Plastering Costs – How Much to Dryline & Plaster?
Total cost and price breakdown of plastering
Plasterwork is used to provide a smooth, flat surface to internal walls and ceilings. These smooth walls are suitable for decorating with paint or wall paper. Plaster also has the added advantage of offering sound and heat insulation, and it is fireproof as well.
There are two main methods of providing a plastered wall, either wet-plastering, or by using plasterboard (dry-lining).
Wet Plastering
Wet plastering is the traditional method for plastering, and make no mistake, it is a difficult technique to master. A professional plasterer may well cost what you think is a lot of money, however an amateur attempting to plaster will probably run into a lot of difficulty, especially when trying to achieve a smooth flat surface with no bulges or deviations. Normally at What Price? we are happy to suggest the ‘have a go’ approach to DIY home improvements, but think before starting on plastering, it may well be a step too far! However you may want to think about going on a 1 or 2 day plastering course, costing around £180 and £290 respectively.
The key to good plastering is to divide the wall into manageable areas and tackle them one section at a time. The area should be well prepared, making sure the area to be plastered is clean, and primed with the appropriate bonding agent if necessary.
To ensure that the plaster stays level use screeds. These are either wooded battens nailed to the wall, or for more advanced plasterers, bands of undercoat plaster applied to the required thickness. If you use wooden screeds then they should be removed after plastering
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Dry Lining
Dry lining is generally a lot easier than wet plastering and requires a less skill to get a good finish. Dry lining involves the application of large flat sheets of plasterboard which are fixed into place by a variety of methods including screwing, nailing or directly bonding (dot and dab) to the wall.
You can obtain plasterboard from any number of DIY stores. They are made with standard gypsum plaster sandwiched between paper liners, and the resulting board is very fragile. The board itself can easily be cut with a saw or sharp knife and so can be simply modelled into any difficult shape. A standard 1200x2400x9.5mm (or 12.5mm thick) square edged board costs roughly £12 or about £4.16 per m2.
In a bathroom as a surface to place tiles on you may want to go with a waterproof plasterboard, these cost more per unit area but are resistant to mold and mildew. This costs about £25 per board or £8.68 per m2.
Plaster Skimming
Both dry lining and wet plastering will usually be finished with a plaster skim. This is a final coat of plastering with a very smooth durable finish to it. In general a plaster skim will only be 2-3mm thick. Plaster skimming is again a difficult art to master. It involves two main steps. Firstly lay the plaster on as smooth and flat as possible and then leave to dry for 20-40mins. The second step is called polishing, this is where the plaster is sprayed or brushed with a light film of water and then polished down with a trowel or sponge to produce a smooth finish. The cost of materials only for a plaster skim are between £1.50 per m2.
Plastering Prices
Plastering jobs vary a great deal in complexity and so it is hard to describe set prices for specific jobs. Some plasterers charge a day rate and others will quote a set price for the job. As with most home improvement jobs you are safer to go for the set price for the entire job, to prevent any unexpected bills at the end. A typically daily rate for a plasterer varies from £250 – £400 depending on their skill level and the location in the country. A plasterer’s hourly rate (plus material costs) will be about £50 per hour (as of 2023) depending on where you are in the country.
User submitted plastering prices
Below are some of the prices we have received from WhatPrice users on plastering jobs completed or quoted, you can also try our plastering cost calculator for an indication of costs.
