Re-skimming an average room usually costs somewhere around £600–£1,000 (very approximate, 2026, varies by region). A small room can be roughly £400–£650; boarding then skimming costs more. The main levers: the room and ceiling size, whether it's a skim over sound walls or a full re-plaster, and how much prep the old walls need.
The ballpark, by job
Plasterers usually price per room or per square metre, not per hour. These are illustrative 2026 UK ranges, not a fixed price list — room size, ceiling height, wall condition and area all move them.
| Scenario | Price range (approx) |
|---|---|
| Ceiling only (skim) | £150–£350 |
| Small room re-skim (walls) | £400–£650 |
| Average room re-skim (walls + ceiling) | £600–£1,000 |
| Plasterboard + skim (dot & dab) room | £900–£1,600 |
| Full re-plaster (hack off, float and set) room | £1,200–£2,200 |
| Patch repair or a single wall | £120–£300 |
As a rough rule, a straight skim over sound walls is quick; boarding, dubbing out or a full bonding-and-skim on knackered walls is a lot more material, more coats and more drying time.
Plastering prices per m² (UK, 2026)
Per square metre is how most plasterers work it out, whatever number ends up on the quote. Wall area is the two lengths plus the two widths, times the ceiling height, less the door and windows; the ceiling is length times width. Then it depends what you are doing to it:
| Type of work | Per m² (approx, labour + materials) | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Skim over sound plaster | £10–£20 | Two thin coats of finish over existing walls, ready to paint |
| Skim a ceiling | £12–£25 | Same job, overhead, slower and harder on the shoulders |
| Board and skim (dot and dab) | £25–£45 | Plasterboard fixed to the wall, joints taped, then skimmed |
| Float and set (full re-plaster) | £30–£55 | Old plaster off, backing coat, then finish |
| Over-boarding a ceiling | £30–£50 | New board over a tired ceiling, then skim |
The labour-only skim figure many plasterers quote to each other is lower, roughly £8–£15/m², because the multi-finish, beads, scrim and PVA come on top. When a homeowner asks "how much per metre", they usually mean the all-in number, so be clear which one you are giving.
What it usually costs, room by room
Worked from the per-m² ranges above, for a skim over sound walls plus the ceiling, with materials. Every room is different, so treat these as a sense check, not a price.
| Room | Rough wall + ceiling area | Skim, all-in (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Box room, about 2.5m × 2.5m | 20m² walls + 6m² ceiling | £350–£550 |
| Double bedroom, about 3.5m × 4m | 32m² walls + 14m² ceiling | £500–£950 |
| Living room, about 5m × 4m | 38m² walls + 20m² ceiling | £650–£1,200 |
| Hall, stairs and landing | Varies a lot; access is the cost | £800–£1,500 |
| Kitchen after tiles come off | Often needs dubbing out first | £600–£1,300 |
Add boarding, hacking off or a full float and set and those numbers climb quickly, because you are pricing a second job before the skim even starts.
What the words on the quote mean
Customers compare quotes without knowing that "re-skim" and "re-plaster" are different jobs. It helps to say which you are quoting for. A skim (or re-skim) is two thin coats of finishing plaster over walls that are basically sound.
Board and skim, also called dot and dab, fixes new plasterboard over the old wall and skims that, the usual answer for walls that are past saving but dry. Float and set is the full re-plaster: hack the old plaster back to brick or block, a backing coat, then the finish.
Bonding and dubbing out are the backing coats that fill hollows and bring a wall back to flat before the finish goes on. Over-boarding a ceiling means new board straight over the old one, which is often cheaper and cleaner than pulling a lath-and-plaster ceiling down. And an artex ceiling either gets skimmed over once it is sealed, or over-boarded if it is in a bad way; older artex can contain asbestos, so it is never sanded.
