Measure up, and this tells you exactly what to buy — bags of plaster, PVA, angle bead, scrim tape, the lot — how long the job takes, and roughly what a plasterer would charge you to do it instead. Treat it as a rough guide.
What this is based on
The surface you choose decides the method and the preparation. New plasterboard only needs PVA if the boards are dusty or old. Old walls and old plaster get PVA, Blue Grit or SBR. Gloss paint, tiles and Artex need a grit primer, because PVA will not grip them. Bare brick and block is two-coat work.
One 20kg bag of finish plaster is estimated to cover approximately 8 m² in two coats.
Float and set adds an undercoat: one 25kg bag of browning is estimated to cover approximately 2 m² at 11mm.
PVA is estimated at one 5 litre tub per 60 m² per coat, diluted. Grit primer is estimated at one 5 litre tub per 25 m², applied neat.
Angle bead comes in 3 m lengths; scrim tape in 90 m rolls, measured across the full height of each joint.
Working time is a rough guide for one plasterer and one labourer, with time added for cutting in around doors, windows and beads.
The labour figure is a rough estimate based on a plasterer at £250 to £300 a day plus a labourer at £150 a day, or two plasterers at around £250 to £300 a day each, rounded up to full days because that is how jobs are booked. That gives a range of £400 to £600 a day. It is not a quote and it is not our price list.
Labour only. It does not include materials, VAT, scaffolding or access, making good, or removing old plaster.
Every wall is different. Dry, damaged or high-suction backgrounds need more preparation and more material. Always check on site before you order.
