How Much Does Plastering Cost in 2026?

Plastering is one of those jobs that seems straightforward until you try it yourself. A skilled plasterer can transform a rough, damaged wall into a perfectly smooth surface in a matter of hours — but achieving that finish requires years of practice. Whether you are renovating a period property, finishing a new extension, or simply refreshing tired walls, understanding plastering costs helps you budget accurately and evaluate quotes.

This guide breaks down the real costs of plastering in the UK in 2026, covering per square metre rates, room-by-room pricing, ceiling costs, and the differences between skimming and full re-plastering. Whether you are a homeowner planning the work or a plasterer pricing up a job, these figures reflect current market rates across the country.

Plastering Cost Summary

Here is a quick overview of plastering costs in 2026. All prices include materials, labour, and basic preparation. They do not include decorating (painting or wallpapering) after the plaster has dried.

Type of Work	Cost per m²	Typical Room Cost
Skim coat (walls only)	£15 – £25	£350 – £600
Full re-plaster (walls only)	£25 – £40	£600 – £1,000
Ceiling skim	£18 – £30	£200 – £450
Ceiling full re-plaster	£30 – £45	£350 – £650
Plasterboarding + skim	£25 – £40	£600 – £1,000

A "typical room" in the table above refers to a medium-sized room of approximately 3.5 metres by 4 metres with a 2.4 metre ceiling height — roughly 24 square metres of wall area. Your actual costs will depend on the specific room dimensions and condition of the existing surfaces.

Skimming vs Full Re-Plaster: What Is the Difference?

Skimming: £15 – £25 per m²

Skimming involves applying a thin coat (2 to 3 millimetres) of finishing plaster over an existing sound surface. The surface could be existing plaster that is sound but cosmetically poor, new plasterboard, or a base coat of bonding or browning plaster. Skimming is the cheaper and quicker option, but it only works if the existing surface is structurally sound and reasonably flat.

A plasterer can typically skim a medium-sized room (walls only) in half a day. Two rooms can often be completed in a single day. A whole house skim (all walls and ceilings in a 3-bed house) typically costs £2,500 to £4,500 and takes 3 to 5 days.

Full Re-Plaster: £25 – £40 per m²

A full re-plaster involves stripping all existing plaster back to the bare brick or blockwork, then applying a base coat (bonding plaster on smooth surfaces, or browning plaster on brick) at 8 to 12 millimetres thick, followed by a finishing skim coat. This is a more time-consuming and expensive process, but it is necessary when the existing plaster is blown (detached from the wall), cracked, damp-damaged, or in generally poor condition.

A full re-plaster of a medium-sized room (walls only) typically takes a full day. The base coat needs to be left to set (usually overnight) before the skim coat is applied, so the plasterer will often move between rooms or return the following day. A whole house full re-plaster (3-bed house) typically costs £5,000 to £8,000 and takes 7 to 10 days.

Room-by-Room Plastering Costs

Here is a breakdown of plastering costs for each room in a typical 3-bed semi-detached house. These prices are for a skim coat over sound existing plaster. For a full re-plaster, add approximately 50 to 70 percent to these figures.

Room	Walls Skim	Ceiling Skim	Both
Small bedroom (3m × 3m)	£250 – £450	£150 – £250	£400 – £650
Medium bedroom (3.5m × 4m)	£350 – £600	£200 – £350	£500 – £850
Large bedroom / lounge (4m × 5m)	£450 – £700	£250 – £450	£650 – £1,050
Kitchen (3m × 3.5m)	£200 – £400	£150 – £250	£350 – £600
Bathroom (2m × 2.5m)	£150 – £300	£100 – £200	£250 – £450
Hallway and stairs	£400 – £700	£200 – £400	£550 – £1,000

Kitchen and bathroom costs are typically slightly lower per room because fitted units, tiles, and sanitary ware reduce the wall area that needs plastering. However, access is often more awkward in these rooms, which can offset the saving on smaller areas.

Ceiling Plastering Costs

Ceiling plastering costs more per square metre than wall plastering because the work is more physically demanding and requires working overhead on a platform or stilts. Ceiling work also produces more mess, and there is a greater risk of plaster falling during application, which means more waste and slower progress.

