Episodes
Chris and Bradleigh bring you week one for their three week series recorded at a DIY SOS build in Derby. On this episode, Nick Knowles talks to Chris and Bradleigh, Two electricians talk about the relationship between sparks and spreads on-site, Chris talks to the people kindly donating their free time to serve food and drinks and Kaitlyn, a female teenage plastering apprentice talks about her experiences in the trade so far
Chris talks about his experiences managing other spreads working for him on jobs as subbies and Bradleigh talks about working with others on their jobs and how to work well as a team
Chris talks about what it's been like bringing sprayed cork coatings into his business and we're joined by a young plasterer that's set up a business after getting trained up in sprayed cork
Over the next two episodes, Chris and Bradleigh will look at different materials and also the history of decorative plasterwork and the plasterers completing the work. On this week's show they're joined by Cain Hudson to discuss specialising in polished plaster. Historian Claire Gapper shares some facinating facts about materials used 500 years ago and how they were created and Bradleigh asks Chris some questions about thin coat render
Chris and Bradleigh answer a range of questions about the trade, materials, DIY SOS and more
Chris and Bradleigh are joined by three plasterers to talk about how they approach taking time off and whether a four day week would work for the trade as well as the best time of year to take holiday and why
Chris and Bradleigh talk about image and presentation and how important clean clothes, keeping tidy and how you present your work actually is. Joining them to talk about this is Rich Wellfair and Pete Townsend
Chris and Bradleigh are joined by Plasterers Scott Morgan & Mark Hardman to talk about their ongoing back issues. Bradleigh does a deep dive on the complete history of his back isssues, He talks about the experiences with back surgeries and what the future holds for him with regards to his back problems
Chris and Bradleigh have asked three Plasterers from across the UK to phone in and give an update on what demand for their services is like in their area. Are we seeing the end of the pandemic boom? Would you drop your prices if demand drops?
Chris & Bradleigh are joined by three plasterers to share their experiences trying to find a balance between professional and home life.
Chris and Bradleigh are joined by two new guests on the show to talk about Plastering, Bradleigh talks about his tools and Chris also talks about some inventions he was privalaged to see at the design/testing stages
Chris Frediani invites Ainsley Smith back on the show for a catch up. Ainsley joined us at the start of the year because he was worried about generating work as a sole trader during the quieter months and wanted advice. He tells us how the next six months unfolded, tells us what he's been up to, what work he's coming up and Chris and Bradleigh reflect on what their experiences were like when they were in Ainsley's shoes
Chris and Bradleigh ask plasterers what vans they drive, what kind of set up they have, what they used to get around in and discuss whether Plasterers could go electric
Chris and Bradleigh check in with some plasterers and renderers to find out how they've got on in the heat this week. They talk about drying times and what the heat does to different materials as well as the challenges of doing physical labour in the hot weather
Steph Leese AKA The Pink Plasterer joins us to share her journey into teaching the trade. Steph talks about why she is doing this, what her experiences were like training to become an assessor, how you can do this, how we can ease the skills shortage and the right way to teach certain aspects of the trade
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh Hancock talk about how they got started in the trade and what their thoughts were when they first started learning about plastering
Chris and Bradleigh have picked some of their favourite customer texts and interractions posted online by tradespeople. They talk about where the customers are going wrong, how they would handle these texts and share some of their own examples too
It's Mental Health Awareness Week and Chris Frediani and Bradleigh talk about the stress and pressure you can feel working in the construction industry. Jason Currill joins us to talk about how he made the link between alcohol and his mental wellbeing. Jason talks about the drinking culture in construction, what he's done to change his habits and how we could meet up socially with mates and people we work with on-site without involving alcohol
Chris and Bradleigh talk about what they love about the trade, aspects of the trade they don't enjoy, memorbale jobs and nightmare jobs. Kate & Ella AKA The Plastered Sisters & Andy McCauley, a renderer from Northumberland also join us to share some of their loves, hates and memorable jobs
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh talk about working smarter not harder by building a team around yourself and working witth other plasterers in your local area. Barry Worman, a Plasterer that lives just 4 miles from Chris joins us to discuss
Chris and Bradleigh are joined by Natasha Williams, who won Student of the Year with the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers to talk about her experiences in education. Danny Meredith, part of an award winning faculty at the NTCC group of colleges in South Wales talks about how they're getting kids into plastering before they've even left school and what they're learning when they join the college full time
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh Hancock talk about working with other trades on-site as a Plasterer. From Builders & Sparks, to Scaffolders, Carpenters and more
Chris Frediani and Bradders look into women joining the trade and how this could help ease the current skills shortage in plastering and construction. Ruth Waters returns to talk about her work going into schools to spread the word about plastering being a great career path after school. Rachel Cottom talks about the best way into the trade for women as well as her experiences in a male dominated industry
As it's Good Friday, Chris and Bradleigh take a lighthearted approach and are joined by three plasterers from across the UK to share some pranks, funny moments and memorable charecters you come across on-site
A Plasterer at the top of his game from Leicestershire, Alan Arbuthnot joins Chris Frediani and Bradleigh to talk about how he approaches problem solving on-site. Chris also asks Alan for help solving something on a current job and Bradleigh talks about problem solving away from materials and finishes
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh are joined by Keith Langton, a well known decorative and heritage plasterer so that he can share some memorable and challenging jobs from his illustrious career in the trade
Paul Robbins joins Chris Frediani and Bradleigh to give an introduction into Venetian plastering. Paul covers tools, materials and skills required (and how to get those skills) as well as how to upsell, which jobs Venetian works best for, how to price accordingly and more
Chris Frediani talks about jobs that have really challenged you as a plasterer and have had problems that need solving. Philip Gaches, a heritage plasterer talks about challenging locations to work in around the world, challenging work at Buckingham Palace and many other notable heritage buildings as well as the challenges of working with other trades and solving problems using lateral thinking. Chris and Bradleigh also share some of their own stories
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh talk to Ben Kerslake from Carrington Lime about using traditional materials and methods in a modern environment. Ben talks about how he uses lime to treat modern damp issues and how treating damp has developed over the years. Bradleigh and Chris also talk about using lime on modern projects and Chris discusses some heritage jobs he's uses modern materials on as well
Chris Frediani and Bradleigh talk about all of the changes they've seen in the trade in their more than 60 years experience combined. Bradleigh talks about which elements of traditional and modern he would like to do more of and Chris has some strong opinions about the future of plastering