We can fit plaster board to ceilings and walls and have carried out many installations for our customers over the years. We use plaster board to straighten out and level surfaces prior to skimming. A combination of screws and dry wall adhesive are used for fixing the board. Joints between the boards are then caulked and scrim taped for skimming.

There is a great deal involved in preparing a room for skimming. Plastering is notoriously messy so we take care to minimise its impact on your home. We carefully sheet up doors and windows using Temporary Protective Sheeting.

Any power sockets, switches, roses and downlighters are removed and re-fitted after completion. This is all included in our price. We offer a radiator removal and refitting service as a much better finish is achieved. This also prompts many of our customers to upgrade their radiator.

We protect the floor using Proplex floor protector which is temporarily fixed to the floor. The protector we use is expensive but it has served to protect the floors of many of our customers over the years.

Window, door reveals and edges are trimmed with thin edge bead which provides a sharp definition to the edges in the room. The final part is to give the surfaces to be plastered 2 or 3 good coats of PVA. We use good quality PVA which has proved to be effective in providing a tight bond between plaster and the surface.

This is the final stage.

We use British Gypsum Thistle Multi-Finish plaster as it gives the best and longest lasting finish.

The plaster is mixed with fresh water using a mechanical whisk – we use a lot of water! We then wet down our tools, load up and spread the plaster to a uniform depth. Once applied to the surfaces we clean up with water.

After a few minutes we brush out the edges and smooth the plaster down.

It’s then time for the second and final coat. After half an hour we use a special trowel called a finishing trowel. This gives a silky smooth surface which is left to set and dry.

The plaster normally takes a week to a week and a half to dry out. We recommend leaving this for a further 10 to 14 days prior to decorating.

We always warn against customers using dehumidifiers to speed up the drying process as this causes the plaster to lose water too quickly and crack.

Once finished we remove all of the sheeting and bag this up for disposal. The surfaces are then wiped down and the room thoroughly vacuumed.

All plug sockets, lights and radiators are replaced.

All of the rubbish bagged up is removed from site.