Ceiling skim: £18 to £30 per square metre. A typical bedroom ceiling (12 to 14 square metres) costs £200 to £400 to skim.

Ceiling full re-plaster: £30 to £45 per square metre. This involves removing the existing ceiling plaster (or artex coating) and applying a new base coat and skim. A typical bedroom ceiling costs £350 to £650 for a full re-plaster.

Artex removal and re-plaster: If the ceiling has an artex (textured) coating, this needs to be removed before plastering. Artex can be skimmed over in some cases, but if the artex coating contains asbestos (common in properties built before 2000), it must be tested first. Asbestos artex removal requires specialist handling and can add £300 to £800 per room to the cost. A simple artex removal (non-asbestos) by steaming and scraping adds £100 to £300 per ceiling.

Plasterboarding Costs

Plasterboarding involves fixing sheets of plasterboard to walls or ceilings before applying a skim coat. This is common in new builds, extensions, loft conversions, and renovations where the existing walls are being replaced with a stud wall construction.

Plasterboarding only (no skim): £12 to £20 per square metre, or £8 to £15 per sheet (a standard sheet is 2.4m by 1.2m, covering 2.88 square metres).

Plasterboarding and skim: £25 to £40 per square metre. This is the combined cost of fixing the plasterboard and applying a two-coat skim finish.

Plasterboard is available in several types, including standard (for general use), moisture-resistant (for kitchens and bathrooms), fire-resistant (for fire compartmentation), and acoustic (for sound insulation). Specialist plasterboard costs more — moisture-resistant board is approximately 30 to 50 percent more expensive than standard board.

What Affects the Cost of Plastering?

Condition of existing surfaces. If the existing plaster is sound, a skim coat is sufficient. If the plaster is blown, cracked, or damp-damaged, it needs to be stripped and replaced with a full re-plaster — roughly doubling the cost. If the walls are bare brick (such as in a new extension or after a full strip-out), the plasterer will need to apply PVA or a bonding agent before the base coat, which adds time and material cost.

Room height. Standard ceiling height in UK houses is 2.4 metres. Older properties, particularly Victorian and Edwardian houses, can have ceiling heights of 2.7 to 3.5 metres. Taller walls mean more plaster, more time, and the need for proper scaffolding or tower platforms rather than simple hop-ups.

Access. Stairways, hallways, and landings are among the most expensive areas to plaster because the access is awkward and the plasterer needs to set up platforms at different heights to reach all areas. A stairwell in a 3-storey house can be particularly challenging and expensive.

Preparation work. If the plasterer needs to hack off old plaster, remove artex, apply bonding agent, or fix plasterboard before skimming, these preparation tasks add to the overall cost. A room that is ready for skimming (sound surface, cleared of furniture) is the cheapest to plaster.

Location. Plasterers in London and the South East charge £200 to £350 per day, while those in the Midlands, North, and Scotland charge £150 to £250 per day. These day rates translate directly into the per-room and per-square-metre costs. Our day rate calculator can help you benchmark rates for your area.

Quantity. Plastering a whole house is cheaper per room than plastering a single room because the plasterer can work more efficiently, reduce setup time, and buy materials in bulk. Many plasterers offer a discount of 10 to 15 percent for whole-house jobs.

How Long Does Plastering Take?

A good plasterer works quickly — the plaster starts to set within 20 to 30 minutes of mixing, so there is a limited window to apply, flatten, and finish each section. Here is a rough guide to how long different plastering jobs take.

Skim one room (walls): Half a day to a full day.
Skim one room (walls and ceiling): A full day.
Full re-plaster one room (walls): 1 to 2 days (base coat day one, skim day two).
Whole house skim (3-bed): 3 to 5 days.
Whole house full re-plaster (3-bed): 7 to 10 days.

Plaster Drying Times

New plaster must dry thoroughly before you can paint or wallpaper over it. The drying time depends on the room temperature, humidity, ventilation, and thickness of the plaster.

Surface dry (to the touch): 2 to 4 days. The plaster will change from a dark pink or brown to a light, uniform pale pink or white colour as it dries.

Ready for mist coat: 5 to 7 days minimum. A mist coat is the first coat of paint applied to new plaster — it is a mixture of emulsion paint diluted with water (typically 70 percent paint, 30 percent water). This allows the paint to soak into the plaster and create a bond for subsequent coats. Do not use vinyl silk or any paint that forms an impermeable film as the mist coat — it will peel.