What actually moves the price
Size and condition, mostly. A skim priced per square metre scales with the room. Then the state of the walls: sound plaster you can skim straight over is fast; blown, damp or badly-out-of-flat walls need hacking off, dubbing out or boarding first, which is a different job at a different price. Ceilings add time and are harder graft. High ceilings or stairwells might need a tower or scaffold. And artexed or painted-gloss surfaces need prepping before anything sticks.
Region matters too. London and the South East run at the top of every range on this page and sometimes above it; the North, the Midlands, Wales and Scotland tend to sit in the lower half. A busy local plasterer with a waiting list charges more than one filling gaps in the diary, and that is fair enough.
How long it takes
A straightforward room skim is usually a day for one plasterer, walls and ceiling, then a night or two before it is dry enough for a mist coat. Board and skim on a room is normally two days; a full float and set is two to three because the backing coat has to go off before the finish.
Drying is the bit nobody prices: fresh plaster turns from dark to a pale, even pink over three to seven days depending on the room, the season and whether the heating is on, and it cannot be painted before then. If a customer wants it decorated the same week, say so on the quote and price the return visit.
Day rate vs price work
Plenty of plasterers work either way. A day rate in 2026 sits roughly £150–£250 (approximate, higher in the South East), and a straightforward room is often a day's skimming plus drying time. Price work — a fixed number per room or per m² — usually pays better if you're quick and the walls are kind, but it bites you on the awkward jobs. Rule of thumb: day-rate the unknowns (old, damp, mystery walls), price-work the clean ones.
If most of your work comes through builders rather than homeowners, remember the money arrives via the Construction Industry Scheme with tax already deducted — price for what actually lands in your account, not the headline figure.
How to build the price, if you are the plasterer
Start from time, not from what the last customer paid. Walk the room and count the days honestly, including the prep and a return visit if there is one. Multiply by your day rate. Then materials: bags of multi-finish (a 25kg bag covers roughly 10m² at skim thickness), plasterboard if you are boarding, beads, scrim, PVA or a bonding agent, and the skip or muck-away if old plaster is coming off.
Add travel if the job is not local. Then a margin on top, because the day rate pays you and the margin pays for the van, the tools, the quiet weeks and the tax. Priced per room rather than per day, a double bedroom skim lands roughly inside the £500–£950 in the table above.
That is well above one day at a day rate plus a few bags of finish, and the gap is deliberate: it is the margin, the prep and the drying-day return that price work is meant to carry. If your sum comes out well under the bottom of the table, you have priced it as a bare day rate by accident.
Put the answer on a proper written quote rather than a text with a number in it. Customers accept a clear quote faster, and a quote that lists what is included is the one that gets paid without an argument.
How to write a quote that wins the job covers the layout; if you would rather say it than type it, TradePA writes the quote from what you tell it while you are still stood in the room, with two weeks free to try it.
How not to under-quote
The prep is where money leaks. Hacking off old plaster, scrimming joints, PVA-ing, dubbing out hollows and taping board all take time that a "just skim it" quote forgets. So does drying — you can't rush it, and a job that needs two coats needs the room for longer.
Muck-away for the old plaster is a real cost too. One more: the mist coat and decorating aren't your job unless you said so — make clear you're leaving it ready to paint, not painted. Spelling out what's excluded is half of writing a quote that wins the job.
Honest note: these are illustrative 2026 ballparks, not a quote and not financial advice. Prices vary by room, wall condition and region — always look at the actual walls before you price.
Common questions
How much does it cost to plaster a room in the UK?
What are plastering prices per m² in the UK?
How much to skim a ceiling?
How much to skim a room in the UK in 2026?
How long does plastering take to dry?
Do I need to remove the old plaster first?
Should I charge a day rate or price per room?
Does a plastering quote include the prep?
Why does one room cost more to plaster than another the same size?
A word on the above. This is general information for UK trades, written to be useful, not advice for your situation. Prices vary by job and by region, and tax and legal rules change. Check the current position on GOV.UK or ask your accountant or legal professional for actual advice.
