Right now, I have a construction project where craftsmen are building interior walls, etc., for us. Everything should be painted white and look clean and fresh. Everything looks a little crooked to our eyes, and according to our laser level, some things are crooked. It's not many centimeters, but enough that it can be seen with the naked eye.
The drywall panels bulge in certain places. Where the drywall panels are attached to the studs, it's clear that it's not quite level. It's a living room, so we want the surface finish to be top-notch, of course, meaning everything should be smooth, straight, and nice, with no chipped edges, no nicks, strange plastering, or paint drips.
We can only compare with other walls in our home, but we don't think this work meets the standard. How picky should/can one be? What is acceptable? Functionally, there's not much to criticize perhaps, the wall stands where it stands, but can one say that the work is not professionally done if the above problems with the surfaces exist?
The drywall panels bulge in certain places. Where the drywall panels are attached to the studs, it's clear that it's not quite level. It's a living room, so we want the surface finish to be top-notch, of course, meaning everything should be smooth, straight, and nice, with no chipped edges, no nicks, strange plastering, or paint drips.
We can only compare with other walls in our home, but we don't think this work meets the standard. How picky should/can one be? What is acceptable? Functionally, there's not much to criticize perhaps, the wall stands where it stands, but can one say that the work is not professionally done if the above problems with the surfaces exist?
Ok, I understand! There seems to be building standards or something similar somewhere.JOW said:
But for me, as an average consumer who only hires craftsmen a couple of times a year, can someone with experience and insight look at my question?
Thank you in advance!
According to HUS AMA, the curvature of a wall can be +-12mm over a 2-meter measurement length, +-5mm over 0.25 meters, and the incline +-12mm over 2 meters. These are large tolerances that are visible to the naked eye. Less curved walls are achieved by using steel studs; it is not specified whether wood or steel was used. In the worst-case scenario, the studs are split from a plank, which can result in a very crooked structure./MLj
Thanks for the response, Mats!Mats Lj said:
They are regular wooden studs set in a steel profile on the floor. What about imperfections like nicks, bubbling, sloppy spackling, uneven edges, and corners that are hard to measure and tie to a construction standard? How much should one accept?
It is a relatively small task, and we haven't even talked about any building code, HUS AMA, or the like. However, I have walked around and shown the builder how my current kitchen looks and explained that I want the same quality and surface finish on the work as the kitchen's construction (a little simplified). That the walls and ceiling boxes are crooked is just one of the problems. The actual surface finish with plastering and painting is the biggest problem, in my opinion.
I simply want to get a feel for how meticulous one can be/what one can expect from craftsmen who build living rooms. So to speak, what would you accept for craftsmanship quality in your living room if they were to do interior walls, ceiling, built-in TV cabinets, ceiling spotlights, painted and finished? Can you describe it in words without referring to a building code?
Sorry for being difficult!
I simply want to get a feel for how meticulous one can be/what one can expect from craftsmen who build living rooms. So to speak, what would you accept for craftsmanship quality in your living room if they were to do interior walls, ceiling, built-in TV cabinets, ceiling spotlights, painted and finished? Can you describe it in words without referring to a building code?
Sorry for being difficult!
If the wall tilts one centimeter from the floor to the ceiling, you won't notice. What is noticeable are sharp bulges. For example, if there is a joint on a horizontal stud in the wall and they are not aligned with each other. It can quickly become a problem when you cover the wall with drywall. Similarly, if you don't get the walls at a right angle to each other. As long as you don't have a piece of furniture placed in the corner, you probably won't notice anything. But if you put a desk or dresser there, it might look a bit odd.
But is it up to me to decide what is acceptable depending on how we are going to use the room, or does the craftsman think I am unreasonably picky? The only thing I can say is that we are not satisfied and that as a happy amateur, I would have done it better.
It is difficult to know if you are being unreasonably picky since we don't know what you see. But forget about getting a wall or ceiling that doesn't lean a single millimeter, it's difficult, at least if the material is wood.
I will try to put into words how it should look. You shouldn't be able to see where the joint in the drywall is when it is wallpapered or painted. The baseboards should lie flush against the floor. A gap between the floor and the baseboard of a few millimeters is not nice. If there is a gap, you need to plane the baseboards. The same goes for the crown molding. The wallpaper seams should not be visible until you look for them. There should be equal gaps between the door and the frame. Many carpenters might not be quite so meticulous as it tends to get expensive for the customer. Ultimately, it is the overall impression that matters. A small mistake rarely shows unless it's right in the line of sight.
Do you have any pictures of the work the carpenter has done? I think it's up to you what applies because you are the one paying.
I will try to put into words how it should look. You shouldn't be able to see where the joint in the drywall is when it is wallpapered or painted. The baseboards should lie flush against the floor. A gap between the floor and the baseboard of a few millimeters is not nice. If there is a gap, you need to plane the baseboards. The same goes for the crown molding. The wallpaper seams should not be visible until you look for them. There should be equal gaps between the door and the frame. Many carpenters might not be quite so meticulous as it tends to get expensive for the customer. Ultimately, it is the overall impression that matters. A small mistake rarely shows unless it's right in the line of sight.
Do you have any pictures of the work the carpenter has done? I think it's up to you what applies because you are the one paying.
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I watched a clip on YouTube one day about wavy walls.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lSJ4Mwr-Uw[/ame]
To avoid having wavy walls, you must first sort out the extremely warped studs and use them as nogging (if you have to keep them).
Then, you should turn all the studs in a wall so that they all bow in the same direction.
Then you can plane down any protruding problem studs. But the bowing must go inward into the room.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lSJ4Mwr-Uw[/ame]
To avoid having wavy walls, you must first sort out the extremely warped studs and use them as nogging (if you have to keep them).
Then, you should turn all the studs in a wall so that they all bow in the same direction.
Then you can plane down any protruding problem studs. But the bowing must go inward into the room.
As I understand it, ByggAMA only addresses if the wall itself is crooked. What about the construction of details such as built-in frames for TV, boxes for spotlights? What about building standards for surface layers? Are there tolerances there as well?