The short answer
Plastering a room in the UK typically costs somewhere between £400 and £1,200, depending on the size of the room, the state of the walls and ceiling, and whether the job is a simple skim over sound surfaces or a full re-plaster of bare brick or blockwork. Skimming the walls and ceiling of an average bedroom over existing sound plaster is the lower-cost option, often around £400 to £700. A full float-and-set onto bare masonry — applying a backing coat such as hardwall or bonding before the finish — costs more because it is two coats and far more labour, commonly £700 to £1,200 or higher for a large or awkward room. Ceilings, removing old artex or wallpaper, and access all push the figure up.
Room size is only part of the picture. Whether you are skimming over a sound wall or building up bare brick from scratch makes a large difference to both labour and materials.
Cost to plaster a room
- Skim a small bedroom (walls + ceiling)£400–£600
- Skim an average room£500–£800
- Full re-plaster (float and set), average room£700–£1,200
- Typical plasterer day rate£150–£250
- Main cost driversSkim vs re-plaster, ceilings, prep
Skimming versus full re-plastering
The single biggest factor in the price is whether the walls only need a thin skim or a full build-up. The two jobs are very different amounts of work:
- Skimming (a 'skim coat'): a thin finishing layer of multi-finish plaster, around 2–3mm, applied over walls that are already sound and flat — typically existing plaster, plasterboard or a wall that has been prepared. This is the quicker, lower-cost job because it is essentially one coat plus preparation.
- Float and set (full re-plaster): used on bare brick, block or where old plaster has been hacked off. The plasterer first applies a backing or 'floating' coat — usually hardwall on masonry or bonding on low-suction or mixed backgrounds — to build out and flatten the wall, then skims a finish coat on top once it has firmed up. Two coats means roughly twice the labour and materials.
Because labour dominates a plastering bill, the jump from a skim to a full float-and-set often doubles the cost of the same room.
| Room and job | Typical UK cost | Rough time |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom, skim walls and ceiling | £400–£600 | 1 day |
| Average room, skim walls and ceiling | £500–£800 | 1–2 days |
| Average room, full re-plaster (float and set) | £700–£1,200 | 2–3 days |
| Large or awkward room, full re-plaster | £1,000–£1,800+ | 3–4 days |
Indicative UK figures for guidance only. Sources: Checkatrade and MyJobQuote cost guides. Actual price depends on wall condition, ceilings, prep and region.
What pushes the price up or down
Two rooms of identical size can be quoted very differently. The main factors a plasterer weighs up are:
- Condition of the walls: sound, flat plaster that just needs a skim is the lower-cost scenario. Crumbling, blown or damp plaster that must be hacked off and rebuilt is the most expensive.
- Ceilings: ceilings are slower and harder to plaster than walls because the work is overhead. Including the ceiling typically adds a meaningful amount to a room price.
- Preparation: stripping wallpaper, removing old coving, scraping back flaking paint or treating artex all add time before plastering can even start.
- Access and clearing: a cleared, empty room is quicker to work in. Moving furniture, protecting floors and working around fixtures adds labour.
- Region: day rates and therefore prices are typically higher in London and the South East than in much of the North and the Midlands.
How plasterers quote a room
Most plasterers price a room one of two ways, and it helps to know which you are being given:
- A fixed price for the room: the most common approach for whole rooms. The plasterer looks at the walls, the ceiling and the prep needed and gives one figure. This is the easiest to compare and budget against.
- A day rate: for smaller or uncertain jobs, some price by the day (commonly £150–£250 per plasterer per day, more in London), plus materials. A skim of a single small room is often a one-day job; a full re-plaster of a larger room can run to three or four days.
Materials are a relatively small part of the total — bags of multi-finish, hardwall or bonding plaster, plus PVA, scrim tape and beads — because plastering is labour-intensive. Most of what you pay is skilled time. When comparing quotes, check they cover the same scope: the same walls, the same ceiling, the same prep, and that any 'making good' (filling, beading external corners, taping joints) is included rather than treated as an extra.
It also helps to understand why a plasterer's day produces a fixed amount of work no matter how keen you are to save money. Plaster sets on its own timetable: it is applied, left to firm partially, then trowelled up in stages as it stiffens. That trowelling-up is the skilled part and cannot be rushed without spoiling the finish, so a room broadly fills the time it fills. This is why doing the labouring yourself rarely saves much on a small room — the plasterer still has to set up, mix, apply and trowel to their own rhythm. Where you can genuinely reduce the bill is by clearing the room completely, stripping wallpaper in advance if you are comfortable doing so, and grouping several rooms or repairs into one booking so the set-up cost is spread across more work.
One more thing worth checking is how the plasterer prices the prep on a room that has been decorated many times over the years. Layers of old wallpaper, thick gloss paint, redundant coving and patched-over damage all add time before a trowel touches the wall, and they are the items most often left vague in a quick verbal quote. Asking for the prep to be itemised — or at least described — is the simplest way to make sure two quotes are really for the same job rather than one quietly assuming far less preparation than the other.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to skim over old plaster than to re-plaster?
Almost always, yes. Skimming over sound existing plaster is a single thin coat and far less labour than hacking off old plaster and rebuilding the wall with a backing coat and a finish. Re-plastering is only necessary where the existing surface is blown, damp-damaged or too uneven to skim, so a plasterer will usually recommend the lower-cost skim where the wall allows it.
Does the price include the ceiling?
Not always — check. Ceilings are harder and slower to plaster than walls because the work is overhead, so they add a noticeable amount to a room price. Some quotes are for walls only. Confirm whether the ceiling is included before comparing figures.
How long does plastering a room take?
A skim of a small room is often a single day, while a full re-plaster of a larger room with a backing coat and finish can take two to four days. The plaster then needs time to dry before decorating, which is separate from the plastering time and depends on the season and the thickness applied.
Sources & further reading
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific room. They are guidance, not a quotation.