Smoothing Artex in Milton's post-war houses
Skimming lays a new smooth coat of plaster over the texture, which is usually quicker and far less messy than taking a ceiling down. Light fittings and smoke alarms come down, floors and furniture are covered, and the surface is prepared so the new plaster bonds. Lewis, our plasterer, or the master plasterer we work with does the skim.
One Cambridge customer who was fed up with Artex had theirs skimmed by Lewis and remarked on how tidy he left the house. The Artex skimming case study shows the result.
Cracks in later plasterboard ceilings
More than half of Milton's homes were built after 1983. Their ceilings are usually plasterboard, and the joints between sheets can crack as a house settles. Hairline cracks are filled and sanded. Wider or recurring ones may need taping and skimming, and if a crack suggests a leak above, Graham will say so rather than paint over it.
Water-stained patches are sealed with a Zinsser stain block before any emulsion goes on.
Milton at a glance
- 2 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 4 minutesOSRM routing
- 14%were built 1945 to 1964VOA Council Tax stock
- 10%were built 1965 to 1982VOA Council Tax stock
- 3%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 1,926householdsCensus 2021
- 3%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
How we approach plastering
Once the room is sheeted, our plasterer skims the ceiling or patches the cracked joints. We leave the plaster to dry fully, sand off nibs with a Mirka dust-free sander, apply a thinned mist coat to seal it and show any dips, fill what that reveals, then finish with two coats. The full method, products and FAQs are on our plastering page.