Plastering is applying a smooth finishing coat of plaster to walls and ceilings, either as a thin skim over sound surfaces or as a full re-plaster after removing failed plaster, creating a flat surface ready for decoration.
We offer plastering and skimming across Cambridgeshire, and Cambridge is one of the places we cover, along with nearby Newmarket, Ely and Huntingdon. Before anything is agreed we visit, check the existing structure and talk through your options. You then receive a written quote setting out the full scope; for most homes in the East of England it sits within £600–£1,700 including VAT.
- Guide price
- £600–£1,700 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–3 days per room, plus drying time
- Postcodes
- CB2
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Cambridgeshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Plastering and skimming prices in Cambridge
What will plastering and skimming cost in Cambridge? Our guide range is £600–£1,700 including VAT. That figure is adjusted for the East of England, about 5% above the national guide, and is intended for planning a budget. A firm written price for your chosen specification follows a free survey at your home.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Patch repairs or one wall | Repairing cracks, filling cable channels after a rewire or skimming a single wall. | £150–£500 |
| One room, walls and ceiling | Skimming or boarding and skimming the walls and ceiling of a typical room. | £600–£1,700 |
| Whole house | Skimming or re-plastering most rooms in a typical 3-bed house during a renovation. | £5,200–£12,500 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- Total wall and ceiling area to be plastered
- Skim over sound plaster or full re-plaster back to brick
- Ceiling height, stairwells and access
- Number of corners, windows and openings to bead
What does the job include in Cambridge?
- Floor and furniture protection with dust sheets and masking
- Removal of loose or failed plaster and old wallpaper
- Plasterboard fixed to ceilings or walls where needed
- Angle beads and stop beads for straight corners and edges
- Skim coat or full two-coat plaster to agreed areas
- Patching around new sockets, pipes and windows
What are homes like around Cambridge?
Cambridge has many Victorian terraces in pale gault brick, with Edwardian villas and modern estates around the city. Peterborough expanded as a new town from the 1970s, adding large planned estates, while Ely, Huntingdon, St Neots and the Fenland market towns keep Georgian and Victorian centres. Limestone appears in villages near the Northamptonshire border.
Narrow terraces commonly suit loft conversions and kitchen extensions. Newer estate homes often need garage conversions, porches and landscaping, and older brick and stone buildings may call for lime-based repointing and carefully specified windows.
Whatever era your Cambridge home dates from, we plan plastering and skimming around how it is actually built rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Do you need permission in Cambridge?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Cambridge is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
Internal work such as a new kitchen, bathroom, flooring, plastering or decorating does not need planning permission in England, unless the house is listed, when listed building consent may be needed even for internal changes.
Some internal work is covered by Building Regulations: new electrical circuits and work in bathrooms (Part P), new drainage, structural changes, extractor ventilation and any new window. Notifiable work is certified by a registered installer or by building control.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
The four stages
Survey and measure
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for plastering and skimming, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Your fixed price
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Getting ready
Before anyone starts, we confirm the programme in writing, check whether consents are required and arrange deliveries. If a skip or scaffolding on the road needs a permit, we apply for it.
Build and hand over
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
What you can expect from us
Common questions
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
Can I stay at home during the work?
In most cases, yes. Most people can live at home throughout, and we plan the work to keep disruption down by protecting floors, agreeing working hours and keeping access routes clear. Bigger jobs affecting kitchens, bathrooms or heating may mean a short spell with reduced facilities, and we talk this through with you at the survey.
How much does it cost to plaster a room?
Skimming the walls and ceiling of a typical double bedroom costs £600–£1,700, depending on the room size, the state of the existing surfaces and whether new plasterboard is needed. As a guide, a skim coat costs roughly £15–£35 per square metre, while a full re-plaster back to brick costs more. Stairwells and high ceilings add access costs. We confirm a fixed price after inspecting the walls.
Can you plaster over artex?
Artex and similar textured ceilings can usually be covered, either by applying a bonding coat and then a skim, or by fixing new plasterboard over the top and skimming that. Some older textured coatings contain hazardous fibres, so they should not be sanded or scraped until a sample has been tested. We can arrange a test before quoting and choose a method that avoids disturbing the coating.
Why is my plaster cracking?
Fine cracks in new plaster are usually shrinkage cracks from drying too fast and are easily filled before decorating. Cracks along plasterboard joints often mean missing tape or movement in the boards. Larger or diagonal cracks over doors and windows can point to structural movement and should be looked at before re-plastering. We assess cracks during the survey and explain the likely cause.
Near Cambridge
Homes across CB2 in Cambridge are within our coverage, as are those in Newmarket, Ely and Huntingdon. If you are just outside these areas, ask anyway, because we work right across the UK.