| Job type | Description | Price | Units | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastering only | Main bedroom and single bedroom. Main bedroom looks good, however single bedroom a mess requiring me to repaint the wall = I was not told that this would happen, so not happy. | £700 | Total price | South East |
| Drylining & plastering | kitchen ceiling four metres by three metres and eight spot light holes need to be filled in | £1400 | Total price | South East |
| Drylining & plastering | 1940 house. Bedroom with lath artex ceiling 3m by 3m. Plaster boarded, skimmed, light fitting changed. (Level so decided not to take old ceiling down – too dirty) | £530 | Total price | London |
| Plastering only | ten metres square skim | £266 | Total price | South East |
| Plastering only | Skim ceiling and walls in bathroom Pva walls then skim | £360 | Total price | Northern Ireland |
| Plastering only | 20 m2 lounge ceiling | £262 | Total price | South West |
| Plastering only | 1927 house. 14m2 bedroom plastered over old Artex finish. Curved edge ceiling plastered down to picture rails. Surface coated in Unibond before plastering. Nice finish. | £400 | Total price | South East |
| Plastering only | labour and materials to plaster the 12’×13′.8″ kitchen ceiling | £387 | Total price | North East |
| Drylining & plastering | Removal of artex and plastering/skimming ceiling (4 x 3m aprox) | £511 | Total price | London |
| Drylining & plastering | Pull down 8X2M ceiling damaged by water; re-board, 2 coat multifinish, pva joins | £620 | Total price | East of England |
| Drylining & plastering | batton a ceiling, insulate with 1 inch celotex, fix plaster board and skim, 2 ceiling lights | £760 | Total price | South West |
| Drylining & plastering | Removal of polystyrene tiles from 2 ceilings, overboard and skim. Overboard and skim, upstairs passageway and landing (small), dining room. Skim only lounge ceiling. Removal of cork tiles from walls (3) in large bathroom. Cash price | £1060 | Total price | East Midlands |
| Drylining & plastering | 44 m2 fireline plasterboard and skimmed | £735 | Total price | North West |
| Plastering only | i plastered one ceiling roughly 25m2 and got charged £470 | £470 | Total price | London |
| Drylining & plastering | Ceiling overboarded, skimed two coats, two coats of emulsion, no tea or biscuits! | £760 | Total price | North West |
| Drylining & plastering | 2 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, hall/landing, attic | £4600 | Total price | East Midlands |
| Drylining & plastering | Got an old hand and very experienced plasterer to part dry line room, i.e. external walls with thermal boards, using dot and dab method as walls were wonky. I drylined and prepped all internal walls. Put 2 layers of plaster to ceiling and walls. 6 days to do 2 rooms with high vaulted ceilings. | £1970 | Total price | West Midlands |
| Drylining & plastering | To remove existing ceiling, add insulation, replace with new plaster boards and skimm with multifinish plaster to cover an area of about 20 square metre. | £850 | Total price | London |
| Drylining & plastering | 3 bed semi rip off old plaster dry line all over board old ceilings and skim £4,330 including materials really good job polite and very tidy | £4330 | Total price | North West |
| Drylining & plastering | Kitchen 5mx5.5m. Had 2 guys , they took ceiling down, installed knauf suspended metal ceiling with insulation, plus vapour barrier , plasterboards, taping and jointing and mist coat on ceiling, 3 days £2000 inc materials | £850 | Total price | South East |
| Drylining & plastering | £1800 to dry line dot and dab all 4 walls .Tanking using hey’di k11 . Ceiling plaster boarded and skimmed. Skirting boards replaced. Room 11ft by 14ft. | £1800 | Total price | North East & Cumbria |
| Drylining & plastering | Had ceiling dry lined and skimmed then all walls skimmed as well. 6x6m room. | £550 | Total price | East Midlands |
Please also have a look at our new free plastering costs calculator
Get a Plastering Quote
Find Reviewed Plasterers Ready to Quote for Your Job
- Compare free no-obligation quotes from multiple trades!
- Save time & cut costs on your plastering job
- In association with Checkatrade
- Checkatrade Guarantee up to £1,000
FAQ
How much is a plasterer’s day rate?
Typically a plasterer’s day rate is around £250-£300, however if the project requires special skill such as period property detailing or lime plastering then expect to pay up to £400 per day.
How much does it cost to plaster a room?
Very broadly a typical medium sized 2.5m x 3.5m room would cost about £1,100 for it to be fully plaster boarded and skimmed.
How much to plaster a 3 bedroomed house?
A full plasterboard and skim including ripping out of original plaster for a 3 bed semi would cost roughly £10,000.
