Plastering cost comparison

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Night Owl

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Hello. I'm currently renovating my late 1950s dormer bungalow. I'm doing the majority of the work myself however I draw a line when it comes to plastering. Guaranteed I would get more on the floor than the walls! I've just completed stripping back to bare brick all of the old plaster/render internally. Ceilings are down and everything cleaned up. I'm not quite ready for plastering yet as got a lot of 1st fixing to do etc. My question is to try and work out the difference in cost to replastering in a similar way as it was - bonding coat/coats and skim or go for plasterboard. I know costs will vary up and down the country and from plasterer to plasterer but am keen to know a ball park % difference between the two methods?

For info, I'm in Lincolnshire and bungalow is approx 152m2 floor area with quite high ceilings (2.6 to 2.7m). Rooms are -

Front porch, hallway, lounge, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, 3 beds, 1 staircase, utility, store room and conservatory.

At a push, I will have a go at putting up ceiling boards, but that's about it.

Thanks for any replies.
 
Some people like a traditional feel in a house I.e solid plaster but comes down to what’s involved and if they can because of the building you need to get a plasterer to see the job my lovely x
 
spunky said:
Some people like a traditional feel in a house I.e solid plaster but comes down to what’s involved and if they can because of the building you need to get a plasterer to see the job my lovely x
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Can I be "your lovely" mate ? x :chica:
 
Night Owl said:
Hello. I'm currently renovating my late 1950s dormer bungalow. I'm doing the majority of the work myself however I draw a line when it comes to plastering. Guaranteed I would get more on the floor than the walls! I've just completed stripping back to bare brick all of the old plaster/render internally. Ceilings are down and everything cleaned up. I'm not quite ready for plastering yet as got a lot of 1st fixing to do etc. My question is to try and work out the difference in cost to replastering in a similar way as it was - bonding coat/coats and skim or go for plasterboard. I know costs will vary up and down the country and from plasterer to plasterer but am keen to know a ball park % difference between the two methods?

For info, I'm in Lincolnshire and bungalow is approx 152m2 floor area with quite high ceilings (2.6 to 2.7m). Rooms are -

Front porch, hallway, lounge, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, 3 beds, 1 staircase, utility, store room and conservatory.

At a push, I will have a go at putting up ceiling boards, but that's about it.

Thanks for any replies.
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Post some photo's, for a better result to your questions and answers . :)
 
If you can afford solid plaster go with that method it’s old school but better than plasterboard,plasterboard method is quicker in terms of application and drying out,but solid plaster is rock solid a lot easier for fixings less chance of cracking and the walls are rock f**k**g solid
 
Thanks for the replies. I wasn't really asking for an estimate on the cost to plaster the house, just wanted to know roughly how much more solid plaster is versus plasterboard and skim e.g 20%, 30% etc.
 
I did wonder if solid plastering was becoming a bit of a dying art. Would be my preferred method however like everything else, it will boil down to cost.
 
Night Owl said:
Thanks for the replies. I wasn't really asking for an estimate on the cost to plaster the house, just wanted to know roughly how much more solid plaster is versus plasterboard and skim e.g 20%, 30% etc.
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Google it mate a sheet of plasterboard and a bag of hardwall or sand cement etc prices to do it still vary on what the jobs like
 
Night Owl said:
Hello. I'm currently renovating my late 1950s dormer bungalow. I'm doing the majority of the work myself however I draw a line when it comes to plastering. Guaranteed I would get more on the floor than the walls! I've just completed stripping back to bare brick all of the old plaster/render internally. Ceilings are down and everything cleaned up. I'm not quite ready for plastering yet as got a lot of 1st fixing to do etc. My question is to try and work out the difference in cost to replastering in a similar way as it was - bonding coat/coats and skim or go for plasterboard. I know costs will vary up and down the country and from plasterer to plasterer but am keen to know a ball park % difference between the two methods?

For info, I'm in Lincolnshire and bungalow is approx 152m2 floor area with quite high ceilings (2.6 to 2.7m). Rooms are -

Front porch, hallway, lounge, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, 3 beds, 1 staircase, utility, store room and conservatory.

At a push, I will have a go at putting up ceiling boards, but that's about it.

