Hi

We are wanting a room in the house re-skimmed. I am debating between doing a 2 day skimming course for £200, or getting a plasterer in to do it for us.

I am not sure what the price of a plasterer would be. The room 4m length, 3m wide and 2.5m high. There is 2 full walls, 1 window wall, 1 door wall and the ceiling. I dont want to get any quotes and waste the professionals time unless I know I will be using one.

I was hoping someone on here is either a plasterer or has had a quotation for similar sized room that they could give me an approx idea on cost to help me make up my mind.

Thanks in advance for your help

In SE England, you are looking at five bags of plaster and a total of two days to do it including tidying up and cleaning the room afterwards. I would charge £ 300-£400 depending on who and where. If money were tight, then a quicker job leaving more for the decorator would cost £ 200-£250 and some people are happy with that finish.

Are the wall bare and ready to sklm? If they are £400 is about right for a decent spread. If walls are papered then a lot more to strip and prep.

Get a plasterer in. By the time you've done the 2 day course, spent money on tools, materials, then spent a week plastering the room but still not getting a pro finish so spend another few days filling the walls... The plasterer works out cheaper!

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Professional Kitchen & Bathroom Fitters | Master Painters and Decorators | Brighton & Hove

2 days at £130 a day. Plus materials.

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Thanks for all your replies. The Walls will be stripped. The idea is that once I have done the course I can do other rooms as and when we decorate them. The bathroom is next on the list which is tiled all over and has ceiling tiles on the ceiling. All tiles will be coming off so that will need replastering too.

If I do the course I will be able to do this myself too. I think I will do the course. The next question is which course shall I do????

The skimming course is 2 days of mixing and skimming to get plenty of practice. There is also a 4 days course for extra £150 which covers all aspects of plastering from scratch which includes skimming but not as much time spent on skimming as the other course.

Which course do you think would be best for the projects I have mentioned in your opinion??????

Thanks again

If plastering were that easy, everyone on the decorating forum would have done a two day course and offered both plastering and decorating.

The reason plastering is very hard to pick up is that, unlike most tasks, once you have started plastering a wall, it has to be finished in a couple of hours. This is because of the material involved. It goes hard at its own pace and whilst it can be softened temporarily with water, the larger the surface, the quicker you have to work. With carpentry or tiling, for example, you can just take your time to improve results. This isn't possible with Skimming walls.

If you want to learn to skim a wall, I would employ a plasterer and reduce the cost by labouring for him (never met a female plasterer.) You will pick up far more than a course and you won't end up belt sanding the walls and ceilings. I have had to suggest this when brought in to rescue DIY jobs.

If you want to start and moneys tight, get a dvd or several, either from the library or download one and watch them intently.

If after watching them you think you still want to have a go. Then you are going to need to source the tools required for the job.
Your going to be talking buckets, some mixing tools, trowels, floats, some sort of step up for the ceiling, brushes, sponges to name a few. (probably could get all this for under £50).

Then you will be ready to tackle the ceiling as that would be the first thing that would be done.

If after you have done the ceiling, as this will be your first days work, its not going well or you hate it. You are only £50 down plus materials which can still be used by someone else. Then you haven't wasted £200, you have had a go and you may even enjoy it.

Or alternatively look for a local training centre where you might find some young trainee dying to have a go for a lot cheaper. Remember though, they are only training so finish might not be fantastic but you are helping out their career.

Hi,
I'm in the DIY camp but would recommend a small room first spending time on surface prep. Your trowel is your best friend so don't skimp! You'll need to spend £40 on a decent 12" trowel otherwise you'll leave an etch a sketch of trowel marks when knocking back and polishing. Good luck

if you have never skimmed before, and are thinking of doing a 2 day course and then tackling a ceiling, it will end in tears and anger.i've been there, never again

We got a quote for £170 to do the whole room so we have decided best that the experts do it at that price. Getting done tomorrow. Any tips on how to prepare the walls for painting and how soon we can paint?

Sounds cheap, you sure they're experts?

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Professional Kitchen & Bathroom Fitters | Master Painters and Decorators | Brighton & Hove

Go and buy some easifill some p120 sandpaper and a sanding block as well as some contract matt emulsion (white usually.)

he has been a plasterer for 7 years and does work for the council so assume he is an expert.

plastering done. It looks really good. Very smooth and neat.