I need to have a ceiling skimmed with plaster. It's currently just plasterboard.
It's approximately 15.5 foot x 8.5 foot.
Before I start asking for estimates from local plasterers, how much would I be looking at roughly spending on this?
Steve........
Most guys will be looking to charge you a days money, so you could b lucky and get it done for maybe 150, but you could pay up to 250 Materials are only a couple of bags of multifinish so they shoul include that
-- Nick H
Steve
It should be about half a days work. How much that costs varies enormously by location. You may have a problem finding a plasterer who will turn up to do just half a days work -- the job might look more attractive if you can find more plastering to do at the same time.
As Andrew points out, it's not a days work, but someone will probably charge you for a full day, I'd estimate £100 - £150, providing you supply the plaster (1 bag, and scrim)...and if you need anything else plastering, show him this too and see if he offers to do it all in one day, if he starts waffling about it taking 2 or more days, just ask for a price for the ceiling....use one of the one liners advertised in the local press rather than a boxed advertiser with a website, fax number, several vans and loads of overheads.
I couldn't get anyone out to skim a 5m x 4m ceiling for less than a days work about £300, so did it my self.
Well, actually I do have two ceilings to skim, but the second one is not in a position for it to be done yet! I have to rip out the plasterboard on the walls in that room and insulate before replacing plasterboard.
As I am refurbishing my kitchen I thought I would get the kitchen ceiling done before we install the new one so the walls are currently cupboardless.
Would it cause a problem if the wals had the usual kitchen cupboards on them before skimming?
I was thinking along the lines of giving the plasterer as much space to work in as possible.
Steve...........
no problem at all if you want plastered cupboards
NT
I would have thought that a plasterer who is far more skilled than I am would probably not make any mess?
I on the other hand if I did it myself, would end up with a very thickly skimmed uneven floor, walls and cupboards! ;)
Steve..............
On 13 Apr 2007 07:24:56 -0700, "dog-man" mused:
For an experienced plasterer to skim a kitchen ceiling after you`ve fitted the units and not drop _any_ plaster would mean you`d end up paying for the full day anyway due to the site restrictions of being able to do the job the usual way so whether you get him to do it now or later, it would still cost a days labour.
But if you did it yourself you would do it before being silly enough to put the cupboards in your way.
It seems a just nice sized room to make a start at learning to do such a job.
You need some boards supported on beer crates. A slow speed drill and a mixing gadget to fit it, a couple of bags of plaster and one of those bag like buckets to mix it in, a pretty good steel trowel and an hawk (though you could make the hawk yourself) and one of the old kitchen units with a worktop on it to pour the mix on and a small spray gun you can use with one hand..
As it is "clotted cream-like" when mixed, application is easy. Slap the first coat on. Give it a tea break then slap the next coat on. Then just keep going over it until it seems OK. Then leave it for about another cup of tea, then go over it with the trowel and sprayer.
Then have another cuppa and once more with the trowel and occasionally spray the thing as the mood takes you. Go easy with that last bit.
Wouldn't you rather pay someone a day's wages to not to have the bother? It's a staple of commerce.
You do what you do and that gives you enough silver to pay others for what they do. Sometimes you don't or can't do much, so you charge more. Sometimes there is work around the clock but it doesn't pay too well.
Swings and round-tables. What you know, who you know and what you want all play their part. You just need one more shekel than it takes to stay ahead of the game.
Whatever you end up with will be repairable by a plasterer at a later date, once you decide you can not live with it. It's an ideal Saturday morning job for a skilled man once you locate their watering holes near you.
Look for multi-coated shirts and sweaters in the bar when you see a lot of pick ups and tatty white vans at a pub with a happy hour from about 4 to 7 pm.
Just offer to pay the man and ask him to supply the plaster which he will probably already have or can get below cost price nudge, nudge, nudge. You can call that his perquisite if it makes you feel better.
He'll tell you if he needs the cupboards taken down. That's a mark of his experience. Don't sweat it. Let him tell you how much he wants for the job. If he asks too much, try another pub. But take his phone number, don't tell him what you think nor try shaking down someone else in the same pub.
You make it sound easy!
Is it within a diy'ers ability to do this without having most of the mix end up on the floor?
Also, is the mix similar to floor screed mix, where it almost finds it's own level?
I am tempted, but worried that I will make a dog's dinner out of it.
Steve............
On 14 Apr 2007 03:44:35 -0700, "dog-man" mused:
I will do anything, some things I do for other people and get paid for as well and can do as good a job as someone who specialises in that field (if I didn't, I wouldn't chareg for doing DIY for someone else). I've done pretty much everything in this house but the only thing I would swerve is the plastering. Unless you're shit hot it looks like a dogs breakfast.
Some peoples perception of perfection leaves a lot to be desired, these are the people who say it is easy as they don't see the crap job that they produced.
Yup! I reckon plasterers sign a pact with the Devil.
That's what I thought.
However, if that's true, how come they don't make much money?
Because they're usually a bit thick?
Owain
Given the local demand it must be their complete lack of business & marketing ability. If I could plaster well I'd earn loadsamoney.
"Oi you, shut your mouth and look at my wad!"
My dad (who is a builder) cannot understand why anyone with the talent and physical ability to plaster would do it for the money.
You mean that it's an artform? a labour of love?
For Anna that is probably true to an extent.
For most plasterers, whose prime material sounds like something from a detective novel, it would be a bit hard to believe.
Carlite Browning and the mystery of the Greek plasterer's mate, Sirapite.
most good plasterers, and by good I mean fast, work the building sites, hardly any of them bother with refurbishment work or the odd ceiling at the W/E because there is no money in that - they get paid by the metre, ergo they want to do as many metres in a day as it is physically possible to do - this is why newbuild is the only option for those serious about making serious cash, they only get around £2 - £2.50 per M2, but they have several empty houses to go at - there's no cleaning up, nothing in their way and most of them will knock in 600m in a week....people like me who can easily plaster a 100m2 room over 2 days wouldn't last a week on a site like this, but by the same token, the site lads aren't interested in making £150 for an easy day - they'd rather make £250 for a hard day, every day....my meterage works out at £3 per M2, but that's not to say I would charge £30 for a 10m2 wall, and my daily charge includes sheeting up, cleaning up and everything else
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.