Plastering in Swords

Fine crazing usually means the plaster dried too fast (heat, draughts) and is cosmetic — fill and paint. Straight-line cracks along boards or above doors indicate movement at joints. Wide or recurring cracks are worth a builder's inspection before redecorating.

It is one of the messiest trades — expect splatter, dust and high humidity. Empty the room if possible, or centre furniture under sheeting. Floors should be fully covered. Ask whether the quote includes protecting surfaces and cleaning up.

Rendering is exterior plastering with cement- or silicone-based mixes to protect and finish outside walls; plastering refers to interior walls with gypsum or cement finishes. Many plasterers do both, but exterior render is priced and scheduled differently (weather-dependent).

No — plaster over damp fails within months. The moisture source (rising damp, leaking gutter, condensation) must be fixed first, then damaged plaster cut back and replaced, sometimes with a salt-resistant renovation plaster. Any plasterer who skips the cause is selling you a repeat job.

Plastering is usually priced per square metre or per room. A skim coat over existing sound walls is the cheapest job; full re-plastering (hacking off old plaster and applying new base and finish coats) costs two to three times more, and exterior rendering is priced separately.

Skimming is a thin 2-3 mm finish coat applied over existing plaster or plasterboard to give a smooth paintable surface. Full plastering means building up base (browning/bonding) coats plus a finish coat, needed when old plaster is blown, damp-damaged or removed back to brick.

Ask plasterers in Swords for photos of finished painted work and check how they handle preparation — good plasterers talk about PVA priming, suction control and drying times, not just the final trowel. Reviews plus a small test area on big jobs are the best filters.

If the walls are solid stone or brick built before c.1940, usually yes — lime is vapour-open and moves with the building. Cement or gypsum on these walls traps damp and blows within a few years. Lime work costs more and fewer plasterers do it well.