Kitchen, diner and hallway plastering in Whitstable

The job

A homeowner in Whitstable needed a large open plan kitchen, diner and hallway plastered before the new kitchen went in. The plasterboard had been up for a while and had gone dusty, and the ceilings running through the space were finished in old artex. The whole area needed skimming out to a flat, even finish so it was ready for painting and for the kitchen to be fitted. It also needed a quick turnaround, as the kitchen installation was already booked in.

What we did

We worked through the kitchen, diner and hallway of this Whitstable home, preparing every surface before any plaster went on. The dusty plasterboard was sealed with PVA first, so the boards would not draw the moisture straight out of the fresh skim. The artex ceilings were treated with SBR bonding agent to give the plaster something to grip to, then over skimmed rather than pulled down, which kept the mess and the disruption to a minimum. From there we skimmed the walls and ceilings right through the open plan area and trowelled the plaster up to a smooth, flat finish ready for decorating.

Challenges

The start of the job was held up by the hot weather. Two days were lost to it, because plaster dries far too quickly in that kind of heat: it can crack as it goes off, and it tears when you come back to trowel it up. Rather than push on and risk the finish, we held off on those days and made the time back once conditions were right, still hitting the turnaround the customer needed for the kitchen.

The result

Four days on site and the full open plan kitchen, diner and hallway was skimmed out, with the artex ceilings gone and a smooth surface right through. The customer was very happy with the finish and the space was left as a blank canvas, ready for the painter and the new kitchen to go in. This was the third job we have carried out in Whitstable for the same customer, with more work already lined up.