Dot Dab Plaster wall - 35mm box? Plasterer at odds with electrician

[JLeague]

As part of my spec I said that I wanted 35mm back boxes. The walls have been taken back to the brick and will be dot and dabbed with plasterboard and then skim finished.

Electrician said that he can just screw the backbox onto the wall without digging into the brick because onces its dotted and dabbed the wall will come forward 35mm and cover the box.

Plasterer is adamant that is wrong and has said that he will do dot and dab but the wall will not come out as much so the boxes will protude.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

He should have sunk them. Never getting a 35mm dab unless it’s insulated board. Don’t accept 25mm back boxes. It will limit you in the future.

 

[Baddegg]

2/3 days to sink 30 boxes 10mm into a wall !!, how many tea breaks is he having

Quite normal now to fit 35mm boxes and have to sink them 10 - 15mm to accommodate a 25mm dot and dab spread

Mornings work....

 

[Leesparkykent]

Generally 25mm boxes are fine to be screwed direct to the wall if being dot and dabbed. If 35mm then they normally get chased in 10-15mm as dabbing that far out uses a lot of gear and can be a pain.

 

[UNG]

Mornings work....

Exactly, wouldn't take much more than a day if it was engineering brick

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Mornings work....

Exactly this, the walls getting dabbed over so it doesn’t need to be an sorta of neat. SDS on hammer with the chisel bit and shave 10mm off. In red brick it’s only taking a day, absolutely tops and that’s if you have a smoke after each box!

 

[hasel5]

Did the spec say 35mm boxes if so stick to your guns

 

[James]

If you had more than 1 quote for the job, now might be a time to review the quotes again before work starts.
it's not a good sign when they are saying it will be extra money to do it to the specification that you originally agreed on.
you should be getting what you asked for.

 

[Mike Johnson]

1min 14seconds plus vacuum cleaning time.

View: https://youtu.be/fueNBF7s1qQ

 

[telectrix]

Exactly this, the walls getting dabbed over so it doesn’t need to be an sorta of neat. SDS on hammer with the chisel bit and shave 10mm off. In red brick it’s only taking a day, absolutely tops and that’s if you have a smoke after each box!

might take me more than a day, due to old age and the fact that i'd have a smoke before, during, and after each box, with a pint of ale after every 3.
[automerge]1597988726[/automerge]

1min 14seconds plus vacuum cleaning time.

View: https://youtu.be/fueNBF7s1qQ

fine on thermalite block....useless on hard brick.

 

[radiohead]

To the OP, ask the plasterer to generously dab all the way round each box. Often they don't...and there is insufficient board to fully support the accessory. The result is the point will never be secure and ends up being bodged in with filler when the edge of the plasterboard crumbles.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I would have discussed this with the customer at the beginning and asked what sockets they wanted as some now do need 35mm. I did get caught out once, so that dosen't happen now. The plasterer can't be expected to bring the plasterboard out another 10mm just to please the electrician.

Of course if the electrician has specified 25mm back boxes in the quote then perhaps they are justified, but it should still have been discussed before hand.

If the plasterer puts up his boards and plasters, and then the electrician starts digging out the boxes more, the plasterer will have more (unecessary) work to do. It does seem that the electrician should just get in there and dig 35mm boxes in by 10mm (I bet he quoted to chase them all in anyway!).

 

[radiohead]

Nobody should be installing 25mm boxes anyway, it's lazy and shoddy on new work where very little extra effort is required to fit a 35mm box which will enable future changes of accessories.
So many times I've been to new builds where a new owner has proudly presented me with a load of shiny flat plate accessories to replace the cheap white originals, and you have to tell them it cant be done without replacing all the boxes. There is no excuse for it.

 

[pirate]

I would look at this another way. Why use dot and dab? It would take less time to fit proper studwork than chase out 30 backboxes, the finish would be better, and easier to obtain, the installer of the plasterboard would have an easier and quicker job, the plasterer has no extra work, and the electrician has a quicker and easier job too, with the benefit of a useable gap behind the board.

 

[telectrix]

I would look at this another way. Why use dot and dab? It would take less time to fit proper studwork than chase out 30 backboxes, the finish would be better, and easier to obtain, the installer of the plasterboard would have an easier and quicker job, the plasterer has no extra work, and the electrician has a quicker and easier job too, with the benefit of a useable gap behind the board.

and 6" lost from the width of the room (assuming 2 opposite walls are studded).

 

[pirate]

Like that would make a difference? I'm assuming we're talking about a room here, not a cupboard!