Cost guides
How much does it cost to plaster or skim a room?
Plastering costs in London for 2026: skimming a room, plastering a ceiling, boarding and patch repairs, plus how long each job takes and what affects the price.
10 October 2026 · 3 min read · By Harry
Plastering prices vary more than most trades, because the same room can need a quick skim or a full strip and re-plaster. Here is what to expect in London in 2026, and how to tell which job you need.
How much does it cost to plaster a room?
Typical London prices, including materials and making good:
| Job | Typical price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Skim walls, average bedroom | £650 – £1,000 | 1–2 days |
| Skim a ceiling, average room | £350 – £600 | 1 day |
| Skim walls and ceiling, average room | £900 – £1,500 | 2 days |
| Board and skim a ceiling | £600 – £1,100 | 1–2 days |
| Hack off and re-plaster, average room | £1,200 – £2,000 | 2–4 days |
| Patch repairs | from £150 | half a day |
Outside London, prices are usually 20 to 30 per cent lower. Plasterers' day rates in London are typically £220 to £300.
How much does it cost to skim a room?
Skimming is a thin finishing coat of plaster, about 2 to 3mm thick, over walls that are sound but rough, cracked or patched. It is the most common plastering job and the best value: a skim coat gives you a smooth, flat surface for paint without the cost of re-plastering. Expect £650 to £1,000 for the walls of an average bedroom, or £900 to £1,500 with the ceiling.
Skim or re-plaster?
Tap the wall. If it sounds solid, a skim is usually enough. If it sounds hollow, crumbles or has come away from the brickwork, the old plaster has "blown" and needs hacking off and re-plastering. In older houses with solid walls, repairs should usually be done in lime plaster, not gypsum, so the walls can breathe.
What affects the price?
- Condition of the walls. Cracks, blown patches and old wallpaper all add preparation time.
- Ceilings. They are harder work than walls, and old lath and plaster may need overboarding first.
- Textured ceilings. Artex ceilings need testing for asbestos before they are skimmed.
- Access. Stairwells and high ceilings need towers or platforms.
- Empty or lived-in. Furniture has to be moved and protected.
- Making good. Coving, sockets and skirting may need removing and refitting.
Don’t forget the decorating
New plaster needs to dry, then a mist coat, before the finish coats. If your plasterer and decorator are different firms, you pay for two visits and the gap between them. Because we plaster and decorate with one team, drying time and mist coats are planned into one programme and one price.
Get a free plastering quote, or see our guide to painter and decorator prices.
Questions
How much does it cost to plaster a room?
In London, skimming the walls of an average bedroom costs £650 to £1,000. Fully re-plastering the same room, including hacking off old plaster, costs £1,200 to £2,000.
How much does it cost to skim a room?
Skimming walls and ceiling in an average room costs about £900 to £1,500 in London, or £650 to £1,000 for the walls alone.
How long does it take to skim a room?
Most rooms take one to two days to skim, then four to seven days to dry before they can be painted.
Related services
Plastering and skimming
Skimming, re-plastering, patch repairs and ceiling repairs that give you smooth, sound surfaces ready for decorating.
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