Most of the plastering around Bromley happens in houses that were built between the wars and have been decorated a dozen times since. A 1930s semi in Petts Wood or a Victorian terrace in Lewisham has solid walls that are usually sound, and a surface on top of them that is a patchwork of filler, old lining paper, moved sockets and the scar where a fireplace used to be.
That is a skimming job rather than a replastering job, and the difference in cost between the two is large. The wall gets tapped and looked at properly first, because whether it needs a skim or a full float and set is the difference between a day and most of a week. You get told which it is before anything starts.
Whether your walls will take a skim
The test is whether the plaster that is already there is still stuck to the wall behind it. Tapping across it tells you most of what you need to know: a solid dull note means it is fine, and a hollow drummy one means the plaster has let go of the brick and is being held up by not much more than the paint.
Small hollow patches get cut out and made good before the skim goes over. If most of a wall rings hollow, skimming it is money thrown at it, because the new flat surface is sitting on something that is still moving. That wall gets taken off and built up again instead, and you get told so at the estimate rather than halfway through.
Float and set means two stages. A backing coat goes on first to build the wall out and get it flat and plumb, and it is scratched while it is still green so the next coat has something to key into. Once that has pulled in, the finish coat goes over it and is trowelled up in passes as it sets.
A wall needs it when there is nothing sound left to skim onto: brick exposed after a damp course or a rewire, a wall badly out of plumb, or one where the old plaster has blown across most of its area. It is two to three days on a room rather than one, because the backing has to be allowed to pull in before anything goes over it.
Ceilings get skimmed at the same time as the walls wherever it makes sense, because the room is already sheeted out and the scaffold boards are already in it. A ceiling that is sound takes a skim straight over. One that is tired gets overboarded first, and the board goes up to the coving rather than through it.
Coving is part of the same visit rather than a separate trip. It is cut, mitred and set while the plaster is fresh, which is the only time the wall and the ceiling are both flat enough for it to sit tight all the way round. Where there is original cornice worth keeping, it stays and the new work is run into it.
Plastering is wet and it is dusty, and in a semi with the family still in it there is nowhere for either to go. Floors get sheeted and taped, doorways get sealed off where the rest of the house is in use, and waste goes out in bags at the end of each day rather than being stacked up until the end of the job.
Hacking off is the noisy part and it gets done early rather than at eight in the evening, because in a terrace or a semi there is somebody the other side of every wall. If there is a baby asleep in the afternoons or a neighbour who works nights, say so at estimate stage and the days get planned around it.
Fresh plaster is full of water and all of it has to leave before anything seals it in. In a ventilated room in summer that can be a few days. In a north facing back room in February with the windows shut, it can be a fortnight. It is ready when the dark patches have gone and the whole wall is one even pale colour.
Painting too early traps the water behind the paint and it peels, usually in sheets and usually across the patch that dried slowest. The first coat wants to be a watered down mist coat so it soaks in rather than sitting on top. You get told this on the day the job finishes, not left to find out.
“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.”
Plastering and skimming: frequently asked questions
How long does a room take?
A straightforward skim on a single room is usually a day. A full float and set back to brick on the same room is more like two to three, because the backing coat has to pull in before the finish goes on. A ceiling that needs overboarding first adds to that.
Do I need to move out?
For one or two rooms, no. The work gets sheeted and sealed off and you keep the rest of the house. For a whole property back to brick it is easier on everybody if you are not living in it, because there is no clean room left and the dust from hacking off travels.
Will you do the coving as well?
Yes, and it is better done on the same visit. The wall and the ceiling are only both flat at the same time once, and that is when coving sits tight all the way round without being filled in behind.
When can I paint it?
When the whole wall has gone an even pale colour with no dark patches, anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the room and the time of year. Start with a thinned mist coat so it keys, not a full coat of emulsion.
