Older plaster in listed houses
Traditional ceilings are often lath and plaster. Where sections have lost their key to the laths, they may need cutting out and patching rather than skimming, and on a listed building that's worth discussing with South Cambridgeshire District Council first. Old walls often need breathable finishes, too.
Hairline cracks are a decorator's job; wider ones go to our plasterer. If one crack reopens every time it's filled, there's usually a cause behind it, and we'd rather find that out with you than hide it under paint.
Artex, skimming and the mist coat
Rather than taking a textured ceiling down, our plasterer can apply a fresh skim over it. Lewis has done this in Cambridge homes, and the Artex ceiling case study shows one job.
Testing for asbestos comes before any sanding or scraping of an old textured finish. Once the skim has dried, a thinned first coat of emulsion seals it and makes any dips easy to spot. Our ceiling skimming page has more.
How we approach plastering
Rooms are cleared or sheeted and fittings removed before the plasterer starts. Loose lath-and-plaster areas are cut back and patched, cracks opened up and filled, and Artex skimmed. When it's dry, we sand with Mirka dust-free sanders, mist coat, fill anything that shows and apply two finishing coats. Belinda keeps both trades on one timetable. The full method, products and FAQs are on our plastering page.