Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Scarborough plasterer for skimming, render and period plasterwork

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A cornice to repair, a ceiling to re-plaster, a seafront wall to render? Describe the job in a few clicks and get a free, no-obligation quote from a plasterer in Scarborough.

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Matching a cornice

Scarborough's Victorian terraces, hotels and guest houses are full of plaster mouldings. Five common profiles, drawn as a section through the corner of the room.

Section of the chosen cornice, seen in the corner where the wall meets the ceilingCEILINGWALL

Keep or replace the ceiling?

Many older ceilings are lath and plaster. Three questions give the usual answer.

Which plaster for which wall?

Old walls and new walls want different plasters. Two scales: how well the plaster lets moisture through, and how hard it sets.

Lime plaster

Breathes
Hardness

Best for: Old solid walls of brick, stone or rubble, in homes built before the 1920s.

Slow to set and dry, and needs a skilled hand. The right choice for walls that must breathe.

Renovating plaster

Breathes
Hardness

Best for: Walls with salt or damp problems, once the cause is cured.

Made to cope with salts. It is not a cure for damp, only for living with the last of it.

Gypsum plaster

Breathes
Hardness

Best for: Plasterboard, sound modern masonry and most interior walls.

Quick and smooth. On old damp walls it can trap moisture.

Sand and cement

Breathes
Hardness

Best for: External render, and walls that are hard and dry.

Hard and strong, but a poor match for soft old brick or stone, where it can cause damage.

Weather and outside render

Render is at the mercy of the weather. Slide to a temperature to see what it means for work on the coast.

0°C510202530°C

Old plaster wall with paint peeling away in patches and flakes

Why does the paint peel?

Four causes behind most peeling walls on the coast.

  • Salt from the sea airSalts carried in on the wind settle into walls, draw in moisture and push paint and plaster off. Salt-damaged plaster has to come off, not be painted over.
  • Gutters and downpipesA blocked or leaking gutter soaks a wall from outside. Many peeling patches start there.
  • CondensationCold external walls in a closed room collect moisture. Ventilation, not plaster, is the fix.
  • Rising dampA failed or bridged damp-proof course lets water up the wall. It is cured at the base, then the plaster is replaced.

What a plastering quote should say

So that you know what is included, and how an old ceiling or cornice will be treated.

  • Which walls and ceilings, and the area in square metres
  • The preparation: taping, beading, bonding agent and removing loose plaster
  • The plaster: lime, gypsum or render, and why it suits the wall
  • For a cornice or rose, whether it is repaired, matched or replaced, and from what
  • Removing old plaster and taking away the waste
  • Who moves cables, sockets and light fittings before the work starts
  • How long it takes to dry, and when you can paint
  • The price, the deposit and the start date
Black and white photo of a plasterer on a ladder inside an old room with bare lath walls and a timber ceiling

Buy With Confidence

A Trading Standards approved scheme, where businesses are checked before they join. Ask whether the plasterer is listed.

TrustMark

A government-endorsed scheme for tradespeople. Ask whether the business is registered.

Public liability insurance

Cover in case something is damaged on the job. Ask for the level of cover in writing.

Along the coast

From Whitby in the north to Bridlington in the south, with the distance from Scarborough in miles in a straight line.

  • North, towards Whitby
  • Whitby16.5 mi
  • Robin Hood's Bay11.9 mi
  • Cloughton4.4 mi
  • Burniston3.3 mi
  • Scalby2.2 mi
  • Scarborough
  • South, towards Bridlington
  • Eastfield2.9 mi
  • Cayton3.2 mi
  • Seamer3.3 mi
  • Filey6.7 mi
  • Hunmanby7.6 mi
  • Bridlington16.0 mi

Postcode areas: YO11, YO12 and YO13, with YO14, YO21 and YO16 nearby.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on the area, the state of the walls, the finish and the access. A period room with a cornice to repair is priced differently from a plain flat. Ask for a written quote that says what is included.

Often, yes. A mould is taken from a good length of the original, and new sections are cast and fixed so the pattern carries on. Small repairs can be run in place.

If it is sound, yes. If it sags or sounds hollow, it can be re-fixed, covered with board and skimmed, or replaced. The helper on this page gives the usual answer for each case.

Textured coatings in homes built or decorated before 2000 may contain asbestos. Do not sand or scrape one. Have a sample tested, and ask a plasterer what is safe to do with yours.

Often salt, damp from a gutter or the base of the wall, or condensation. The cause has to be found first, because new plaster over a damp or salty wall fails again.

In mild, dry weather, ideally between about 10 and 20 degrees, and never in frost. A sea fret or a strong wind can slow or spoil a coat.

Solid old walls need to breathe, so lime plaster is often the better choice. Modern gypsum can trap moisture against them. A plasterer used to older houses will advise.

Yes: Scarborough and the villages around it, and the nearby towns of Filey, Whitby and Bridlington. Enter your postcode in the form to start.

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