Greenwich has the oldest housing in the patch and a great deal of it sits inside conservation areas or is listed outright. Georgian and early Victorian terraces with tall reception rooms, original cornice, lath ceilings and lime plaster on solid walls, alongside later Victorian terraces and a good deal of modern riverside development.
Work in the older stock is careful rather than heavy. Taking a room back to brick is rarely the right answer in a building like this, and lime plaster that has survived two hundred years generally wants repairing in kind rather than replacing with gypsum, which is harder and less forgiving than what is already there.
Consent, and checking before committing
In a listed building, internal work including plasterwork and cornice can need consent, and in a conservation area anything that changes an external finish almost certainly does. That is worth establishing before a date is set rather than halfway through a job.
Where a job looks like it needs permission it gets flagged at estimate stage so you can check with the council, and the work waits until you have. That is a delay nobody enjoys and it is considerably cheaper than the alternative.
Cornice, and doing it in kind
The cornice in these houses is usually run in situ and original, and it is the single thing that makes the room. Where a section is missing or has been cut through by a later wall, it can be taken from a mould of what survives and run back in so the join does not read.
Ceilings get overboarded up to the cornice rather than through it, paint build up in the detail is a separate and slower job from plastering, and nothing gets filled flat that was meant to have a profile. It is slower work and it is the reason the room still looks like itself afterwards.
“Good honest business, we called SMB after we had a bad experience with previous contractors. ... The work is immaculate (we had our house skimmed), the detail, care and attention is spot on.”
“Frank and Steve did a fantastic job on my hallway! Really professional team and their work is seamless. I was really impressed, and they even fixed my skirting board and put it back on for me, a very appreciated extra! Would highly recommend.”
“They did a great job. I had an awkward hallway area and a large ceiling to skim. I thought they'd finished earlier in the day as it looked great to me then, but they went over the whole area to make sure that the finish was perfect.”
“Excellent work! Scott plastered our living room including some tricky details around fireplace and bay window. Great finish looks really good, all the work was tidy and well communicated all done on time. Would highly recommend.”
“Frank completed a wall for me that needed plastering, he was on time, very polite and nothing seemed an issue. ... Although only a small job, kept my house tidy, even outside the house, cleaned up after he finished and done a perfect job, highly recommended from myself.”
“Hi, Had the team in plastering for a week. What a joy. There were no problems they turned up on time everyday and very polite. Would recommend them to anyone. Thanks very much guys.”
“I don't often leave reviews, but Frank was so helpful and pleasant to work with that he deserves 5 stars. Very responsive and professional. He did a great job and left our place clean and tidy. Thanks again Frank!”
“Frank very kindly stopped by to plaster a chipped wall. Perfectly done and really helpful and kind guy. 100% calling if I ever need any more plastering done!”
“Although we didn't require any work, Frank was extremely helpful and knowledgable on his visit to inspect our issue. He was prompt and on time and responded quickly.”
“Very, very happy with Franks work finishing off kitchen walls after having been let down by a builder. It was a tricky job as the granite worktops ect had already been installed but I couldn't be happier with the result.”
“Really happy with the work. Great finish and very professional. Turned up on time, kept things tidy, and did a top-quality job. Would definitely recommend.”
“very pleasant experience in communication and the level of service provided. tradesman was very polite. He came around for a diagnosis before outlining the job in details with cost and what needs doing.”
“Just had Scott round, Arrived on time started straight away and just got on with the job. Pleasant at all times clean & tidy worker will definitely use again. Work looks good and he stuck to his price. Thanks Scott was was good to meet you.”
“Very professional, was very clear on what exactly will be done. Agreed a price and kept me update all the way through. Happy with the work completed and after care as well. Very helpful and highly recommended.”
“Scott called me before booking a date to come and do work. He reasured me about somethings i was worried about. He come in time he said he would and helped me with another job as well. Very helpful and happy with service”
“Great job by Scott plastering the small room, he managed to sort out the uneven ceiling and walls. Will be using Scott again to sort out a couple of other rooms.”
