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.
Whatever type of house you own in Salford, we start by looking at how plastering and skimming would fit it rather than offering a standard package. We cover M2, M3, M5 and M6 and neighbouring places such as Eccles, Old Trafford and Manchester. One named person looks after you from survey to handover, and nothing is booked until you hold our figure in writing, fixed for the work described.
- Guide price
- £500–£1,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–3 days per room, plus drying time
- Postcodes
- M2, M3, M5, M6 and M7
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Greater Manchester
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for plastering and skimming in Salford?
Here is how the guide price for plastering and skimming breaks down in Salford. We start from national figures and adjust for the North West, which comes out about 5% below the national guide. The resulting range, VAT included, is £500–£1,500, and a survey, at no cost to you, firms it up.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Salford |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | £500–£1,500 |
| Whole house | Skimming or re-plastering most rooms in a typical 3-bed house during a renovation. | £4,800–£11,500 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- Skim over sound plaster or full re-plaster back to brick
- Ceiling height, stairwells and access
- Removing artex, wallpaper or failed plaster first
- Number of corners, windows and openings to bead
What do you get?
- Survey of walls and ceilings, including tap-testing for hollow plaster
- Floor and furniture protection with dust sheets and masking
- 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
Building in Salford
Rows of Victorian red-brick terraces fill much of Manchester, Salford and the mill towns, with stone terraces in the Pennine fringes around Oldham and Saddleworth. South Manchester has Edwardian semis and villas, Wythenshawe was built as a large interwar garden suburb, and city-centre apartments and new estates continue to grow.
Two-up two-down terraces commonly suit loft conversions, kitchen extensions and kitchen refits. Many need repointing and roof work, while semis in the suburbs often take side extensions, driveways and replacement windows.
So when we survey a Salford property for plastering and skimming, the first step is working out how it was built and what has been changed since.
Permissions for plastering and skimming in Salford
For anyone in Salford, the relevant framework is England's. The summary below is general, so we always contact the council about your address before putting a price in writing.
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.
How does the job run?
We look at the job
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Quote in writing
Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.
Getting ready
Preparation matters as much as the build. We agree access, parking and working hours with you, order materials in good time, and confirm any permissions so the job isn't held up once it starts.
On site to finish
Work goes ahead as scheduled and you deal with one contact throughout. When the last trade leaves, we clear and clean the site, talk you through what has been done and pass on any certificates and care instructions.
Why homeowners choose us
Questions about plastering and skimming in Salford
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.
Which postcodes in Salford do you cover?
We cover M2, M3, M5 and M6, along with the rest of Greater Manchester. If your postcode is not listed, get in touch anyway: our coverage is UK-wide, and we can usually arrange a survey wherever you live. Enter your postcode in the guide-price tool or contact form and we will confirm.
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.
How much does it cost to plaster a room?
Skimming the walls and ceiling of a typical double bedroom costs £500–£1,500, 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.
Should older houses be plastered with lime?
Older homes with solid walls and no damp-proof course are often better with lime plaster, because it lets moisture move through the wall and evaporate. Modern gypsum plaster can trap moisture in these walls, which can cause damp patches and blown plaster. Lime takes longer to apply and dry, so it costs more. We check your wall construction before recommending a material.
Nearby towns
We survey and quote throughout Salford's M2, M3, M5 and M6 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Eccles, Old Trafford and Manchester. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.