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Interior finishes

Plastering and skimming that leaves a wall you can light from the side.

Multi-finish skim over new board or sound existing walls, bonding and hardwall coats on blockwork, and patch repairs that do not telegraph through the paint. Plastering is the core of the company's building work.

An open-plan living and dining space with a plastered arch, a coved ceiling with a warm light line and a marble floor
Interior finishes
2–3 mmMulti-finish skim thickness
12.5 + 3 mmBoard and skim on dot-and-dab
4 weeksTypical drying before full emulsion
Multi-finishStandard plaster specified

Substrate first, always

A skim is only as good as what is under it. Old gypsum that has blown, high-suction brickwork, a wall that has been painted with something non-porous — each needs a different answer, and getting it wrong shows up as crazing, delamination or a finish that drinks three coats of paint.

So the first thing we do is test the wall. Suction gets controlled with the right primer or bonding agent rather than a splash of watered PVA on everything. Blown areas come off rather than get skimmed over. Mixed substrates get scrimmed or boarded so the joint does not crack in a year.

Ceilings and difficult rooms

Ceilings are the part most people want done and most trades want to avoid. We skim them, overboard them when the existing lath or plaster is past saving, and work around existing light fittings, loft hatches and downlights rather than asking you to strip the room first.

Where the house is lived in, floors are protected and doorways sealed so the dust stays in the room being worked on.

Section through blockwork, adhesive dabs, plasterboard and a multi-finish skim
Section drawing — not a photograph of a real installation
Scope

What this covers

  • Multi-finish skim over existing plaster, board or render
  • Skimming new plasterboard — walls and ceilings
  • Bonding and hardwall base coats on blockwork and brick
  • Dot-and-dab plasterboarding and overboarding
  • Patch repairs, blown-plaster removal and making good
  • Angle beads, stop beads, reveals and window returns
  • Scrim and reinforcement at substrate changes
  • Float-and-set work where a thicker build-up is needed
Questions

Common questions about plastering.

How long does new plaster take to dry?

A thin skim often dries within a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on thickness, heating and ventilation; thicker base coats take longer. Wait until the plaster is an even pale colour all over before decorating, and ask us about the room in question.

Can you skim over painted walls or wallpaper?

Wallpaper needs to come off first. A sound, matt painted wall can often be skimmed once a bonding agent has gone on; flaking or glossy paint has to be dealt with before anything else.

What should I do before the plasterer arrives?

Clear as much of the room as you can, take down wallpaper and fittings, fix any leaks or damp, and make sure there is water and power on site. Anything that has to stay gets sheeted and protected.

Related

Often needed alongside this.

External finishes

Rendering

Thin-coat silicone, monocouche and traditional sand-and-cement render, applied over sound substrates and detailed at every opening.

View service →Building fabric

Retrofit Works

Surveys, measure-by-measure costings and the works themselves, sequenced so fabric, ventilation and services do not fight each other.

View service →Interior finishes

Painting

Mist coats on new plaster, full redecoration of rooms, and exterior masonry and joinery paint systems.

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Next step

Get this priced.

Email contact@retrofitclicks.com with the address and a short description, or use the enquiry form. Building work is surveyed before it is quoted.

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