Have Q2 smoothly plastered onto Q3 or use painter's fleece

Hello everyone,

we have finally fulfilled our dream home. We built an end-terrace house with a developer, and according to the contract, the walls will be handed over in Q2 finish.

Now the question for us is how to proceed with our walls. We have already consulted several painters and heard different opinions.

One advises completely against painter’s fleece; it would be better to skimcoat everything smoothly to Q3 like a baby’s bottom and later correct settlement cracks that will most likely occur (walls need to breathe).
The other recommends using painter’s fleece entirely, especially to hide settlement cracks in a new building (if you have already paid so much money for a house, it would be a shame to see all the cracks later).

You can already actually see some cracks.

Well, that’s where we stand now and don’t really know what to do next. I personally tend to have it skimcoated, if only because of the ventilation of the walls.
I somehow find that more natural.
I’m very interested in your opinions on this?

Thank you very much

Oh the breathing walls... watch out that they don't breathe the air away from you

Seriously. If the plasterer is good, the painter has very little work and only needs to sand a little. Paint over it, done. Cracks will come, not few, we wanted to see exactly where they crack and will fix that in 2+ years when repainting (have it done).
You just have to know if you want to pay for the fleece - we didn't want to either, not even on the ceiling.

Nowhere have [Vlies] been used, just let the Q2 painters do it, everyone does it like that here....

However, the plasterer has already incorporated something in some places, for example at the inspection shaft of the controlled residential ventilation..

I personally tend to prefer having the walls skimmed mainly because of the ventilation of the walls. I somehow find it more natural. I am very interested in your opinions on this?

It's all a matter of taste, except for the "breathing" - walls don't breathe and never have. Without fleece = settlement cracks, possibly for several years. With fleece = settlement cracks that usually don't show because the fleece is on top. Whether Q2/Q3 or whatever doesn't matter either - matter of taste. Some like it baby-bottom smooth, no matter how the light shines on it, some prefer it a bit more rustic.

I would use painter's fleece next time. Not only because of the settlement cracks but also because of the extremely sensitive walls.

Why is your wall sensitive? We have lime cement plaster in the bathrooms and lime gypsum in the rest and simply painted over it, that's how 99% of home builders in Bavaria do it and nothing is sensitive there.