British Gypsum Thistle Multi finish plaster is in a massive short supply. Plasterers throughout the UK are battling to get enough multi finish plaster to keep their customers happy and provide for their families.
The Thistle multi finish plaster shortage was down to British Gypsum closing their production lines when they followed Covid-19 government guidelines. The knock-on effect has been massive for plasterers because multi finish plaster production was stopped and because with the whole country and most people decided it was a great time to do some DIY. So naturally, Thistle multi finish plaster was going to be in demand.
The few who could get hold of British Gypsum Multi Finish plaster were not using it to plaster with but were selling it. They were trying to sell it for a considerable profit and what makes it worse is that not only were these people profiteering. There were now gangs of people turning up to the likes of Wickes and B&Q buying every bag of thistle multi finish plaster available in a bid to make some fast and easy money at the expense of plasterers.
This profiteering has rubbed a lot of plasterers throughout the UK up the wrong way. However, plasterers are now starting to fight back, giving the profiteers of British Gypsum multi finish plaster a lot of grief and abuse, and I dread to think what has happened to those who have been caught by a few angry plasterers.
However, What can be done to stop this Multi finish plaster profiteering?
As I write this, I am sitting here thinking that I have no idea how to regulate this and stop the general public from buying plaster and, more so, those profiteering from it.
Should multi finish plaster be only sold to plasterers and builders?
If it could be achieved, I think the knock-on effects could be that plumbers say that the public cannot buy copper pipe, and the electricians can be the only people that cable.
Having a trade card has been suggested, but I have trade cards for motor factors, and I am not a motor mechanic. So even then, that won’t solve this problem.
How would you think this should be done?
I think the reality is that this British Gypsum multi finish plaster shortage and profiteering has only occurred once (I think) in my lifetime, and so maybe it will be just a one-time thing. Maybe all this panic is over something that won’t ever happen again.
The easiest way to stop this profiteering is not to buy British Gypsum Thistle multi finish plaster from the people profiteering from it. The one advantage plasterers have with multi finish plaster is that it goes out of date. We all need to hang in there and wait, then this plaster will be worthless, and that alone should have a significant impact on these profiteers profits.
There has been a petition circling to stop trying to combat this profiteering of multi finish plaster, so please click and sign this, and maybe just maybe, someone will come up with an idea to protect plasterers livelihoods in the future.
Sign The Petition Here
Please, if you have any opinions or comments on this, please comment below, and if there is any way that we can all stand together to get something to stop this from happening again, I am more than happy to help along the way.
There is not another gypsum finish plaster on the market that comes close to Multi finish. This is a big problem because the knock-on effect from only having one source of multi finish is that if that production and distribution are disrupted, there is no alternative. Thousands of plasterers around the UK rely On British gypsum to provide and feed their families.
There have been many discussions on The Plasterers Forum about the shortage of Multi Finish plaster, so if you’re not already a member of the biggest plastering community, please head over and sign up it is free.
Just don’t buy from these profiteering idiots. It’s the only way to stop it. I think the mistake was supplying D I Y stores, should have been just the proper builders merchants, that way, tradesman and account holders could have been better off and probably would have helped each other out as well.
My husband is a Plasterer in Cornwall, we managed to get hold of 17 bags from sellers on facebook a couple of weeks back and last week 15 bags from a builders merchants. We paid £10 a bag as we had customers desperate to get work finished. I had lots of people contacting me offering bags for £15 and £25 and I politely told them to stuff it. The ones we got hold of at a builders merchants were £8.15 a bag and had a limit of 10 when we phoned up but when my husband turned up in his van they let him have 15. He is getting through the bags and we have no idea when we will get hold of any more. I joined a plasterers forum to get help and advice, after getting a load of abuse I left. Plasterers are being held to ransom and I have no idea why!!!
Cause as much disruption as you can. Report every ebay listing for price gouging, its easy just click the report button and select the reason from the drop down list. Report facebook posts. Don’t make it easy for these people.
I think a lot of the problem is builders buying more than they need , it’s a bit like the toilet roll predicament, everyone going mad for it . Just buy what you need . As for the profiteering they can sling there hook, I’d sooner stay at home than pay £20 a bag . I live in Hertfordshire and a few builders merchants are now selling a German and a polish version of multi finish .
WHY DID WE ALLOW BG TO CLOSE DOWN THIER FACTORY?
This is the cause of the problem NOT speculative sellers. These are the symptoms of a madness we are all responsible for.
Blame Boris, not plasterers!