Ramsbottom, BL0
Walls and ceilings skimmed flat and closed off ready to decorate, from a single room to a whole house.
10/10
From 69 Checkatrade reviews
Free
Quotes, with no call-out charge
2020
Checkatrade member since
Local
Rossendale based, Lancashire wide
Plastering and Skimming in Ramsbottom is a job shaped by what the houses here are made of. Stone cotton-era terraces and cottages stepping up from the Irwell, solid walled and thirsty, with a high proportion of renovation and extension work. That is the background Lee is working onto, and reading it correctly before the first bag is opened is what separates a finish that still looks right in five years from one that is showing its joins by the spring.
Skimming is the job most people mean when they ring a plasterer. The wall behind is basically sound, but it has forty years of history on it: filled sockets, wallpaper scars, a patch where a fireplace came out, or the textured artex ceiling that every East Lancashire terrace seems to have. A skim coat puts all of that behind you in a day and gives the decorator a surface worth painting.
Older Lancashire housing stock needs a bit more thought than a new build does. Solid stone walls with no cavity, lath and plaster ceilings in the older terraces, and backgrounds that have already been patched two or three times by somebody else all behave differently. Lee will tell you straight when a ceiling is better overboarded than skimmed over, even though overboarding is more work, because skimming onto a ceiling that has already let go is money spent twice.
What that means for a Ramsbottom job in practice is that the quote follows the property rather than a rate per square metre. Two houses on the same street can be very different jobs once you know what is behind the surface, and plastering and skimming is one of the areas where that gap is widest. Lee looks first, prices second, and tells you which of the two you have got.
The housing is largely stone-built, terraces and cottages from the cotton era stepping up from the Irwell, with the moor and Holcombe above. It is the same construction as the Rossendale valley above it and behaves the same way: solid walls, no cavity, thirsty backgrounds that pull moisture out of plaster quickly and want stabilising and priming properly before anything wet goes on.
What distinguishes Ramsbottom is how much of the work here is part of a wider renovation rather than a standalone job. Walls knocked through, kitchens moved, extensions added, period features exposed or reinstated, and every one of those leaving a surface that has to be brought back to a single flat plane before anything can be decorated. Coordinating with the other trades matters more on these jobs than on a straightforward room skim, and being clear at the start about when the plastering can start and how long the drying takes saves the whole programme slipping.
On cost: Most single rooms land in the low hundreds. The size of the room, the state of the background and whether ceilings are included move the number, which is why Lee quotes off a look or a photo rather than a price list. A typical single room is a one-day job, two if ceilings are included. Ramsbottom sits inside the area Lee covers from Rossendale, along with Edenfield, Holcombe, Holcombe Brook, so a look and a written figure do not involve a wasted journey for either of us. Quotes are free and there is no call-out charge.
Ramsbottom at a glance
- Postcodes
- BL0
- District
- Bury, Greater Manchester
- Also covered from here
- Edenfield, Holcombe, Holcombe Brook, Summerseat, Shuttleworth, Stubbins
- Typical timescale
- A typical single room is a one-day job, two if ceilings are included.
What is included
- Full room skims, walls and ceilings, ready to decorate
- Artex and textured ceilings flattened out or overboarded
- Backgrounds stabilised and primed to suit stone, brick or board
- Beads set at every corner and reveal so arrises stay sharp
- Sockets, switches and old fixings cut in cleanly
- Everything sheeted up, floors protected, debris taken away
Local proof
- Straight down the valleyThe same valley as base, just further down the A56. Local work despite the county boundary.
- Renovation readyCoordinating with other trades and being clear on start dates and drying time so programmes do not slip.
- Old-to-new junctionsWhere an extension meets the original house gets detailed properly, because that is where cracks start.
Common questions
Plastering In Ramsbottom: Your Questions
Ten questions people in Ramsbottom actually ask about plastering and skimming, answered straight.
How much does plastering and skimming cost in Ramsbottom?
Most single rooms land in the low hundreds. The size of the room, the state of the background and whether ceilings are included move the number, which is why Lee quotes off a look or a photo rather than a price list. In Ramsbottom specifically, the biggest variable is the background: stone cotton-era terraces and cottages stepping up from the Irwell, solid walled and thirsty, with a high proportion of renovation and extension work. That is why Lee quotes off a look or a photo rather than a price list. Quotes are free and there is no call-out charge.
How long does plastering and skimming take in a Ramsbottom property?
A typical single room is a one-day job, two if ceilings are included. Older Ramsbottom properties can take a little longer than that because the preparation is heavier, and you will be told which category yours falls into when the quote is given rather than discovering it partway through.
Do you cover the areas around Ramsbottom?
Yes. Edenfield, Holcombe, Holcombe Brook, Summerseat, Shuttleworth, Stubbins are all covered from the same rounds as Ramsbottom, along with the neighbouring towns. LD Plastering works out of Rossendale, so this is a genuine local patch rather than a national firm with a local phone number.
Is plastering and skimming the right job for my Ramsbottom house?
LD Plastering skims walls and ceilings across Rossendale and East Lancashire, taking tired, patched or artexed surfaces back to a flat, hard finish ready for paint. Lee prepares and primes the background, sets the beads, then lays on and trowels up two coats of finish plaster. Most single rooms are done in a day. Whether it suits your property depends on what is behind the wall, and in Ramsbottom that means stone cotton-era terraces and cottages stepping up from the Irwell, solid walled and thirsty, with a high proportion of renovation and extension work. Lee will tell you if a different or smaller job would serve you better.
What is the difference between plastering and skimming?
Skimming is the thin finish coat, usually two or three millimetres, laid over a background that is already sound and flat. Full plastering means building the wall back up first with a backing coat before that finish goes on. Most jobs in occupied homes are skims. Lee will tell you which one your wall actually needs when he looks at it.
Can you skim straight over artex?
Usually yes. The peaks get knocked off, the surface is sealed with a bonding primer and then it is skimmed flat. Where the artex is thick, badly cracked or already parting from the ceiling, overboarding first is the honest answer, because a skim is only ever as sound as what it is stuck to.
Do I need to take the wallpaper off first?
It needs to come off, but you do not have to be the one to do it. If it is already stripped that saves time and cost. If not, Lee will price the stripping in. What is not an option is skimming over paper, because the paste behind it lets go and takes the new plaster with it.
Do you take on single rooms in Ramsbottom?
Yes. Being a short local run means single rooms and small repairs are perfectly viable rather than needing to be bundled into something larger.
Can you do coving in a period Ramsbottom cottage?
Yes, including matching an original profile where a surviving run exists to copy from. It goes on after the plastering and before the decorating, which is the order that saves you making good fresh paintwork.
Do you cover Ramsbottom even though it is in Greater Manchester?
Yes. It is straight down the same valley from base on the A56, so it is a short local run rather than a trip out of area. The county boundary makes no practical difference.
Looking for something else in this town? See everything Lee does in Ramsbottom.
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Plastering In Ramsbottom?
Tell Lee what needs doing and where in Ramsbottom you are, and you will get an honest figure back, usually the same day. Free, no obligation, no call-out charge.