Window sills after the painter

The OP, sorry, I can't see your name properly right now with Tapatalk, should be glad that he was allowed to do any work himself or send a painter through his sacred halls before the finishing touches. That's not a given, and so you have to live with such repairs.

I don’t know the contractual relationships now, could be. Normally, when installing a windowsill, the wall underneath doesn’t get widely dirtied. Either work cleanly or tape off. Or refuse the work, that also works. I find it unacceptable to leave something like that and then just say: Just paint over it.

I don't know the contractual relationships now, maybe. Normally, when installing a windowsill, the wall underneath is not heavily dirtied. Either work cleanly or tape it off. Or refuse to do the work, that's also an option. I find it unacceptable to leave it like that and then just say: just paint over it.

I can fully understand your argument regarding the possibility of mortar application just 2 cm downwards. But during our construction, I’ve often, almost always, heard the tradespeople complaining when someone had already done something beforehand that should then be taken into account. And, trivial as it may sound, I can relate to this in many respects as a housewife: someone puts effort into the details even though the rough work isn’t done yet. -> futility of the effort or double time expenditure because you have to work around something. In this respect, I can understand the annoyance, but one could also have foreseen the consequences of the trade and waited to paint. Since - very likely - the original poster could not wait and wanted to use the time, he just has to bite the bullet. You can't really call it sour, since there will always be a small mortar edge that has to be reworked anyway. So I do see a meaningful photo, but unfortunately no defect, damage, or anything like that. The painter knows that there is still work to be done with adhesive or mortar – and these tasks are not performed by any precision mechanic.

Damage in the proper sense I cannot see now either. The benches were installed correctly and I see no valid reason to withhold money now. As I said, more careful work would still have been possible. Those who have already completed constructions know that rework in some trades, like painting, is sometimes unavoidable, which is why it is wise to always have some paint left over. So just paint over it and the matter is settled.

What you will see though ;)

Hello Simon,

our dear tiler, whom we have had to wait for now for 3 weeks, has finally installed the windowsills. Of course, it's already painted, moving in will happen over the weekend...

Is it technically necessary to dirty the walls underneath? Or can it be done without?

They could have just masked it off. The site manager thinks I should just paint over it and be done with it... Well, we'll see, it's just unnecessary.

You also commissioned the painting work from your provider? Then your SM should give you the financial resources to have the sloppy work of the tiler professionally corrected; alternatively, a credit. After all, your SM coordinated and supervised the trades.

The painter was commissioned externally by you, _knowing_ that the tiler still had to install the windowsills: despite the sloppy work, you would likely have to bear at least half of the restoration costs yourself.

Best regards from the Rhineland

Hello Simon,


You also commissioned the painting work through your provider? Then your site manager should provide you with the financial means to professionally eliminate the shoddy work of the tiler; alternatively a credit note. After all, your site manager coordinated and supervised the trades.

The painter was hired externally by you, _knowing_ that the tiler still had to install the window sills: despite the sloppy work, you would likely have to bear at least half of the restoration costs.


Rhenish regards

No, the painter was contracted elsewhere. However, the site manager did give us a date from which painting was allowed. In that respect, I (somewhat recklessly, I know :D) assumed that I could paint from then on and that it wouldn’t be destroyed again.

For a first-time builder, it’s not necessarily clear that masking isn’t considered standard practice – and that so much adhesive would come off in the first place.