A guide to plaster installation.

Plaster installation (skimming a wall, full re-plaster, or new build first plaster) in the UK typically costs £15–£35 per m² for skim coats over existing sound surfaces; £25–£60 per m² for full re-plaster including dot-and-dab plasterboard or rendering. A typical room (4×4 m, ~50 m² wall area) costs £400-£900 for a skim, £1,000-£2,500 for a full re-plaster.

The work is fast (1-3 days for a typical room) but technique-sensitive. Bad plastering shows up under paint as ridges, dips, and trowel marks; good plastering produces walls so smooth they look like glass under paint.

Typical UK plastering costs

Common plastering jobs

• Skim over existing plaster — sound walls with surface imperfections (cracks, lumps, old paint texture). 2-3 mm finish coat. Quickest, cheapest.
• Skim over plasterboard — new walls or repaired sections. Standard for new-build and extensions.
• Full re-plaster — old plaster blown, damaged, or removed. Includes hack-off + new bonding coat + skim.
• Dot-and-dab plasterboard + skim — common for old solid masonry walls being upgraded. Plasterboard fixed to wall with dabs of adhesive, then skimmed.
• External render — different trade often, but related. Cement, lime, or modern silicone-based renders for exterior surfaces.
• Period lath-and-plaster repair — specialist work for Victorian and earlier homes. Different materials and techniques.

Process for skimming a typical room

1. Preparation — clear room, lay dust sheets, remove sockets and switches (or mask).
2. Surface prep — sand glossy paint, fill major cracks, apply PVA bonding agent if needed.
3. First coat — 2 mm pass with multi-finish plaster.
4. Second coat — applied while first is still wet (within 30-60 minutes), refining the surface.
5. Trowelling — multiple passes as plaster goes off, increasing pressure to polish smooth.
6. Final passes — sponge-floating to eliminate trowel marks, then final dry-trowel for glass-like finish.
7. Drying — typically 2-7 days before painting, depending on thickness and ventilation.

Things people often miss

• Drying before painting — fresh plaster needs 1-2 weeks drying before painting. Trying to paint too soon traps moisture. The wall changes colour as it dries (pink to lighter pink to almost white).
• Mist coat first — first coat over fresh plaster should be a "mist coat" (paint thinned 50-50 with water). This seals the plaster; full-strength paint over fresh plaster peels.
• PVA bonding — surfaces with poor adhesion (dusty, painted, smooth) need PVA primer first. Skipping this leads to plaster cracking or coming loose.
• Wall corners and edges — internal corners are scribed; external corners use angle bead. Both need skill; sloppy corners are the giveaway of a rushed job.
• Plasterboard joints — joints in plasterboard need scrim tape under the skim to prevent cracking. Skipping means cracks reappearing within 6-12 months.
• Damp issues — plaster can hide damp problems but won't cure them. Address underlying damp first.

Frequently asked questions

Want a local pro to handle this? A skilled plasterer is worth seeking out — the trade has a wide skill range and a £900 plaster job done badly looks worse than walls left alone. Word-of-mouth recommendations and seeing recent work in person are the best ways to find quality plasterers.