ᐅ Dissatisfied with plastering and painting work. How to proceed with defect correction?

Hello everyone,

Since we are currently still abroad and our house is empty, we have been fully renovating it since the beginning of the year. Because I trained as an electrician, I am doing some of the work myself.

The house was completed in eastern Germany in 1980. The walls are covered with a very sandy plaster, which was applied rather unevenly, resulting in visible waves and irregularities at first glance.

In January, I contacted a well-known painter/plasterer master and convinced him to take on the project. He is a master craftsman and currently a one-person company; he has completed several jobs for us in the past when he still had two employees. We did not sign any contract with him. It was agreed that he would smooth out the wavy walls, then wallpaper them with glass fleece and paint them white. Installation of drywall (GKD) was also agreed upon. The planned move-in date is early November 2025. Pricing was based on time and materials.

He started the work in January and covered the wooden floors, which we want to keep. In May, he plastered over the open electrical channels and finished plastering where radiators were to be installed later, as well as the door and window reveals. Nothing happened in June and July. In August, he installed, filled, and sanded the drywall. He also began filling the remaining walls and made good progress.

At the beginning of September, we spoke on the phone. I expressed my concerns about the slow pace and worries that we might not be able to move in on time in early November, since additional work (floor sanding and lacquer) also needs to be done. I asked if I should hire someone else. He said no, he could complete everything, so I let him continue. He then worked hard for three days and finished one room where I could finally sleep when I was on site.

By September, the other trades as well as I had completed our respective work.

By the end of September, the painter had managed to do quite a bit of filling and wallpapering and came to the site whenever it suited him—usually only one day per week up to now.

The rooms are mostly finished. The hallway is still missing; I don’t know if he will manage it by November, but it’s possible.

Another well-known painter/master was on site two days ago. From his point of view, the work was not done professionally. These are the defects he noticed:

• Walls are still partially wavy (visible at first glance)
• Plaster is partly hollow
• Walls inadequately prepared/sanded (imperfections show through the glass fleece)
• Wallpaper poorly glued in some places (peeling at corners and in small sections on the surface – according to him, wallpaper strips are missing)
• Switch panels cut poorly
• Unpainted areas/poorly painted spots

My idea is to do an inspection with the contractor when he says he is finished or sends me the invoice and point out the defects. I would give him four weeks to fix them, and if he cannot manage it, I would hire the other company to complete the remaining work and send the invoice to the first painter.

Is this approach okay, or how would you proceed?

Best regards,
Robo

Here are a few pictures. I can send more if needed.
My intention is not to withhold payment or avoid paying invoices. I would like the defects to be corrected. Of course, the question is whether these are actually defects.

It looks okay overall, but there are many runs in the paint, some corners are poorly glued, and none of the corners were sanded. In some places, the fleece isn’t properly adhered to the wall, and on many walls you can see indentations because the walls were not sanded beforehand. He probably intended to even everything out with a thick 160g glass fleece, but he only managed to do so partially. It’s also clear that he didn’t sand at all. He barely taped anything off, and the new windows, doors, and radiators are all dirty and smeared with paint, plaster, and so on. We had a fireplace installed, which he also didn’t tape off—the paint or wallpaper adhesive has soaked into the new hearth in one corner. Looking at the inner corners, they appear quite uneven, as are parts of the walls.

So far, we have paid an advance of €9500.

It’s really a shame that he put in so little effort; everything feels rushed and done quickly. Being a one-man operation, he obviously has a lot on his plate. It was a mistake to hire him, but that’s the situation now. The site looked like it had been through a bombing raid again.

Robo987 schrieb:

My idea would be to conduct a final inspection together with the painter I hired once he says he’s finished or sends me the invoice, and to point out any defects at that time.

The approach of letting the worker finish first and then confronting him with complaints is a sure way to fail at achieving good quality at reasonable costs. This attitude is what led to so much substandard work in the first place. The painter has been working in your house for months, and you mention that the plaster doesn’t appear smooth but say nothing about it. He must assume he is meeting your expectations.
Talk to the tradesperson, ask questions about the areas you are unhappy with, and initiate a dialogue BEFORE lodging a complaint.
The quality you have now received is not only the result of the painter you hired but also the outcome of your insufficient project management. Keep this in mind when negotiating corrections; otherwise, you are very likely to run into trouble yourself.

wiltshire schrieb:

The approach of criticizing the contractor first and then letting things fail is a sure way to end up with poor quality that doesn’t come at a reasonable cost. This attitude is what actually led to so much poor workmanship in the first place. The contractor has been working in your house for months, and you say the plaster doesn’t look smooth but say nothing about it. He must assume he meets your expectations.
Talk to the craftsman, ask questions about the areas you’re unhappy with, and engage in a dialogue BEFORE complaining.
The quality you now have is not only the result of the painter you hired but also of your insufficient project management. Keep that in mind when negotiating repairs; otherwise, you are very likely to end up in trouble yourself.

I pointed out these exact spots to him before and during the work while I was in the house doing the electrical installations. When I clearly told him that it was still uneven and that it bothered me — and I have to say, the man is a master of his trade, so where is the pride in that? — he told me to wait until it was finished. That’s what I did.
Furthermore, I find it ridiculous to be held responsible for the poor workmanship of a master painter/plasterer. I don’t understand how poor, careless work has anything to do with my project management at all.
If you turn it around, would a master painter/plasterer deliver work like that in their own home? I don’t think so, and that’s exactly the point.
I already sent him a message today; he was surprised that I wasn’t satisfied with some parts. I also find that ridiculous. Very little was masked off properly, and everything (windows, doors, fireplace, radiators) was smeared. Or paint drips, badly taped corners, only one coat applied so some areas barely got any paint, etc.

Now it’s wallpapered and painted, so it’s probably difficult to fix without major effort and costs — and that’s exactly where I wonder, who is going to pay for that?

We are not people who say “cheap cheap.” We want good work and have always paid on time. Surely you can expect more than this.

Robo987 schrieb:

Furthermore, I find it ridiculous to be held responsible for the poor workmanship of a master painter/plasterer. I don’t understand what bad, sloppy work has to do with my project management at all.

That could be part of the problem. As the client, you have overall responsibility. If something goes wrong over several months, despite being pointed out, then there is an issue with managing the workers or contractors. Of course, you are not responsible for the work itself. That the master craftsman you hired delivered poor work is another matter entirely. Now, he is acting foolishly, probably because he is used to being able to do whatever he wants.

I don’t mean this unkindly when I point out this mistake. On the contrary, I have only been able to learn from such errors, which I have made more than once, once they became clear to me. It’s also not bad to make mistakes, even if they are frustrating at first and costly in terms of lessons learned.

Robo987 schrieb:

It is now wallpapered and painted. So it’s probably difficult to fix anything without significant effort and cost, and that’s exactly where I wonder who is supposed to pay for it?

It’s not fair if you have to pay for the correction yourself, but that’s probably what it will come down to. You can reduce the payment to the previous contractor. The contractor who fixes it has nothing to do with the previous issues and must be paid. Based on what I’ve read, I think successfully claiming compensation from the current contractor will be difficult.
Really a bad situation.
I wish you good luck.

wiltshire schrieb:

even if it is initially frustrating and a costly learning experience.

Yes, he probably already read that today and was not amused. He also shared the problem in another forum.