Smooth walls with painter's fleece were desired - please provide an evaluation

Hello dear experts,

I am currently involved in a new construction project that is slowly coming to an end. The painting work such as smoothing walls and ceilings, sanding, applying painter's fleece for crack bridging, and two coats of white paint were contracted out.

Agreed upon were smooth walls without visible fleece seams (which is easily possible with double seam cutting) and stripe-free walls/ceilings (statement from the painter: Even a layperson cannot achieve that by themselves). Except for the foundation slab and the masonry, we did practically all the trades ourselves, but specifically contracted the painting work to a well-rated local master company, since these are primarily visible elements and my wife does not joke around about that.

Last week I looked at the finished painter's fleece (Quadra Glasvlies V140, 130g/m²) and was quite impressed with the result so far. Yesterday, after the painter declared the work finished, I looked at the result and was rightfully disappointed, it simply looks like textured wallpaper.

Was too much paint used here? At some seams, there are 1-2 mm missing, which were tried to be filled with paint, of course this does not work and the layers are clearly visible at those spots. I wanted to get a few opinions before I go into the conversation with the master painter next week, as the billing is due.

Thanks for any feedback and best regards!

Hello dear experts,

I am currently involved in a new construction project that is slowly coming to an end. The painting work was contracted out, including smoothing and sanding walls and ceilings, applying painting fleece to bridge cracks, and painting twice in white color.

We agreed on smooth walls without visible fleece seams (which is also easily possible with double seam cutting) and streak-free walls/ceilings (painter’s statement: even a layperson cannot achieve this by themselves). Except for the foundation and masonry work, we did almost all the trades ourselves, but explicitly commissioned the painting work to a well-rated local master company, as these are primarily visible elements, and my wife is no joker about that.

Last week, I looked at the finished painting fleece (Quadra glass fleece V140, 130g/m²) and was quite impressed with the result so far. Yesterday, after the painter’s completion notification, I looked at the result and am rightly disappointed; it simply looks like textured wallpaper.

Was too much paint used here? At some seams 1-2 mm are missing, which were attempted to be filled with paint, which of course doesn’t work, and one can clearly see the layering at these spots. I wanted to get some opinions before I go into the discussion with the master painter next week, as the billing is due.

Thanks for any feedback and best regards!

The pictures clearly show painting fleece. What immediately stands out is the excessive amount of paint on the wallpapers and the obviously careless work. It appears as if the wall was not properly sanded before applying the painting fleece. This results in the surface not appearing as smooth as one would normally expect.

It is important to be thorough when preparing a wall that is to be wallpapered with painting fleece. This includes sanding the wall to remove unevenness and create as smooth a surface as possible. This not only facilitates the application of the painting fleece but also ensures a more appealing and professional result.

Unfortunately, in this case, there is not much that can be done afterward to fix the problem. It would be advisable to have the work inspected and, if necessary, corrected by a professional. This might involve sanding the affected wall again and properly applying the painting fleece. While it is frustrating that the result does not meet expectations, the problem can be resolved with professional help to achieve a smooth, attractive wall finish.

The work was not done as a self-performed task but by a well-rated master company.

So apart from the untidy edges, in my opinion (but I am just an amateur) a long-pile roller was used here. This results in the coarse texture. For a finer image, a short-pile roller would have had to be used accordingly. To what extent this actually constitutes a defect I cannot say. I consider the chances of enforcing this to be low. But yes, first arrange a joint inspection with the foreman. Maybe he himself already has higher standards and the apprentice worked here.

The work was not carried out as own effort but by a well-rated master company.

Who talked about own effort?

Who talked about personal contribution?

I thought you assumed that. Because you recommend having the walls checked by a professional, sanding the walls, and reapplying the painter's fleece. He has already hired a professional precisely for this purpose.