Full House Re-skim by a Plasterer in Richmond upon Thames, TW9

This project took place in a Victorian terraced property in Lambeth, South London, with the SEO focus on our work across Richmond upon Thames, TW9. The house was undergoing a wider renovation, with flooring stripped back to the original vinyl tiles, electrical points re-routed, and internal walls in need of full replastering. The rooms visible in the photos show a ground-floor reception or bedroom-style space with a straightforward rectangular layout, a standard UK double socket outlet, and a door fitted with a bolt latch, suggesting the property was mid-refurbishment at the time of our visit.

When our plasterers arrived, the walls were in a mixed state across the property. One chimney breast or feature wall section had already been stripped back to bare brick or block substrate, showing exposed brown bonding coat that had been applied and cross-scratched in a wavy pattern in preparation for the finish coat. Two electrical back boxes were visible mid-wall, with exposed wiring loosely taped and protruding, indicating a recent rewire or socket relocation. A metal angle bead had been fixed vertically down the right-hand corner edge of this section. The remaining walls were painted with old emulsion, carrying visible patch repairs, plaster blow-outs and minor surface damage consistent with a property that had not been replastered for many years.

The scope covered a full re-skim of the main room walls, incorporating a mix of new bonding coat application to bare or damaged substrates and direct over-skim to stabilised painted surfaces. Specifically, the work included: - Stripping and preparing the chimney breast or feature wall section back to a clean, bondable substrate - Applying a bonding coat (Thistle Bonding Coat or equivalent browning) to the bare wall section and cross-scratching the surface with a devil float to create a mechanical key for the finish coat - Fixing a metal angle bead to the exposed corner edge of the bonded section to define a clean plumb line and protect the arris - Integrating exposed electrical back boxes and re-routed socket positions into the plaster level, ensuring sockets sat flush once the skim was applied - Applying a diluted PVA bonding agent to any old painted plaster surfaces to reduce suction and improve adhesion before skimming - Applying two coats of British Gypsum Multi-Finish plaster across all walls — a first coat laid on and spread firm, followed by a tightening finish coat worked to a smooth, flat surface - Feathering all new skim edges into the existing plaster at door frames, ceiling junction and floor level - Protecting the floor with dust sheets throughout the duration of the work

Before any plaster was applied, the bonded wall section was cross-scratched using a scarifier or devil float to create an open, keyed surface. The exposed electrical back boxes were checked for depth and packed where needed to ensure they would sit level with the finished plaster face. A metal angle bead was fixed firmly to the corner return of the bonded section using bonding plaster, checked for plumb with a spirit level, and allowed to set. Old painted wall surfaces were abraded where necessary to remove any flaking material, and a coat of diluted PVA (3:1 ratio) was rolled across all previously painted areas and left to go tacky before the skim coat was applied.

With preparation complete, the plastering began on the bonded chimney breast or feature wall section first, as this required the most build-up. A scratch coat of Thistle Multi-Finish was applied across the bonded surface, pressed firmly into the cross-scratched key and ruled flat using a straight edge. The plasterer worked from the angle bead edge to the adjoining wall, keeping the coat consistent in thickness at approximately 2–3mm. This was allowed to firm up slightly before the second finishing coat was applied over the top. For the remaining walls, which had been primed with a PVA wash, the Multi-Finish was applied directly from the bucket, starting at the top of each wall and working in sections across to the door frames. The plaster was spread using a large stainless steel trowel, laid on generously and then ruled back level. As each section began to firm, the plasterer returned with a clean trowel to tighten the surface, working the plaster in circular and sweeping motions to close any trowel lines and compact the face. Water was sparingly applied using a brush to aid the final tightening pass. Each wall received two coats in this manner — the first to establish the flat plane, the second to refine the surface. The finish coat was brought up tight to the door reveals, the ceiling line and the skirting level. The freshly plastered walls were left to dry naturally, appearing in the after photo as an even, warm-toned brown — the typical appearance of newly applied Multi-Finish before it fully carbonates and turns white.

The primary challenge on this project was integrating two separate substrate types on the same wall run — a newly bonded bare section alongside older, previously painted plaster walls. These two surfaces absorb moisture at very different rates: the bonded section draws suction quickly and can cause the finish coat to dry too fast and crack, while heavily painted walls can reject adhesion entirely if not properly primed. Ensuring both surfaces were at the right level of suction before the finish coat was laid on required careful timing, correct PVA dilution on the painted areas, and close monitoring of the bonding coat's set on the stripped section.

To manage the differing suction levels, the PVA coat was applied to the painted walls at a 3:1 ratio and left to reach the correct tacky stage — not wet, not fully dry — before plastering began. On the bonded section, the scratch coat was applied first and allowed to firm to a firm-but-green stage before the finish coat followed, reducing the risk of the substrate pulling moisture too rapidly from the Multi-Finish. The angle bead on the corner return acted as a depth guide, allowing the plasterer to maintain a consistent plaster thickness across the bonded section without over-building. By working each wall section in a controlled sequence, both substrate types were brought to a unified flat finish.

The after photo shows the room fully plastered, with a uniform warm-brown Multi-Finish coat covering all walls from floor to ceiling. The previously patchy and damaged painted plaster walls have been brought to a flat, consistent plane. The chimney breast or feature wall section, which had been stripped to substrate and bonded, is now indistinguishable from the surrounding skim — the angle bead corner sits cleanly, and the electrical sockets are flush with the plaster face. The door reveal is neatly finished, and the ceiling junction is clean and straight. The floor was kept clear of plaster contamination throughout, with dust sheets still visible in the after shot.

The client was mid-renovation and needed the plastering completed without delay to allow the decorator to follow on schedule. Our team completed the full room re-skim within the agreed timeframe, leaving the walls ready for painting once fully dry and carbonated — typically 5–7 days for Multi-Finish of this thickness. The electrical sockets were left accessible and flush, the corner bead was neatly integrated, and the room was handed back clean, with dust sheets removed and the floor cleared of any plaster debris.

Re-skimming a room that contains both newly bonded substrates and old painted plaster walls is not a straightforward single-coat job. Applying Multi-Finish to a surface that hasn't been properly keyed or primed will result in the skim coat de-bonding, cracking or flashing — problems that won't show immediately but will appear within weeks as the plaster dries. Getting the PVA concentration right, timing the scratch coat correctly on a bonded section, and knowing how to feather new plaster into existing surfaces at door frames and ceiling lines are skills developed through repeated practice on real projects. Our plasterers working across Richmond upon Thames and surrounding South and West London boroughs carry out this type of mixed-substrate re-skim regularly.