How Much Does a Plasterer Charge? What Sets the Price

Day rate or price per job

Some plasterers work on a day rate, others quote a fixed price for the room. A fixed price is easier to budget for, provided the scope is written down. A day rate can suit open-ended repair work where nobody knows what is behind the old plaster until it comes off.

Whichever way you are quoted, the number of days is what really drives the cost, so it pays to understand what fills those days.

Skimming, reboarding or replastering

A skim is a thin finishing coat over existing plaster that is sound but uneven or cracked. It is the quickest option. Reboarding means fixing new plasterboard, then skimming, and is common for ceilings and stud walls. Full replastering means hacking off old plaster back to masonry and applying new backing and finishing coats, which takes the most time and creates the most waste.

Our skimming versus replastering guide explains how to tell which one your walls need.

What adds time to a plastering job

These are the items that most often separate a short job from a long one.

• Ceilings, which are slower and harder work than walls
• Removing old wallpaper, loose plaster or textured coatings first
• Lots of corners, reveals, beads and window returns
• High stairwells that need towers or platforms
• Furniture and floors that need clearing and protecting
• Patch repairs that must blend invisibly into old work

Preparation and making good

Before a skim, surfaces may need PVA or a bonding primer, cracks need scrimming, and any loose areas need cutting out and filling. After plastering, sockets and switches are refitted and skirting may need resetting. Ask whether these are in the price, because they are the usual source of surprise extras.

Drying time and decoration

Fresh plaster has to dry before it is painted. It turns from dark to an even pale colour as it does, and it then needs a mist coat before normal paint. Rushing this leads to peeling and blotchy finishes. If you want the room decorated too, a single quote covering both trades avoids gaps in the programme.

Ceilings after leaks and textured ceilings

Water damaged ceilings often need the stained or sagging board cut out and replaced rather than skimmed over. Textured ceilings such as artex may need testing before they are disturbed. Both change the price, so mention them at the quote stage. Our guides on water damaged ceilings and artex removal go into each case.

Getting a fair quote

A good plastering quote says which rooms and surfaces are included, whether it is a skim, reboard or replaster, what preparation is covered and whether decorating follows. We give free written quotes for plastering across Essex, Kent and London, and our workmanship carries a 1-year warranty.

Signs a quote has left something out

A quote that only gives a single figure with no description is hard to compare. Look for the rooms and surfaces listed by name, the method for each, who removes waste, whether sockets and switches are taken off and refitted, and how long the room will be out of use. If two quotes differ a lot, the cheaper one has often skipped preparation or assumed a skim where a reboard is really needed.