How much does plastering or rendering cost in Gloucester?
Need walls or ceilings plastered, or a house rendered? Post the job for free and it goes to local tradespeople who cover your area. Only the one who takes it on gets your contact details.
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Plastering and rendering
Say which rooms or walls need doing, roughly how big they are, and whether it’s a skim over existing plaster, a full replaster or external render. The condition of what’s there now makes the biggest difference to the scope.
A skim coat works when the existing plaster is sound. If it’s blown, crumbling or badly cracked, it needs taking back and redoing. On ceilings, old lath and plaster may need overboarding or replacing. Moving furniture, protecting floors and taking off sockets and switch plates are all part of the job.
Older houses with solid walls often need lime plaster rather than gypsum. Lime lets moisture move through the wall, and putting modern plaster on an old damp-prone wall can cause problems later. If there’s damp, get the cause sorted before replastering.
External render is a different job. It needs scaffolding for anything above ground floor, dry weather, and a render that suits the wall underneath. Rendering or re-rendering a large area of external wall, usually a quarter or more, can count as renovating a thermal element under building regulations. That may mean adding insulation, so check with building control before work starts.
If your house was built or refurbished before 2000, textured ceiling coatings and some old boards may contain asbestos. Don’t sand or scrape them until they’ve been checked. On listed buildings, replastering or rendering may need listed building consent.
What to include when you post
Plastering is priced by area and condition, so photos and rough sizes help most. Include:
- Which rooms, walls or ceilings, and rough sizes
- Whether it’s a skim, a full replaster or external render
- Photos showing the current surface, including any cracks or blown areas
- The rough age of the house and whether the walls are solid or cavity
- Any textured ceiling coatings, and whether they’ve been tested for asbestos
- For render, the height of the walls and access around the house
- Whether the rooms will be empty or furnished
- Whether the house is listed, as that can affect the materials
If the job follows damp work or a leak, say what was done and when, as the wall may need time to dry first.
What to ask
Check the quote covers the preparation as well as the plastering. Ask:
- Whether hacking off old plaster and removing waste are included
- How floors, furniture and windows will be protected
- What plaster or render they’ll use, and whether it suits older walls
- Whether beads, boarding and making good around sockets and frames are included
- For render, whether scaffolding is in the price and whether building regulations apply
- How long to leave it before painting
Ask to see recent work, ideally in person, as a flat finish is easier to judge by eye than in a photo. Get the quote in writing.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Builder page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
If the existing plaster is sound, a skim coat is often enough. Blown or damaged plaster may need taking back and redoing.
New plaster needs to dry fully first, and the time depends on thickness, the type of plaster, the room and the weather. Ask the tradesperson how long to leave it, and use a suitable first coat.
It can. Rendering a large part of an external wall, usually a quarter or more, can count as renovating a thermal element, which may mean adding insulation. Check with building control first.
Often, but older textured coatings can contain asbestos. Have it tested before anyone sands, scrapes or drills it. Skimming over it is usually done without disturbing it.
Solid-walled older houses rely on moisture moving in and out of the wall. Lime allows that. Gypsum and cement-based products can trap moisture and lead to damp problems.