Fully dry: 2 to 4 weeks for a skim coat, 4 to 6 weeks for a full re-plaster. At this point you can apply full-strength paint, wallpaper, or tiles.

Important: Do not use heaters, fan heaters, or dehumidifiers to speed up drying. Artificial heat causes the plaster to dry too quickly on the surface while remaining wet underneath, which leads to cracking and poor adhesion. Good ventilation (open windows, natural air circulation) is the best approach.

DIY vs Professional Plastering

Plastering is one of the hardest trade skills to master. While many DIY jobs are achievable with patience and a YouTube tutorial, plastering is genuinely difficult to do well. Here is an honest assessment of what you can and cannot do yourself.

DIY-friendly:

• Small patch repairs (filling holes and cracks with filler, then sanding smooth)
• Plasterboarding a simple stud wall or ceiling (the boarding itself, not the skim)
• Applying render to a small external wall area

Best left to a professional:

• Skimming entire walls or ceilings — the technique of spreading, flattening, and polishing the plaster requires significant practice
• Full re-plastering — mixing and applying base coats to the correct thickness and flatness is skilled work
• Ceiling plastering — working overhead with setting plaster is exhausting and extremely messy without experience
• Cornicing and decorative plasterwork — specialist skills that take years to develop

The cost of fixing a bad plastering job is often more than the cost of having it done professionally in the first place. A plasterer may need to scrape off your DIY skim, re-prepare the surface, and start again. If in doubt, get a professional quote — you may find it is more affordable than you expect.

How to Find a Good Plasterer

Ask for recommendations. Word of mouth is still the most reliable way to find a good plasterer. Ask friends, family, neighbours, and other tradespeople (builders, electricians, plumbers) who they use. A good plasterer is always busy, so expect a waiting time of 2 to 6 weeks for quality work.

Check their previous work. A confident plasterer will be happy to show you photos of recent jobs or put you in touch with previous customers. Look at the quality of the finish — it should be uniformly smooth, flat, and free from ridges, trowel marks, or uneven patches.

Get detailed quotes. A good quote should specify the preparation work included, the type of plaster being used, the area being plastered (in square metres), whether ceilings are included, and whether the price includes materials. Use our quote calculator to estimate what you should expect to pay.

Agree on preparation and making good. Clarify who is responsible for moving furniture, protecting floors and carpets, and cleaning up after the work is finished. Most plasterers expect the rooms to be cleared before they arrive and will cover the floors with dust sheets, but they will not move heavy furniture.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does plastering cost per m² in the UK in 2026?

Plastering costs in the UK in 2026 range from £15 to £25 per square metre for a skim coat over existing plaster, and £25 to £40 per square metre for a full re-plaster including removing old plaster and applying a base coat and skim coat. Ceiling plastering costs slightly more at £18 to £30 per square metre for skimming and £30 to £45 per square metre for a full re-plaster.

How long does plastering take to dry?

Fresh plaster takes approximately 2 to 4 days to dry to the touch, but you should allow at least 1 week before applying a mist coat of watered-down emulsion, and 2 to 4 weeks before applying full-strength paint or wallpaper. In cold or humid conditions, drying can take significantly longer. Do not use heaters or dehumidifiers to accelerate drying as this can cause the plaster to crack.

What is the difference between skimming and re-plastering?

Skimming is applying a thin 2 to 3 millimetre coat of finishing plaster over an existing sound surface such as old plaster, plasterboard, or a bonding coat. Re-plastering involves removing all existing plaster back to the bare brick or blockwork, then applying a full base coat (bonding or browning plaster at 8 to 12 millimetres thick) followed by a finishing skim coat. Skimming is quicker and cheaper but only works if the existing surface is in good condition.

Can I plaster a room myself?

While DIY plastering is possible, it is one of the hardest trades to do well. Achieving a smooth, flat finish requires significant skill and practice. Skimming a small area such as a patch repair is achievable for a competent DIYer, but skimming an entire room to a professional standard is extremely difficult. A poor plastering job will show through every coat of paint and can cost more to fix than having it done professionally in the first place.