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Plasterers & Renderers - what you need to know

A good plasterer can give your walls a smooth finish, whether covering up the brickwork of a load-bearing wall, or to cover the plasterboard of an internal wall. Once don,e the wall is 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.

In a modern home, plastering work 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.

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

The cost of plastering will depend on the size of the room and how much work needs to be done in terms of preparation and finishing. If the plaster on your walls has deteriorated a lot or there is damp plaster work on the ceiling that needs to be removed, you'll likely need the old plaster to come off and an entirely new plasterboard fitted.

Costs for common plastering work

Plastering and skimming in a modern property (per room):

Plastering and skimming in a period or suburban property:

Rendering a wall

Skimming ceiling and walls for a whole room

Insurance for plastering work

Like most tradespeople 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

Check if you need planning permission if your home is a listed building or in a conservation area. Your plasterer or builder should be able to advise on these issues.

Building regulations for plasterering contractors

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, how long for?

Read the latest questions that homeowners have been asking plasterers – such as how much to plaster a room and how much to skim a ceiling? 

Plastering ideas

Check out our top 5 plastering jobs you can tackle before you move into a new place. Looking for some decorative plastering ideas? Take a look at these walls and ceiling features. And read our practical advice on assessing your walls before decorating.