How much does plastering cost in the UK? (2026)
Verified UK plastering costs in 2026 by job type (skim, full replaster, ceiling), per square metre and per room, plus plasterer day rates, regional variation, and the scope gaps that catch homeowners out.
Plastering in the UK in 2026 costs between roughly £100 for a patch repair and £1,150+ for a full replaster of a large room. The single biggest driver is whether the job is a thin skim over existing sound walls or a full strip-and-replaster back to brick. The figures below come from cross-referencing MyJobQuote and Checkatrade.
Quick answer
UK plastering cost 2026, per m²: skim £15–£25, full replaster £30–£40, over uneven or damaged walls £35–£55. By room (full replaster): small £450–£650, medium £600–£850, large £850–£1,150. Ceiling (wet plaster): small £240–£390, medium £320–£490, large £550–£750. Plasterer day rate: £180–£350+ depending on region.
How to read this guide#
Two kinds of figures appear below:
- Headline price ranges (per-m² rates, per-room and per-ceiling bands, day rates): cross-referenced against MyJobQuote's UK 2026 plastering and ceiling guides and Checkatrade's 2026 room-plastering guide. Sources are listed at the bottom.
- Practical guidance (skim vs replaster, drying times, regional variation, red flags): drawn from standard UK plastering practice. Useful for context but not cross-referenced figure-by-figure.
Headline ranges (verified)#
Per square metre#
| Job type | Range per m² |
|---|---|
| Skim coat over sound plasterboard | £15 – £25 |
| Full replaster (backing + skim) | £30 – £40 |
| Plastering over old or uneven walls | £35 – £55 |
| Specialist finishes (lime, polished, Venetian) | £60 – £120+ |
Per room (full replaster)#
| Room size | Range |
|---|---|
| Small (bedroom, bathroom) | £450 – £650 |
| Medium (double bedroom, kitchen) | £600 – £850 |
| Large (living room) | £850 – £1,150 |
Per ceiling (wet plaster)#
| Ceiling size | Range |
|---|---|
| Small | £240 – £390 |
| Medium | £320 – £490 |
| Large | £550 – £750 |
Plasterboarding a ceiling and skimming, rather than wet-plastering it, runs higher: roughly £460–£580 for a small ceiling, £680–£800 medium, £900–£1,050 large.
Smaller jobs#
| Job | Range |
|---|---|
| Patch repair | £100 – £300 |
| Single wall skim | £250 – £400 |
Day rates (labour only)#
| Region | Day rate |
|---|---|
| London and South-East | £250 – £350+ |
| Midlands | £200 – £275 |
| North of England | £180 – £250 |
Day rates cover 7–8 hours of labour. Materials are extra, typically adding 15–25% to the total bill.
Practical guidance (industry standard)#
Skim vs replaster: where the price comes from#
A skim is a thin finishing coat, 2–3mm, applied over existing sound plasterboard or solid plaster. It is the right answer when the underlying surface is flat, dry, and secure, and you just need a smooth finish for paint.
A full replaster strips back to brick or stud, applies a backing coat (browning, bonding, or hardwall depending on the substrate), and then skims over the top. It is the right answer when the existing plaster is blown, damp, cracked, or coming away from the wall, and when the substrate itself needs attention.
The mistake people make when comparing quotes is treating a skim quote and a replaster quote as the same job at two prices. They are different jobs. A £450 skim of a room with sound walls and a £950 replaster of the same room with failing plaster are both fair, for different scopes.
What the price should include#
A complete plastering quote should cover:
- Preparation: removing failing plaster, dust sheets, masking
- The agreed coat system (skim only, or backing plus skim)
- Beads and stops at corners and openings
- A clean finish ready for decoration
- Removal of plaster waste and skips where significant
It often does not cover:
- Painting and decoration after the plaster has dried
- Making good underlying damp or substrate issues found once old plaster is removed
- Moving and protecting furniture (you are usually expected to clear the room)
- Removal of artex or Polyfilla coatings that contain asbestos in pre-2000 properties (this triggers a separate asbestos survey)
- Replacement of damaged plasterboard rather than skimming over it
Why drying time matters in a quote#
Plaster cannot be rushed. A skim is touch-dry within hours but needs 5 to 7 days before the surface can take paint. A full backing-and-skim on a solid wall needs two to three weeks to dry through before decoration, sometimes longer in winter or in cold rooms.
A plasterer who promises a "finished and painted" room in three days on a replaster job has either skipped the backing coat, applied paint over wet plaster (it will peel within months), or is excluding the painting and trusting you not to notice. Check what the timeline covers.
