the question as i really only need a day or two to ask some questions and get a feel for the pace of work (for what its worth im faster or at the least do more work than many of the site plasterers ive seen). id be willing however to do a job with someone or a team of plasterers as long as i got the kind of learning out of it that im after.
if there are any benchmarks or standards that people know of in terms of finish / time taken / how much you can put on or whatever id be interested in knowing those to see if i measure up.
i guess i just need some confirmation that im going about things in the right way. i suppose books / videos might help but im not sure that theres anything that really covers what im looking for. im based in north Wales by the way but do work in Liverpool / surrounding area.
if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions id be grateful for any comments. thanks
this is maybe a bit heavy for a first post on here but i could do with some help.
ive been plastering since 2004, by no means full-time (this was never the plan but between the plastering i do and another job, i have enough money) for example i might do 2 weeks plastering and then not plaster again for a while. i started by doing a week long plastering course which i realise is enough for the basics only. my plan was simply to use this to do some work on my own house. from this however i moved on to doing domestic work. ive since done site work and with one exception ive always worked alone.
my finish is to a high standard but i still have this nagging feeling (largely because i did a short course and ive worked on my own generally) that im not doing things quite right or as quickly as i could or should. i sometimes hear stories of people plastering really fast and think something like "that would take me twice as long" or "i could never do it for the same money".
anyway, ive just finished a decent sized bit of work and again im wondering how long someone else would have taken over it. so, once and for all, id like to get to the bottom of whether im missing some tricks or i just work at a slower than average pace. as far as i can see the only way to do this is hiring myself out for cheap or free to another plasterer. anything like an apprenticeship is out of the question as i really only need a day or two to ask some questions and get a feel for the pace of work (for what its worth im faster or at the least do more work than many of the site plasterers ive seen). id be willing however to do a job with someone or a team of plasterers as long as i got the kind of learning out of it that im after.
if there are any benchmarks or standards that people know of in terms of finish / time taken / how much you can put on or whatever id be interested in knowing those to see if i measure up.
i guess i just need some confirmation that im going about things in the right way. i suppose books / videos might help but im not sure that theres anything that really covers what im looking for. im based in north Wales by the way but do work in Liverpool / surrounding area.
if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions id be grateful for any comments. thanks