Lath and plaster in Soham's oldest homes
Council Tax records date around 880 homes before 1919. When old wallpaper comes off in houses of that age, the plaster underneath is sometimes loose or patched, and the paper was holding it together. Lewis, our plasterer, can re-skim affected walls so we can decorate, as happened in a Cambridge bedroom we stripped and skimmed.
Not every older wall needs a skim. Sometimes filling and lining paper is the better answer, and Graham decides that at the survey so you don't pay for plastering you don't need.
Artex ceilings and newer cracks
About a quarter of Soham's homes were built between 1945 and 1982, the decades when textured ceilings were common. Skimming covers the texture with a smooth new surface, and it's far less disruptive than taking a ceiling down.
In homes built since 2000, we're more often filling cracks where plasterboard joints and new timber have moved. Cracks that keep returning can signal a leak or movement, and we'll say so rather than painting over them.
Soham at a glance
- 15 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 23 minutesOSRM routing
- 8%were built 1945 to 1964VOA Council Tax stock
- 16%were built 1965 to 1982VOA Council Tax stock
- 15%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 5,236householdsCensus 2021
- 6%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
How we approach plastering
We protect floors and furniture, take down fittings, and let Lewis or our master plasterer skim. Once the plaster has dried out fully, it's sanded with a Mirka dust-free sander, mist-coated with thinned emulsion and checked for dips before two full coats. Water stains get Zinsser stain block first. Coving can go up before the final coats. The full method, products and FAQs are on our plastering page.