Costs & advice
How to prepare a room for a plasterer
Half an hour of preparation makes the job faster, cleaner and less likely to go wrong. Here is the list.
Last reviewed
Two weeks before
- Confirm what is included. Get the scope in writing: which surfaces, what preparation, whether waste removal and protection are in or out.
- Sort the other trades. Electrical and plumbing first fix has to be finished and signed off before the walls close up. The decorator comes after, once the plaster has dried.
- Decide about radiators. If they are coming off, book a plumber. Doing it the night before rarely goes well.
- Ask about parking. Materials are heavy. If you are in central Shrewsbury, Ludlow or up a lane in Bridgnorth, sort out where a van can stand.
The week before
- Take everything off the walls. Pictures, mirrors, shelves, brackets, TV mounts, curtain poles, blinds. Leave the fixings out too — they will be plastered over otherwise.
- Remove valuables and anything irreplaceable. Not because anything will happen to them, but because plaster dust travels and some things you cannot clean.
- Agree the furniture. Who moves what, and where it goes. If you are clearing the room entirely, do it the day before rather than while someone waits.
- Confirm water and electricity. Plastering needs a water supply and power. If the room is mid-renovation with no working sockets, say so in advance.
The day before
- Take up rugs and, where practical, floor coverings.
- Clear the route from the front door to the room — hallway, stairs, landing.
- Move anything from the hall and stairs that could get knocked.
- Make sure there is somewhere for materials to be set down.
- Plan where pets will be. A plasterer with the front door open and a cat in the house is a bad combination.
- Check the room is warm and can be ventilated, but not draughty.
On the day
- Be there at the start, or arrange access and be reachable by phone.
- Walk the room together and confirm exactly which surfaces are included.
- Point out anything you are worried about — a floor, a fitted wardrobe, a stair carpet.
- Agree where waste will go and who takes it away.
- Keep children and pets out of the working area.
- Have somewhere sensible for tools and mixing, and a tap that works.
Questions worth asking before you book
- What exactly is being protected, and how — floors, doorways, the route in?
- What is the plan for dust, particularly if old plaster is coming off?
- Where does the waste go, and is removal included?
- How long will the work take, and how many days on site?
- What drying time should I allow before decorating?
- What first coat should the decorator use?
- What happens if something unexpected turns up behind the old plaster?
- Is the quote inclusive of VAT?
That second-to-last one is the important one. Opening up a wall occasionally reveals something nobody could see beforehand. What matters is agreeing in advance that you will be told and shown before extra work happens, rather than finding out on the invoice.
Do not do this
After the work
- Ventilate — open windows during the day where weather allows.
- Keep gentle background heat rather than intermittent blasts.
- Do not put fixings back into the wall yet.
- Do not paint until the whole surface has gone uniformly pale — see our drying guide.
- Keep furniture off the walls so air can circulate.
Common questions
Do I have to empty the room completely?
Not always, but the emptier it is the faster and cleaner the work goes. Large furniture can often be moved to the centre and covered. Agree what you are doing and what the plasterer is doing when the job is booked, not on the morning.
Will there be a lot of dust?
Some, and considerably more if old plaster is coming off. Preparation and removal are the dusty parts; applying the finish much less so. Ask what protection is being provided for floors, doorways and the route in — a plasterer who has thought about it will have an answer ready.
Should I take the radiators off?
Ideally they come off the wall so the plaster goes behind them properly, and that is a plumbing job rather than a plasterer's. Some plasterers will work around them, but you will end up with unplastered wall behind the radiator, which matters if you ever move it. Decide before the day.
Can I stay in the house while the work happens?
Usually yes, especially room by room. The room being worked on is out of use for the day and then during drying, which can be weeks before decorating. Plan around it, particularly if it is a kitchen or the only bathroom.