ᐅ Assessment of Q2 Plastering: Poor Workmanship or Standard Practice?

Hello everyone, the interior plaster is now dry, and the painter wants to start soon. The agreement was for a Q2 finish using gypsum plaster.

Yesterday, I took the following pictures using a flashlight and grazing light. I understand that grazing light reveals more than usual, but is this considered normal for grazing light and a Q2 finish, or is it poor workmanship? I tend to think it is poor workmanship. The site manager has been informed but has not yet been able to inspect.

That is clearly quite poorly cleaned/spackled. I could do the same myself. Even a paint fleece cannot hide that. They definitely need to fix it again.

(PS: I am not referring to streaks or flaking. However, for Q2 there should be a standard degree of flatness. From my perspective, this is not visible here. A textured wallpaper should be applied without noticeable bumps and dips.)

Try using a longer spirit level or a straightedge and hold it against the wall. Then take photos.

Are the walls straight? With gypsum plaster, you should be able to achieve a smooth wall surface. What is shown in the pictures looks like poor workmanship to me. I suspect the gypsum plaster had already started to set before it was properly leveled.

But plastering work is often done by subcontractors from Romania or similar countries. They are usually paid based on performance, meaning per square meter. I was once told it’s somewhere between 15 and 20 euros per sqm (per square meter), including materials, as a company.

You can’t be surprised by results like this. Even in Romania, this would not be acceptable.

I would first like to know what exactly was commissioned.
- Plaster smoothed or scraped
- Ready for wallpapering, ready for painting, or other definitions
- Single or multiple layers
- Flatness tolerances agreed upon
- ...

Apart from that, dents, craters, and ridges are considered non-compliant work even at Q2.

For example, standard Q2 smoothed is defined as:
"When quality level 2 (Q2 – smoothed) is chosen, occasional tool marks, such as trowel strokes, cannot be excluded. Shadow-free surfaces under grazing light cannot be achieved."
This is clearly better than the current condition in your case.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the team here was also from Eastern Europe:

The following was agreed:

Bonding barrier

1st coat: lime-cement lightweight plaster applied and leveled
Quality level: Q2
Compressive strength: >2.5 N/mm²
Plaster thickness: 10mm (0.4 inches)

2nd coat: apply and neatly trowel finish plaster / fine plaster