Other Services
Plastering, skim coating and cement screed works to improve surface condition before the final finish is applied.
Why preparation matters
Unevenness, weak areas and unsuitable substrates can show through a new finish. Preparation helps resolve visible defects and gives the selected coating or treatment a more reliable base.
Repair and levelling work for suitable wall and ceiling surfaces before decoration. Good plastering helps correct localised defects and creates a sound base for later finishes.
A thin finishing layer used to improve suitable wall or ceiling surfaces. Skim coating helps refine texture, address minor surface imperfections and produce a more uniform base.
Cementitious screed application for suitable floors or surfaces where levelling, falls or a raw architectural appearance is required. The intended finish and use are reviewed before work.
Self-levelling compound poured over an existing floor to produce a flat, even plane ready for tiles, vinyl, timber or an epoxy coating. It flows out under its own weight to correct dips, humps and minor falls that a trowelled screed cannot reliably smooth, and cures fast enough to keep a renovation moving.
Before work begins
Preparation requirements vary with the substrate, previous coating, moisture exposure and desired finish. A site review helps define the appropriate materials and sequence before a quotation is prepared.
Diagnosis first
Paint magnifies whatever sits underneath it. This is how we match the fix to the fault.
| Problem | The right treatment | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Hairline cracks | Crack filling + skim coat | Cracks opened, filled flexibly, skimmed level and sealed before painting. |
| Uneven or patchy walls | Full skim coat | A thin levelling layer over the whole wall, sanded to an even plane. |
| Hollow or damaged render | Hack off & re-plaster | Failed plaster removed to a sound base and rebuilt — patching over hollow render fails fast. |
| Rough or out-of-level floors | Cement screed | A levelled screed bed that readies floors for tiles, vinyl or epoxy. |
| New brick or block walls | Plaster + proper curing | Fresh plaster applied and allowed to cure before any paint system goes on. |
| Dips, humps or an uneven floor slab | Self levelling compound | A free-flowing layer that finds its own level, giving a flat base for tiles, vinyl, timber or epoxy. |
FAQ
What owners ask before the invisible work that decides the visible result.
Plastering rebuilds a wall's thickness and structure — used when render is hollow, damaged or missing. Skim coating is a thin cosmetic levelling layer over a sound base, applied purely to get a smooth, even plane for painting.
Once the skim has fully dried — typically a few days depending on thickness, weather and ventilation. We seal the fresh surface first, then paint. Rushing this stage is a classic cause of patchy finishes, so we schedule it properly.
No. Work zones are sheeted, doorways sealed and sanding is managed with vacuum-assisted tools where suitable. The area is cleaned at the end of every session, not just at handover.
If the existing coating is sound — we test adhesion first. Flaking or glossy surfaces are prepared or stripped before skimming so the new layer bonds permanently.
A cement screed is trowelled on and can be built up thicker, shaped to falls and laid over larger level differences. Self levelling compound is poured and flows out under its own weight to a very flat finish — better for correcting dips and humps before tiles, vinyl, timber or epoxy, but it is not designed to create falls or heavy build-ups.
Epoxy needs a level, sound, dry substrate. Worn slabs usually need repair and grinding; where levels are off, a cement screed creates the flat base the coating needs to perform.
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