Thanks for any replies.
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As some have said, one of your biggest problems will be finding someone who can do a decent job of float and set nowadays, should you prefer that option. Tip: if someone mentions Bonding for the job, f**k them off straightaway.
Personally I think you should be paying at least 40% more for the labour on float and set over direct bond and skim.
Some of that cost could be offset by the savings on materials if you have the floating done with sand and cement, which would be my choice.
Definitely don't go with anyone on day work, a decent tradesman will price the job and give you a price. This way, as long as you don't change things along the way, you will know what the job is going to cost you.
 
essexandy said:
As some have said, one of your biggest problems will be finding someone who can do a decent job of float and set nowadays, should you prefer that option. Tip: if someone mentions Bonding for the job, f**k them off straightaway.
Personally I think you should be paying at least 40% more for the labour on float and set over direct bond and skim.
Some of that cost could be offset by the savings on materials if you have the floating done with sand and cement, which would be my choice.
Definitely don't go with anyone on day work, a decent tradesman will price the job and give you a price. This way, as long as you don't change things along the way, you will know what the job is going to cost you.
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Day rate is for people who are too scared to put themselves on the line mate. And it always leads to clock watching and discontentment. A good clean agreement if much better for both parties involved.
 
Night Owl said:
Thanks for the replies. I wasn't really asking for an estimate on the cost to plaster the house, just wanted to know roughly how much more solid plaster is versus plasterboard and skim e.g 20%, 30% etc.
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It would depend on so many factors.
A bungalow with easy parking or a top floor flat in the middle of a city.
The age of the property with regards to soot content.
The hight of the ceilings.
It could require lime or sand and cement.
A kitchen or bathroom as opposed to a clear room.
 
Cheers for all of the advice, I feel more informed already.

The house originally had a cement/sand render on the walls which then had a gypsum skim on top. Was pretty thick in some places and thin in others so the walls are not particularly straight!

Would it be worth considering part boarding areas that won't have much fixed to it and hard plaster the rest, or would that just p*ss the plasterer off?

Couple of quick questions though on the advice - why should I avoid having a bonding coat? How does soot content affect your work?
 
Spitandpolish said:
Day rate is for people who are too scared to put themselves on the line mate. And it always leads to clock watching and discontentment. A good clean agreement if much better for both parties involved.
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Rubbish day work is always there for people who do a decent days work it’s a f**k**g refurb and the bloke wants to put the ceilings up lol
 
Night Owl said:
Cheers for all of the advice, I feel more informed already.

The house originally had a cement/sand render on the walls which then had a gypsum skim on top. Was pretty thick in some places and thin in others so the walls are not particularly straight!

Would it be worth considering part boarding areas that won't have much fixed to it and hard plaster the rest, or would that just p*ss the plasterer off?

Couple of quick questions though on the advice - why should I avoid having a bonding coat? How does soot content affect your work?
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Because Bonding is the wrong material for the substrate you have (99% certain). There are an awful lot of 'plasterers' these days that are clueless about float and set and think Bonding is for everything, when in fact it's for very little really.
Soot requires a whole other level of prep work to try and avoid issues. It's usually only an issue where fireplaces have been removed.
 
spunky said:
it’s a f**k**g refurb and the bloke wants to put the ceilings up lol
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Not sure I see your point there? I've already said I'm doing most of the refurb myself but am not skilled enough to do the plastering. I've got 152m2 (floor area) of plastering work to offer somebody including skimming the ceilings so don't see the issue with me putting the ceilings up?
 
Night Owl said:
Not sure I see your point there? I've already said I'm doing most of the refurb myself but am not skilled enough to do the plastering. I've got 152m2 (floor area) of plastering work to offer somebody including skimming the ceilings so don't see the issue with me putting the ceilings up?
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A lot of spreads, myself included, prefer/insist on tacking the ceilings ourselves.
It is very, very rare that a DIY person will fix the board correctly. In fact I'm not sure if I've ever witnessed it?
In the grand scheme of things the saving you would make by tacking the ceilings yourself is pretty small, especially if the spread ends up charging you more for any problems you create.
 
Night Owl said:
Cheers for all of the advice, I feel more informed already.

The house originally had a cement/sand render on the walls which then had a gypsum skim on top. Was pretty thick in some places and thin in others so the walls are not particularly straight!

Would it be worth considering part boarding areas that won't have much fixed to it and hard plaster the rest, or would that just p*ss the plasterer off?

