Master plasterer? DISASTER plasterer!
Our experience with John was really poor. We chose him as he seemed genuine and experienced and had a lot of good reviews on the site - his rate was reasonable and available immediately.
Our experience actually using him was so different however. John was really difficult to work with. He plastered one full room and three stipple ceilings. The finish on the room he plastered was really poor - he plastered over electrical cables rather than pulling them away from the wall & also plastered OVER blind brackets - meaning if we ever wanted to replace the blinds we've to pull out the plaster. Lots of lazy work and it was evident he just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible (he left at 12.30pm every day he was here).
Generally, I wouldn't care how long a tradesman takes - that their prerogative - but when their work suffers as a result, I think it's only fair others know. The finish was poor - a lot of patches and lots of the original wall and ceiling still visible from the lack of plaster and the rushed job. In the other rooms where he done the ceilings, again, huge lack of plaster and when anything was pointed out, he was very defensive and agitated.
Finally, and probably the best indication of what to expect when you get John is that he left bags of dirt / plaster on the job and generally was really sloppy - plastering is a messy job, but his untidiness just takes the p*ss - we found half bags of plaster and rubbish in our recycling bin and others stuffed into the bedroom corner.
By the end of the job we were just relieved to have him out the door.
Be warned when it comes to tradesmen - you pay less for double the hassle. Never again.