Regional variation#
Plastering rates vary by region, mostly on the labour side (materials are nationally priced):
- Inner London: ~20–30% above national
- Outer London / South-East: ~10–20% above
- Midlands and East: close to national
- North of England, Wales: ~5–15% below
- Northern Ireland, rural Scotland: ~10–15% below
For a 3-bed full replaster running £3,500 nationally, this means £4,200–£4,550 in inner London and £3,000–£3,300 in the North.
Red flags in plastering quotes#
No mention of scope (skim or replaster). A quote that says "plaster the lounge" without specifying skim only, or backing plus skim, leaves the door open for either job to be billed. Ask for the coat system in writing.
No prep allowance. Removing failing plaster, sheeting the floor, and disposing of waste is real work. A quote with no line for it has either absorbed it (fine) or skipped it (you will be charged extra on the day).
Suspiciously short timeline. Two days to replaster a whole room including a ceiling, then painted on day three, is not physically possible. The plaster will not be dry.
Cash-only, no VAT. A plasterer turning over more than £90,000 a year must be VAT-registered. A larger job priced cash-only often signals either an undeclared trader or no insurance.
No protection of carpet, flooring, or sockets. Plaster splatter is inevitable. A quote that does not mention dust sheets or socket masking will leave you with a clean-up bill of its own.
Skimming over damp. New skim over a damp wall traps the moisture and the new finish blows within months. A fair quote inspects for damp first and quotes either remediation or a hold on the job.
Sequence of work on a typical replaster#
- Survey and quote. The plasterer inspects the existing surface and quotes against an agreed coat system.
- Clear and protect. Furniture out, floors sheeted, sockets and skirting masked.
- Strip out. Failing plaster removed, walls cleaned, any obvious substrate issues flagged.
- Backing coat. Applied to bare brick or stud, ruled flat, left to firm up.
- Skim coat. Two thin passes of finish plaster, polished smooth.
- Dry-out. The room is left undisturbed for 1–3 weeks depending on coat thickness and ventilation.
- Decoration. Mist coat of diluted emulsion, then full paint system (usually a separate decorator).
Steps 6 and 7 are where most disputes happen. The plasterer's job finishes at step 5 in most quotes. If you expect a painted room, the quote must say so, and the timeline must allow for proper drying first.
Comparing your quote#
The reliable way to know if a plastering quote is fair is to check each line against the ranges above: the coat system, the per-m² or per-room rate, the prep allowance, and the timeline. The easier way is to paste your quote into Check the Quote, which compares every line against current UK rates for your postcode, flags anything above the fair range, and tells you what is missing. Your first project is free. For related interior work, see the house rewire cost guide.
Got a quote you want checked?
Paste any UK contractor quote and Check the Quote compares every line item against current market rates, flags missing scope, and runs a Companies House check on the contractor. Free on your first project.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to plaster a room in the UK in 2026?
- A typical room replaster (strip back and full two-coat) costs £450–£650 for a small room, £600–£850 for a medium room, and £850–£1,150 for a large room in 2026, confirmed across MyJobQuote and Checkatrade. A skim coat over existing sound plasterboard is cheaper at roughly £15–£25 per m². London and the South-East run 20–30% above these national figures.
- What is the difference between skimming and replastering?
- Skimming is a thin finishing coat (2–3mm) applied over existing sound plasterboard or solid plaster to give a smooth ready-to-paint finish. Replastering means removing the old failing plaster, applying a backing coat (browning, bonding, or hardwall) to the bare wall, and then skimming on top. Replastering costs roughly twice as much per m² and takes longer to dry.
- How much is a plasterer per day in the UK?
- Plasterer day rates run £180–£250 in the North of England, £200–£275 in the Midlands, and £250–£350+ in London and the South-East in 2026. A day rate normally covers 7–8 hours of labour but excludes materials, which typically add 15–25% to the total.
- How long does plaster take to dry?
- Skim plaster is touch-dry in 3–6 hours but needs 5–7 days before it can be painted; backing coats need 2–3 weeks to dry fully on solid walls before decoration. Painting too early traps moisture and causes the paint to peel. A quote that promises a finished, painted room in under a week on a replaster job has either skipped a coat or set up a callback.
- Why is plastering a ceiling more expensive than a wall?
- Ceilings are physically harder to work on (overhead) and take longer because the plasterer needs more passes to keep the surface flat against gravity. A small ceiling in wet plaster costs roughly £240–£390 against £150–£250 for a small wall skim. Ceilings with artex coatings or sagging lath-and-plaster cost more again because they often need overboarding or full replacement.
- Do I need to move out for replastering?
- Not usually, but the room being plastered is unusable for several days. Plaster is wet, the air is humid, dust is heavy during prep, and the room cannot be heated aggressively without cracking the finish. Plan to keep furniture out and lights or radiators away from the fresh plaster for at least a week.
Last updated: 4 June 2026