ᐅ Dissatisfied with plastering and painting work. How to proceed with defect correction?
Created on: 25 Oct 2025 09:02
R
Robo987
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:
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
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
C
chand198626 Oct 2025 11:15Why did you pay the final invoice in full if you already knew about the defects when you paid? It sounds like this.
a) "I am not satisfied with the stairwell; it is different from what was agreed."
b) Wait for a response or correction. Until then, only pay for what has been completed according to the contract.
The rest often resolves itself automatically.
a) "I am not satisfied with the stairwell; it is different from what was agreed."
b) Wait for a response or correction. Until then, only pay for what has been completed according to the contract.
The rest often resolves itself automatically.
G
Gerddieter26 Oct 2025 11:22No matter who is right, I would recommend avoiding going to court and also avoid involving a lawyer in court proceedings. In the end, it’s always the same – you’ll end up paying even more in learning fees because the lawyer will be expensive.
Try to reach a compromise – maybe he can redo the really problematic wall. And let the parts that can be overlooked stay as they are. Talk to him about why it happened, maybe there’s a reason, like timing or miscalculation, where you might consider making some concessions...
GD
Try to reach a compromise – maybe he can redo the really problematic wall. And let the parts that can be overlooked stay as they are. Talk to him about why it happened, maybe there’s a reason, like timing or miscalculation, where you might consider making some concessions...
GD
Most people here are discussing spilt milk.
I’ll try to approach this differently.
Regarding your first question: "Is this really poor workmanship?" I would try to assess it objectively:
For flatness tolerances, DIN 18202 Table 3, line 6 provides the relevant spot measurements for your case.
The test is done using a straightedge between two height points on the disputed surface.
For example, over a distance of 2 m (6.6 ft), an acceptable tolerance would be 7 mm (0.28 inches).
In your case, according to the generally accepted technical rules, this is indeed subject to criticism.
In general, DIN 18202 is applicable for dimensional tolerances.
The question is whether the painter expressed any concerns before starting the work. If so, he might not be responsible for adhering to the tolerances.
Your second question concerns your options now.
Your contractor is allowed to make corrections. Give him that opportunity or ask him to do so. If he refuses, carefully consider whether you want to pursue legal action. At the same time, obtain a written estimate from another contractor for the necessary defect remediation tasks, clearly defining the scope and quality of work required and covered.
I would argue that legal action is unlikely to be worthwhile unless the additional costs exceed 10,000 EUR (which, in my opinion, you won’t reach).
That doesn’t mean you can’t try to recover your money from the first contractor, but I would avoid doing so through legal channels.
I’ll try to approach this differently.
Regarding your first question: "Is this really poor workmanship?" I would try to assess it objectively:
For flatness tolerances, DIN 18202 Table 3, line 6 provides the relevant spot measurements for your case.
The test is done using a straightedge between two height points on the disputed surface.
For example, over a distance of 2 m (6.6 ft), an acceptable tolerance would be 7 mm (0.28 inches).
In your case, according to the generally accepted technical rules, this is indeed subject to criticism.
In general, DIN 18202 is applicable for dimensional tolerances.
The question is whether the painter expressed any concerns before starting the work. If so, he might not be responsible for adhering to the tolerances.
Your second question concerns your options now.
Your contractor is allowed to make corrections. Give him that opportunity or ask him to do so. If he refuses, carefully consider whether you want to pursue legal action. At the same time, obtain a written estimate from another contractor for the necessary defect remediation tasks, clearly defining the scope and quality of work required and covered.
I would argue that legal action is unlikely to be worthwhile unless the additional costs exceed 10,000 EUR (which, in my opinion, you won’t reach).
That doesn’t mean you can’t try to recover your money from the first contractor, but I would avoid doing so through legal channels.
Robo987 schrieb:
Sorry to ask again, but are you really reading my replies properly or just skimming through and writing what you have in mind?Yes, I have also read the replies you deleted in the other forum. I think that’s what you want to hear. 🙂
chand1986 schrieb:
Why did you pay the final invoice in full if you already knew about the defects when you were making the payment? That's how it sounds.In the initial post I wrote:
Robo987 schrieb:
So far, we have paid an installment of €9,500.And I repeated this several times in between, so much for "that's how it sounds."
Gerddieter schrieb:
No matter who is right among you – I would recommend avoiding legal disputes and lawyers whenever possible.
In the end, it’s always the same – you will end up paying more in lessons learned because lawyers are expensive.
Try to reach a compromise – maybe he will fix the really bad wall again. And for the areas that can be overlooked, you can leave them as they are.
Talk to him about why it turned out this way; maybe there is a reason, such as timing or miscalculation, where you could/should be flexible again…
GDThat’s my plan. I definitely want to avoid court. So far I haven’t paid any lesson fees and don’t intend to.
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