Plastering is a very skilled job and plasterers are quite often in high demand, so be prepared to wait if you want a professional job doing.
When considering plastering costs for a room there are a number of things you should bear in mind including what type of plastering you want, what materials are used and how large the area is you want plastering.
The cost of plastering a room varies and plasterers may charge by the hour or by the day, or may even provide you with a price for the job overall, regardless of how long the work takes. This is known as 'price work', rather than 'day rate' or 'hourly rate' plastering work.
If possible it is always advisable to agree a set price for the whole job before starting any plastering work.
That way, you can avoid unexpected costs at the end.
Bear in mind however, that if the plasterer agrees a set price with you, which you agree to, then if they are fast and efficient, whilst carrying out a good job, and finish ahead of time, the work is still based on a fixed price rather than a day or hourly rate.
It's probably considered unreasonable to then expect the contractor to reduce their price because they finished the work quicker than you had expected.
The size of the room will be reflected in the price you pay for plastering of course, because this is highly likely something the contractor considered when they calculated their estimate and submitted a price for the project.
For a small 7ft square room with a door and a window, you are probably looking at a day’s work.
This will include boxing in any pipes, plaster boarding any skirting board areas and filling in holes in the wall.
Bear in mind, however, if the walls are very uneven or the property is older there's likely much more preparation work involved than if the job is a simple skimming over even walls in a new property, or a dry-lining and skimming job.
Day rates typically start from £130 and can go up to £250 depending on the complexity of the job and the skills of the plasterer, the materials required and the geographical location of the work.
For example, prices in London will undoubtedly be much higher than other areas of the country.
Likewise, you may pay a premium if you live in a more remote area where contractors may have considerable additional travelling costs, or may even have to find overnight accommodation whilst undertaking your work.
Specialist plastering work, of course, will cost more than basic skimming or dry lining.
If you are having plaster removed before re0plastering this will also add additional costs.
More so if you are removing artex from your home, which can be a particularly cumbersome and laborious job in itself.
If your job is large then it might be that you have to pay for a labourer to get the job done in the time required in addition.
Labourers can cost from £100-£1150 a day.
Hourly plasterers costs start from around £30 but again be careful not to leave your payment agreement open as costs can soar if you're not careful.
You should always ensure that you have a firm quote price for work of this nature whenever possible.
Different types of plastering prices
You can choose between wet plastering and dry lining to get your walls plastered.
Home renovators can be put off by the cost of wet plastering but some don’t mind paying the extra cost because it is more solid and robust.
If you were to plaster the average house it would cost approximately £2500 using wet plastering.
Dry lining has become an easier alternative to wet plastering.
This is when large plaster boards are screwed or nailed into place to cover the surface.
Other names for this are dry-lining or 'dot and dab' plastering.
You can purchase standard sized boards for around £6.
Whether you opt for dry lining or wet plastering you will still have to pay for a final coat of plaster called a plaster skim, to finish the job off.
There is still skill involved in plaster skimming with both laying plaster and polishing being part of that process.
Saving on plastering costs
If you want to reduce the cost of plastering a room, you can have a go yourself but it is not recommended if you do not have any skills or experience in plastering.
Plastering training is available from around £230 from a number of trade bodies including the FPDC ( Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors).
The costs of plastering a room may seem high but remember not to cut too many corners on any DIY project.
You will only find there may be costs involved in reworking the project over time, or even sooner than you anticipated.
It is possible to reduce costs carefully by helping the plasterer cut up the boards or consider using a sand and cement screed to save cash.
Plastering costs might vary wildly from one quote to the next so as is the case with all quotes on home improvement, homeowners looking for plasterers to carry out plastering work for them should always get three quotes so that they can compare each to the other.
Cost of A Plasterer (Labour or Service)
The different types of quotes you will receive will vary according to whether the plasterers giving quotes are sole traders, partnerships or fully fledged plastering companies.
Dealing with Sole Trader Plasterers
Normally you will find that quotes from sole trader plasterers are cheaper than quotes from other types of organisations of plasterers.
The obvious reason is that sole trader plasterers have fewer costs and therefore tend to just be working for wages rather than to finance larger businesses.
Sole trader plasterers will generally charge anything from £100 per day to £150 per day but of course there might be a difference depending on how much work the plasterer has on and whether they really want your plastering job.
You will probably find that sole trader plasterers give cheaper plastering quotes in the early part of the year when traditionally the building construction industry is very quiet.
As with all trades it is a good idea to look at getting work done on your home in January or February as any tradesman will tell you that work is scarcer at this time.
From March / April onwards things tend to pick up and you might find that quote received will also shoot up in price from then onwards.
If you do not want your work done until March / April consider getting quotes in January or February in writing and ask the plasterer to commit in writing to certain dates.
However, plasterers can still let you down if they get a better offer come Spring.
As with all business transactions, building and construction work is no different. Prices tend to be driven by supply and demand.
Something else to consider when dealing with sole traders plasterers - make sure that you have full details of their business address and do some checks on them to make sure that if they do something wrong on your job they are a credible enough business to give you a refund.
If they have no credit worth whatsoever and you take them through the legal system small claims court to recover your money you will probably not get anything back as they may not care about the detrimental credit issues involved.
Please also take note that these comments are in no way meant detrimentally against any particular type of organisation.
There are some very good, excellent even, sole trader plasterers and plastering companies but it is worth bearing these issues in mind when deciding which quote to accept from plasterers.
Sole traders will generally be cheaper but there may be more risk involved.
Dealing with Plasterers Who Work Together Or In Gangs
If you have a large plastering job you might consider getting quotes from plasterers who work together or in plastering gangs (i.e. a few of them working quickly together, normally with a plastering labourer who mixes the plaster for them so that they are not stopping and starting).
You might pay more for plastering in this way because two people are not necessarily faster than one person working twice as long.
However, it could take a long time for someone working on their own to get through a large plastering job and as plastering tends to be one of the more messy home improvement jobs you should consider whether you can endure lengthy plastering work which might be dusty and mucky.
Plastering gangs should be seriously considered when looking for quotes from plasterers, particularly if the job is large.
Getting Quotes From Plastering Companies
If you have a plasterers job which is large it makes sense to bring in more than one plasterer but look at the organisation structure of the plasterers giving quotes.
Companies tend to have more mouths to feed and will probably charge significantly more than your one man band.
However, companies tend to be less risky if you are not happy with your plastering job (current economic climate excepted).
If they are a limited company remember that if they go bust you might not get your money back if you are dissatisfied.
Getting Quotes From Companies Who Subcontract Work To Plasterers
There are many companies and sole traders who subcontract their work out to other contractors.
This is perfectly legitimate in the construction industry but you should bear in mind that you are paying more than you would be if you went directly to the sole trader who is the plastering subcontractor.
