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Plasterers & Renderers - what you need to know

A good plasterer can give your walls a smooth finish, whether it’s covering up the brickwork of a load-bearing wall, or if it’s to cover the plasterboard of an internal wall. Once done the wall will be damp-proofed and ready for decorating - and of course, a good plasterer will do it in record time.

They can also create ornamental plastering to give your home a rustic or decorative feel. Their skills stretch to putting up internal plasterboard and wallboard partitions - great for when you need to create a new room or space in your home.

If you have a modern home then plastering and skimming should be a simple task for any experienced plasterer.

In period or suburban properties, the walls can be made from brick or even concrete, and the plaster may be applied direct to the walls rather than to plasterboard.

In older properties you may not be after the smooth finish we’re used to in modern homes, so you could go for a lime plaster instead that gives a more rustic look. If you have an older home, or one that’s listed, then you should always let the plasterer know first so they can take this into account.

The cost of the job will depend on the size of the room and how much work needs to be done in terms of preparation and finishing. If you have very deteriorated plaster on your walls, or damp plaster work on the ceiling that needs to be removed, then you’ll probably need the old plaster to come off and an entirely new plasterboard fitted.

Costs for common plasterer jobs

Plastering and skimming in a modern property - per room

Plastering and skimming in a period or suburban property

Rendering an outside wall

Skimming a whole room

Insurance for plastering work

Like most trades who are working on your home, they’ll need public liability insurance to protect you against any damage that could potentially happen.

Planning permission for plastering jobs

You’ll also need to check planning permission if your home is a listed building or if it’s in a conservation area. Your plasterer or builder should be able to advise on these issues.

Building regulations for plasterers

If a render covers a substantial part of the exterior of your property, your plasterer will need to comply with building regulations.

Questions you should ask a plasterer

• Do they have public liability insurance and what does this cover?
• How long have they been trading for?
• How long will the work take?
• Does the room need to be cleared and is this something they can help with?
• Will the room be usable immediately after the work or does it need to dry? If it needs to dry, for how long?

See the latest questions that homeowners have been asking plasterers.

Plastering ideas

Check out our top 5 plastering jobs you can tackle before you move into a new place. Want some decorative plastering ideas? Then have a look at these walls and ceiling features. Finally, here’s some practical advice on assessing your walls before decorating.