At a glance
- Damage in one place on an otherwise sound wall: a patch repair will usually do.
- Several patches or cracks across the wall: a full re-skim costs little more and looks far better.
- Sagging or loose lath and plaster: it needs boarding out, or securing and overboarding.
Most of the repair calls we take start the same way: a crack has appeared, a patch has gone hollow, or the wallpaper has come off and taken half the wall with it. The question is always whether to patch it or re-skim the lot. Here is how we work it out.
When a patch repair will do
If the damage is in one place and the rest of the wall is sound, a patch is usually the right fix. Typical small jobs include:
- a single crack or a hole left by an old fixing
- socket chases after an electrician has been in
- doorway infills where a door has been blocked up
Good to know: there is a minimum half-day charge, so small jobs are often best grouped together. Three bedrooms with a patch each is a better use of a visit than one patch on its own.
When a full re-skim is the better spend
Where there are several patches, cracks running across the wall or an old repair that has started to show, a full re-skim usually costs little more and gives a far better finish. Patching around patches never quite sits flat, and it shows once the light hits the wall.
What happens to blown plaster
Blown plaster has come away from the wall behind it. Tap it and it sounds hollow. We find out why it failed first, then cut it back to a firm edge, build out the gaps with backing plaster and re-skim the whole wall or ceiling so the old and new surfaces read as one.
When the wall needs boarding out
Sometimes the plaster is not the problem — what is behind it is. Old lath and plaster that is sagging, badly cracked or coming away needs replacing with new plasterboard and a skim. If it is mostly sound, it can often be secured and overboarded instead, which is quicker and less messy. If a wall genuinely needs boarding out, we will explain why before you commit to anything.
Guide prices
As a guide, a standard bedroom ceiling skim starts around £200 and a small bedroom skimmed throughout around £450. Every job is different, so we always confirm the price in writing first, and the quote says whether we are patching or re-skimming, and why.
Get a straight answer
We can usually tell you on the phone whether your job needs patching, a full re-skim or boarding out first. See our re-skimming and plaster repairs and ceiling repairs pages for more on how we work, or get in touch for a free written quote.