Couple of quick questions though on the advice - why should I avoid having a bonding coat? How does soot content affect your work?
Click to expand...
The soot content is mainly found in top floor flats over a certain age, the older the property the worse it can be.
Its when you drop a ceiling , it can be a total black out.
Won't be a problem in your property ,
 
Night Owl said:
Not sure I see your point there? I've already said I'm doing most of the refurb myself but am not skilled enough to do the plastering. I've got 152m2 (floor area) of plastering work to offer somebody including skimming the ceilings so don't see the issue with me putting the ceilings up?
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If a customer told me they were going to put up the ceiling for me to plaster I'd walk away mate. Its just what it is, for me anyway !
 
essexandy said:
As some have said, one of your biggest problems will be finding someone who can do a decent job of float and set nowadays, should you prefer that option. Tip: if someone mentions Bonding for the job, f**k them off straightaway.
Personally I think you should be paying at least 40% more for the labour on float and set over direct bond and skim.
Some of that cost could be offset by the savings on materials if you have the floating done with sand and cement, which would be my choice.
Definitely don't go with anyone on day work, a decent tradesman will price the job and give you a price. This way, as long as you don't change things along the way, you will know what the job is going to cost you.
Click to expand...

This is bullsh*t from someone who does both...plasterboarding is much quicker and cleaner. Fixing things to it easy.

F**k them off if they bang on about how float and set is better...maybe in the caveman days.
 
Don't whatever you do let any f**ker near it who offers to hardwall...that stuff is shite.
 
FreeD said:
This is bullsh*t from someone who does both...plasterboarding is much quicker and cleaner. Fixing things to it easy.

F**k them off if they bang on about how float and set is better...maybe in the caveman days.
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I though you would be getting your " improver" to do the "donkey work" mate ?
Very impressed that your getting your hands dirty there ! :)
 
FreeD said:
This is bullsh*t from someone who does both...plasterboarding is much quicker and cleaner. Fixing things to it easy.

F**k them off if they bang on about how float and set is better...maybe in the caveman days.
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Says someone who is clearly useless at float and set.
I'll bet you've never float and set ten full houses on the bounce, ever. f**k**g clueless.
 
FreeD said:
This is bullsh*t from someone who does both...plasterboarding is much quicker and cleaner. Fixing things to it easy.

F**k them off if they bang on about how float and set is better...maybe in the caveman days.
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i was one of those cavemen, different world now, i can still see a labourer mixing browning in a bath with a shovel / mixing bucket after bucket of carlite finish with just a plunger,/ keeping 2 plasterers going all day.
of course no big yellow buckets in those days/no electric mixers/all boarding done with nails,
no feckin greggs shops about, we all took a bait, no mobile phones to hold back/slow down the labourers, and dont get me started on the jute scrim compared to todays stuff,
but we still have our handboards,
 
essexandy said:
Says someone who is clearly useless at float and set.
I'll bet you've never float and set ten full houses on the bounce, ever. f**k**g clueless.
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It's a different world and unfortunately our trade has changed with it. like you I served my time when float and set was still a thing and if you couldn't master it you're not going to be a plasterer full stop, you probably wouldn't get your C&G anyway.
As an aside, a ministry of defence job I worked on was bonding and carlite finish, that was a f**k**g nightmare, Think there was four squads on that job plenty of metres to go at. I ended up using a black plastic handled Ragni for floating, the Marshalltown I was using was getting f**k*d by all that bonding.
 
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paulf said:
It's a different world and unfortunately our trade has changed with it. like you I served my time when float and set was still a thing and if you couldn't master it you're not going to be a plasterer full stop, you probably wouldn't get your C&G anyway.
As an aside, a ministry of defence job I worked on was bonding and carlite finish, that was a f**k**g nightmare, Think there was four squads on that job plenty of metres to go at. I ended up using a black plastic handled Ragni for floating, the Marshalltown I was using was getting f**k*d by all that bonding.
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I used those trowels for all my floating and rendering for years mate. Apart from when I was wearing in one of the grey handled stainless trowels I used for skimming.
 
essexandy said:
I used those trowels for all my floating and rendering for years mate. Apart from when I was wearing in one of the grey handled stainless trowels I used for skimming.
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When I did my C&G we used box screeds and if you could slide a penny coin behind the straight edge at any point if was a hack off (by hand) and redo...

Must have done my wall 100 times.

Don't tell me I can't float and set. I could do it with my f**king eyes shut and one arm and one leg.
 
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