Hello everyone,
In our new build (condominium) the scope of work specifies that the walls should be plastered and finished to Q2 level.
Since I prefer the look of a "smooth" painted wall, I would like to have the surface skimmed (smoothed) instead of being textured. The goal is to achieve a finish like the one in the attached picture.
Experiences with painting Q2 finishes seem to be very mixed. Would you recommend going up to Q3 instead? Can the look in the picture be achieved by smoothing the plaster?
Thanks in advance for your support
Ingo
In our new build (condominium) the scope of work specifies that the walls should be plastered and finished to Q2 level.
Since I prefer the look of a "smooth" painted wall, I would like to have the surface skimmed (smoothed) instead of being textured. The goal is to achieve a finish like the one in the attached picture.
Experiences with painting Q2 finishes seem to be very mixed. Would you recommend going up to Q3 instead? Can the look in the picture be achieved by smoothing the plaster?
Thanks in advance for your support
Ingo
N
nordanney1 Jul 2019 19:03Q2 finish is not ready for painting as standard! Unless you can accept a rough wall where every imperfection is visible.
That depends heavily on the company. Q2 can look really good, or like a cratered landscape as it did for us. You need to know how well you trust the company. Unfortunately, we were unlucky, and with Q2 you can’t complain if something is a few centimeters off per meter and there are dents everywhere.
H
hemali20031 Jul 2019 19:18We dealt with this issue as well and ended up hiring Q3.
The problem was the following: the surface at Q3 was great (textured, just as you probably imagine), until the plasterers started sanding down the bigger dents or filling them with gypsum plaster.
After that, the walls looked flawless under grazing light, but the surfaces were inconsistent – partly textured, partly smooth. In the end, my husband applied a thin skim coat (covering the entire area with gypsum plaster) and sanded it to achieve something close to Q4, and I’m glad he did.
At first, I thought Q2 would even be enough for me because I like the textured look. But at least in our case, it didn’t work out this way, even with Q3. I would go for Q3 and then, if needed, have it refined towards Q4.
I believe it also depends on the tradespeople and the materials used. But I am convinced that our plasterers didn’t do anything wrong.
Q3 would have been perfect for thin paintable wallpaper or a textured paint finish. Just plain paint wouldn’t have been suitable for us.
The problem was the following: the surface at Q3 was great (textured, just as you probably imagine), until the plasterers started sanding down the bigger dents or filling them with gypsum plaster.
After that, the walls looked flawless under grazing light, but the surfaces were inconsistent – partly textured, partly smooth. In the end, my husband applied a thin skim coat (covering the entire area with gypsum plaster) and sanded it to achieve something close to Q4, and I’m glad he did.
At first, I thought Q2 would even be enough for me because I like the textured look. But at least in our case, it didn’t work out this way, even with Q3. I would go for Q3 and then, if needed, have it refined towards Q4.
I believe it also depends on the tradespeople and the materials used. But I am convinced that our plasterers didn’t do anything wrong.
Q3 would have been perfect for thin paintable wallpaper or a textured paint finish. Just plain paint wouldn’t have been suitable for us.
H
hampshire1 Jul 2019 20:04Why not use pre-colored render right from the start?
This saves the need for painting.
This saves the need for painting.
It’s really interesting to hear all the different experiences.
The developer delivers standard Q2 plaster with a textured (sand) finish. But since I prefer a smooth wall without texture, I’m worried that Q2 might turn out too uneven.
It definitely depends on the company, the work on the day, and of course personal expectations. Personally, I want a smooth wall; if there are a few small dents or imperfections here and there, that would be acceptable for me.
However, the risk that Q2 with a smooth finish ends up looking "unclean" under raking light (I have a lot of indirect lighting) seems much higher than if I go straight to Q3. That’s at least my understanding.
The developer roughly estimated the additional cost for Q3 with skim coat at about 5000 euros for 130 square meters (1400 square feet). That would be fine with me if it helps me reach my goal. Has the price been similar for you?
The developer delivers standard Q2 plaster with a textured (sand) finish. But since I prefer a smooth wall without texture, I’m worried that Q2 might turn out too uneven.
It definitely depends on the company, the work on the day, and of course personal expectations. Personally, I want a smooth wall; if there are a few small dents or imperfections here and there, that would be acceptable for me.
However, the risk that Q2 with a smooth finish ends up looking "unclean" under raking light (I have a lot of indirect lighting) seems much higher than if I go straight to Q3. That’s at least my understanding.
The developer roughly estimated the additional cost for Q3 with skim coat at about 5000 euros for 130 square meters (1400 square feet). That would be fine with me if it helps me reach my goal. Has the price been similar for you?
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