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.
If you have plastering and skimming on your list for a property in Welling, we can help from the first measurements to the final clean-up. For a typical home, plan for 1–3 days per room, plus drying time, though larger or more complex jobs take longer. We cover postcodes DA6, DA7, DA15 and DA16 and nearby Bexley, Eltham and Thamesmead, and every quote we send is fixed for the scope described in it.
- Guide price
- £700–£2,100 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–3 days per room, plus drying time
- Postcodes
- DA6, DA7, DA15, DA16 and SE2
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Greater London
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for plastering and skimming in Welling?
Use the table to gauge the cost of plastering and skimming in Welling before we visit. Figures include VAT and are scaled for London, coming out about 30% above the national guide, which gives £700–£2,100 overall. After a free survey, you receive a fixed written price.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Welling |
|---|---|---|
| Patch repairs or one wall | Repairing cracks, filling cable channels after a rewire or skimming a single wall. | £200–£650 |
| One room, walls and ceiling | Skimming or boarding and skimming the walls and ceiling of a typical room. | £700–£2,100 |
| Whole house | Skimming or re-plastering most rooms in a typical 3-bed house during a renovation. | £6,500–£15,500 |
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 do you get?
- Survey of walls and ceilings, including tap-testing for hollow plaster
- 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 Welling?
London's housing is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often in yellow London stock brick, with Georgian terraces in central districts and mansion blocks across many inner areas. Outer boroughs have large belts of interwar semis, and there are extensive post-war council estates. Many houses have been split into flats, and conservation areas are widespread.
Terraces suit side-return extensions and rear dormer loft conversions; interwar semis commonly take hip-to-gable lofts. Shared party walls, restricted parking and conservation rules often shape the plans and the programme.
So when we survey a Welling property for plastering and skimming, the first step is working out how it was built and what has been changed since.
Do you need permission in Welling?
For anyone in Welling, 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.
From survey to handover
Survey and measure
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price plastering and skimming properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Quote in writing
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.
Dates and permissions
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
On site to finish
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.
How we work
Plastering and skimming in Welling: questions
Which postcodes in Welling do you cover?
We cover DA6, DA7, DA15 and DA16, along with the rest of London. 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.
Do you cover Bexley, Eltham and Thamesmead?
Yes. As well as Welling, we cover Bexley, Eltham and Thamesmead and the rest of London. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
What is the difference between skimming and re-plastering?
Skimming applies a thin finishing coat, a few millimetres thick, over plaster or plasterboard that is still sound. Re-plastering removes the old plaster back to the brick or block and applies new base and finishing coats. Skimming is quicker and cheaper, but if the existing plaster is loose, hollow or crumbling, a skim will not hold. We tap-test walls to decide which is needed.
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 long does new plaster take to dry?
A skim coat usually dries in a few days in a warm, well-ventilated room, while a full re-plaster can take one to four weeks depending on its thickness and the weather. Plaster turns from dark brown to an even light pink when dry. Keep windows open where possible, but avoid blasting heaters, which can cause cracking. We advise on drying before you decorate.
Nearby towns
We survey and quote throughout Welling's DA6, DA7, DA15 and DA16 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Bexley, Eltham and Thamesmead. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.