Full House Re-Skim by a Plasterer in Greenwich, SE10

This project took place in a Victorian terraced house in Greenwich, SE10, South East London. The property features period-style architraves, panelled internal doors and original skirting boards consistent with late Victorian construction. The kitchen had been recently fitted with modern gloss units and integrated appliances, indicating the home was mid-renovation. Despite the updated kitchen fit-out, the walls throughout the property still carried the original plaster, which had deteriorated over decades and was no longer suitable for decorating without a full re-skim.

The main image clearly shows a kitchen wall mid-skim, with a fresh wet coat of multi-finish plaster applied across a large expanse of wall above the kitchen units. The inset before-photo reveals the ceiling prior to work — a flat plasterboard surface with a visible access hatch and a small penetration hole, suggesting recent electrical or plumbing work had been carried out. Dust sheets and protective polythene sheeting are visible on the floor in the before shot, confirming the space was actively being prepared. The existing wall plaster was old painted plaster in poor decorative condition, uneven in places and not suitable for direct painting without a skim coat to restore the surface.

The scope of work covered a full house re-skim across multiple rooms in this Greenwich Victorian terrace, with the kitchen being one of the final rooms captured in progress. The work included: - Re-skimming all walls throughout the property with a two-coat application of British Gypsum Multi-Finish plaster - Skimming the kitchen walls above and around the newly fitted kitchen units, working carefully to the edges of the cabinets and around electrical back boxes - Addressing the ceiling in at least one room, visible in the inset photo, which shows a plasterboard ceiling with an access hatch and a small hole from a previous fitting — both required patching and finishing flush before skimming - Preparing and priming all surfaces prior to skim application, including PVA bonding of porous old painted plaster to prevent suction issues - Filling and finishing around ceiling penetrations and recessed light positions - Protecting the newly installed kitchen — units, worktops, appliances and flooring — with dust sheets and polythene throughout the works The kitchen re-skim alone covered a substantial wall run, with the fresh brown multi-finish coat visible across the full height of the wall from worktop level to ceiling junction, indicating a complete re-skim rather than a patch repair.

Prior to skimming, all surfaces were assessed for adhesion. The existing old painted plaster walls were treated with a diluted PVA bonding solution — typically one part PVA to four parts water — applied by brush and allowed to become tacky before plastering began. Any small holes from electrical chasing or fitting penetrations visible in the ceiling were filled with bonding coat and allowed to set. The access hatch in the ceiling was checked for structural security before the surrounding plasterboard was skimmed flush. Dust sheets and heavy-duty polythene were laid over the kitchen units, appliances and flooring to protect the finished fit-out from plaster splatter.

The plastering process followed a standard two-coat multi-finish application across all surfaces. In the kitchen, the plasterer worked from the top of the wall down, applying the first scratch coat of British Gypsum Multi-Finish at approximately 2–3mm thickness using a steel trowel. This coat was applied firmly to ensure full contact with the PVA-primed existing plaster beneath, eliminating any dry spots or delamination risk. The scratch coat was left to firm up before the second finishing coat was applied over the top, again at 2–3mm. As the second coat began to stiffen, the plasterer worked the surface in long, sweeping trowel passes to consolidate the plaster and close the surface. A small amount of water was flicked onto the surface during the final trowelling stage to assist with burnishing and produce a smooth, flat finish ready for mist coat and decoration. In the ceiling area visible in the before photo, the plasterboard surface was first spot-filled around the access hatch frame and the penetration hole using bonding coat, which was feathered flush with the surrounding board. Once fully set and dry, the entire ceiling received a skim coat of multi-finish applied in two passes, trowelled to a flat finish. Beads were checked at all external corners to ensure crisp, sharp arris lines at the wall-to-ceiling junction throughout the kitchen.

The primary challenge on this project was working around a fully fitted and newly installed kitchen without causing damage to the units, worktops, appliances or tiled floor. Re-skimming a kitchen wall after cabinetry has already been installed requires careful cutting-in at the top of the wall units, behind the upstand and along the sides of the cabinets where the plaster meets the carcass. Any over-application of wet plaster in these tight junctions risks staining or damaging the units. The ceiling penetration and access hatch visible in the before photo also required careful bonding and feathering to avoid a raised patch once skimmed.

All kitchen units, the stainless steel appliance panel, worktops and the tiled floor were fully protected with heavy-duty dust sheets and taped polythene sheeting before any mixing began. The plasterer cut in carefully around the top of the wall units using a smaller leaf trowel, ensuring the skim coat sat flush against the cabinet tops without overlapping onto the finished surfaces. The ceiling penetration was filled in two stages — a bonding coat build-up followed by a thin skim — to bring the repaired area flush with the surrounding board before the full ceiling skim was applied. All edges were checked with a straight edge before the final trowelling pass.

The finished kitchen wall shows a clean, flat, freshly skimmed surface in the characteristic warm brown tone of wet multi-finish plaster, ready for mist coat and final decoration. The skim coat runs continuously from the ceiling junction down to the top of the kitchen units, with no visible ridges, trowel lines or patchy areas in the photo. The white-painted ceiling and walls adjacent to the freshly skimmed surface provide a clear contrast that confirms the new skim is level and consistent. The ceiling access hatch area is finished flush with no raised patch visible, indicating a successful two-stage repair. The property is now ready for decoration throughout.

Following the full house re-skim, the client had fresh, smooth plaster walls throughout their Greenwich Victorian terrace, ready to receive a mist coat and final decoration. The kitchen walls in particular were transformed — the previously rough, old painted plaster was replaced with a flat, consistent skim coat that sits cleanly around the newly installed units. With the re-skim complete, the client was able to progress immediately to the decoration stage, avoiding the delays and additional costs that come from attempting to paint directly onto deteriorated plaster.

Re-skimming walls in an occupied or recently fitted kitchen is not a job for an inexperienced plasterer. Old painted plaster requires correct PVA priming — without it, the substrate draws moisture from the fresh skim coat too rapidly, causing the plaster to dry out unevenly and crack. Working around fitted kitchen units demands accurate cutting-in with a smaller trowel so that the skim finishes cleanly against the cabinet tops rather than bridging onto the carcasses. Incorrect water-to-plaster ratios or poor timing on the trowelling passes will result in drag marks and a surface that requires significant sanding before decoration. A correctly applied two-coat multi-finish skim eliminates these risks and produces a surface that accepts emulsion paint without additional filling.