ᐅ Apply joint compound and sand a precast concrete panel ceiling to Q3 finish level

Hello,
we are about to take possession of our house and now have a problem. The painting company assigned by the builder was supposed to fill and sand the entire house to Level 3 (Q3) in the third quarter, then apply painting fleece and paint it white. Due to delays, we were informed that they are now entering a time slot where no capacity is available. Naturally, we panicked because every painting company laughs at us when we ask for short-term availability.

So, we accepted an offer from the builder that the painters would at least fill and sand the house, and we would have to do any necessary finishing work ourselves.
We were fortunate to find a company that will wallpaper the house, but as we almost expected, there are problems when two companies carry out the painting work. The issue is particularly with the concrete ceilings on the ground floor.

Company 1 had a contract to fill and sand 70 sqm (750 sq ft) of ceiling to Level 3 (Q3). In reality, only the joints between the panels were treated, which we were supposed to receive at Level 2 (Q2) according to the scope of work. However, they planned to charge for 70 sqm (750 sq ft) even though maybe only 10-15 sqm (100-160 sq ft) were actually worked on. In my opinion, this is quite questionable.

Company 2, who is supposed to wallpaper the ceilings, now says the ceilings are not at Level 3 (Q3) and that the interaction between the concrete and filler could show through the fleece. They intend to fully fill the ceilings to Level 3 (Q3).
I already expect that if defects appear, the two companies will blame each other. Of course, it is our fault, but we were forced into this situation by the short-notice failure of Company 1.

Are there any guidelines that specify how concrete ceilings should look at Level 3 (Q3)? Specifically, should they be fully filled or only the joints filled?

Who is responsible for the delays?
A deadline is set, and usually they respond quickly because otherwise it would be more costly for them.
Can the new company not do the plastering in Q3?
With the general contractor (after a prior deadline and opportunity to rectify), deduct accordingly.
I would also not accept charges for services not rendered.

In my experience, what they say about the concrete ceilings is not wrong. We received the ceilings with filler applied only to the concrete joints and holes, at a Q2 level. We hired our painter for a rough sanding and priming, then wallpapering immediately. So, no filling or sanding to a Q3 standard.

We can confirm that with the ceilings, when the lights are on in the evening, many spots that are not smooth are visible. It doesn’t bother us too much, but if you want a really clean finish, Q2 as a base is not enough.

We will probably need to have some touch-ups done in the coming years or learn to live with it. However, I also don’t know how much sense it would have made to go for Q3/Q4 and perfect walls right now. Now that we have moved in, I can see that a lot is still happening inside the house. The building is only about six months old. There is still a lot of moisture, and especially at the edges of the wallpaper seams, you can see that it is peeling off in some places. No matter what level you fill to, you cannot fill out the moisture from the shell of the building.

We will not be touching the walls or ceilings again until at least a year has passed and the house is properly dry and hopefully not moving as much anymore.

dumdidum! schrieb:

Company 1 had included in their offer to skim coat and sand 70 sqm (750 sq ft) of ceiling surface to Q3 standard. In the end, however, only the joints between the drywall panels were treated, which we would have received at Q2 quality anyway according to the construction scope description. They wanted to charge for 70 sqm (750 sq ft) even though maybe only 10-15 sqm (110-160 sq ft) were actually worked on. In my view, this is borderline.

In my opinion, this is not acceptable since only the joints were actually treated. Depending on how high your standards are or how much it bothers you, I would make sure it’s done exactly how you want it. Of course, you can still see seams or differences in material or substrate if you look closely. Often, it’s not just about filling the joints, but applying a full-surface skim coat because ceiling panels usually don’t align perfectly to the millimeter.

If you want it done "right," you should have the entire ceiling skim coated, or accept that there may be partially visible areas at a lower price. Ultimately, it also depends on what kind of finish will go on the ceiling and how that material visually compensates for such imperfections (e.g., textured paint); lighting conditions and ceiling height also play a role.