What to Consider When Choosing a Plasterer, Renderer In Your Area

What to Consider When Choosing Plasterers and Renderers

A reliable finish with a good plaster or render surface can help you decorate any wall easily and in an attractive manner. Plastering and rendering is not easy to perfect, so unless you possess the necessary experience or are a confident DIY person, you should work with an experienced and recommended local plasterer or renderer.

If you are reading this, chances are you are looking for a local plasterer expert to get some plastering done in some part of your house – maybe a fireplace, or a damp wall or a bathroom. Alternately, you could be looking for a quality local renderer to do some rendering – maybe a garden wall, or a retaining wall or even a ceiling. Whatever the job, working with a plastering or rendering expert who understands your needs is important.

What is the difference between a plasterer and a renderer?

A plasterer is atradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. The process of creating plasterwork is called plastering. Plastering contains gypsum, and therefore cannot deal with moisture – it is not suitable for external walls.

A renderer is a tradesman who applies a “render” to a wall, which is typically a mixture of sand or cement, designed to provide protection to the underlying wall surfaces. Typically, this will involve mixing plastering sand with a smaller amount of cement, with a waterproofing additive to create a resilient layer for an external wall.

Pebbledashing is a variant of rendering, where stone is added to the mix to create a low maintenance external surface, which can take normal wear and tear with lower impact on the underlying render.

A good plasterer will be able to advise you regarding your options, regardless of whether you are looking to plaster a fireplace in Birmingham, or render a wall in Glasgow.

Follow our simple tips below and you are on your way to finding a qualified plasterer or qualified renderer who has the right skills you need, and at the right plastering prices or rendering prices too.

What are the types of plasters that are available?

Plasters are very specific to the application, and a quality local plasterer will help you choose:

Browning plaster

This is the initial plaster coat – which is applied directly on the underlying structural material (brick, masonry etc..). It is thick in its application as a coating.

Bonding plaster

This is often used when the underlying structural material already has a finish to it – for e.g., finished stone with a bonding agent already applied.

Finishing plaster

This is the final coat that ensures a silky smooth finish – it is also known as skim or skimming. This is typically thin as a coating compared to the readying plasters used in the underlying layers.

Sometimes, the above plasters are combined in multi-purpose plasters, which purport to take care of both preparation and finish. A good plasterer, however, will avoid these, and prefer multiple layers instead.

These days, it is common to have a home build with a drywall, which is a covering of plasterboard on all interior and exterior surfaces. This requires only a finishing layer of plaster, as the panels of plasterboard already have plaster in them – hence you do not require bonding or browning plaster layers. Make sure you are aware of the build of your house, and if not sure, ask your local plasterer.

Choosing the right plasterer for you

So, how do you find a plasterer and choose him or her?

Finding plasterers and renderers

There are many ways to find a list of local plasterers – some easier than others:

You could use search engines to get a list of local tradesmen. The risk here is that you have no real knowledge of how good they are or what skills they really possess and it can be time consuming calling numerous tradesmen, having to leave messages asking them to call you.
Another option is to use the yellow pages but again you have the same issues as using a search engine.
A recommendation – this is arguably a better option than using a search engine or yellow pages but you are unlikely to have more than one recommendation which makes comparisons difficult.
An easy, hassle free way of identifying local skilled plasterers is to use the service of a site such as www.xpertfind.com. xpertfind.com has a database of skilled plasterers and renderers along with rating and feedback provided by customers like yourself for all their plasterers and renderers. You simply post details of you job on the site and wait for suitably skilled, local plasterers interested in your work to contact you. It is a quick and easy way for customers to find local tradesmen for a whole range of jobs and the website has national coverage. So whether you are looking to plaster your ceiling or plaster your fireplace in London, a new garden wall renderer in Devon or simply some garden wall plastering in Liverpool, you can post your job online and let xpertfind.com do the hard work of finding 3 local quality plasterers who can provide you with quotes. Who you go with is your decision.

Once you have got 3 suitably skilled, local plasterers how to do you choose between them?

Ask for references

When hiring a plasterer or renderer, don't be shy in asking for references on their work. You could even take the time to call these people and ask how the work went for them. It may even be wise to go and see the work that has been done. Seeing with your own eyes what the tradesman has accomplished is the best way to know what you are paying for.

Compare your quotes

Plastering prices can vary a lot and often depends on the material and supplies that are being used, so be sure you are getting a good range of quotes. Also, ask the plasterer to break out the amount of plaster used, prices for bonding material and labour costs. Ask for details of material used for bonding, and the level of finishing they will do. To cover a square meter of finishing plaster, you will typically need about 2kgs of plaster. For alternate material like browning plaster (which is thicker) or lime plaster (which is expensive) make sure you know how much material is used, and what the costs are.

Make sure you have a detailed quote from each of the plasterers you have identified and compare estimates on the cost of the project and see how they differ. The written quotation should list materials, labour and VAT (if appropriate). It should also list any tools that the plasterer may ask you to fund – such as buckets and plastering trowels. Ask them in person why things cost the way they do and why they charge what they charge to do the job. If the plasterer is honest, he or she will be open about the costs of materials and the profit they are trying to make.

It is fairly standard for the plasterer or renderer to ask for a deposit to cover the cost of the materials. However you should not be expected to pay the balance until the plastering work has been completed to your satisfaction.

Time to complete the job and where it will be completed

Be clear on how long will it take the plasterer or renderer to complete the job. Finding a quality plasterer who can work efficiently and quickly is beneficial - they will cost less because the hours will be less. Even if the cost per hour is more, if they work a third less hours than another tradesman, it will most likely be less money in the end. Ask them how many layers of plastering they plan, what thicknesses, how long will take for the plaster to dry before they apply the next layer, etc.. Try to visualize how the job will progress over the following days, so that you feel you are getting good service at the right plastering prices.

Prior experience

It's all to do with experience! Ask what experience they have. Also, ask if they could bring a portfolio of photos with them so you can see the type of work they do. One sure way of assessing whether a plasterer is experienced is if he takes the trouble to come and look at the job to be done and advise you before giving a quotation.

Are they licensed or registered?

It is not compulsory for a plasterer or a renderer to be a member of an industry association on plastering, or have a specialized qualification on the subject. There are plenty of plastering courses run by various institutes in the UK, and you should ask if your plasterer has a professional qualification in addition to his or her experience.

The main trade association is the Federation of Plastering and Drywalling Contractors (www.fpdc.org) The FPDC is an incorporated company limited by guarantee and exists to represent its contractor membership, promoting best practice, excellence and professionalism in plastering, drylining and associated trades. Similarly, The Worshipful Company of Plasterers (www.plastererslivery.co.uk) was established in 1501, and retains a close involvement with the British plastering industry.