Kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley

Why do people in Crawley choose kitchen plastering and decorating?

After a knock-through in a Crawley home, the new opening, beam and surrounding walls need plastering before the new kitchen goes in, then decorating once the plaster has dried.

If you own an older solid-walled house in West Sussex, the walls may have lime plaster, which is often better repaired with lime than covered with gypsum. Homes right across Crawley are covered, as are nearby places such as Horley, Horsham and the villages in between.

What is in a typical job?

Here is what usually goes into kitchen plastering and decorating, adjusted to your Crawley kitchen after we have measured it:

Loose or blown plaster hacked off back to the wall where needed
Chases around new sockets, cable runs and pipework filled and made good
Ceilings skimmed or overboarded, after textured coatings in older homes are tested for asbestos
Edges around units, worktops and splashbacks cut in neatly at the end
Diluted mist coat on new plaster, then moisture-resistant, wipeable kitchen paint
Free survey visit to check walls and ceilings and give an itemised quote

What should you budget for kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley?

Use these ranges to plan your budget. They include VAT, reflect costs in the South East, and are firmed up once we have seen your Crawley kitchen. Labour in the South East generally costs more than the UK average, which lifts these ranges a little.

What should you budget for kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley?
Typical project	Guide price
Skim kitchen walls and ceiling over sound plasterPrepared and skimmed	£400–£920
Hack off, re-board and skim a kitchenOld plaster removed back to the wall	£1,000–£2,100
Kitchen decoratedWalls, ceiling and woodwork	£460–£1,400

Guide prices are for a typical kitchen, with labour and standard materials for plastering or decorating; asbestos testing, structural repairs, damp treatment and lime plaster are not included and are quoted separately if needed. Prices include VAT at 20%.

Fitting kitchens in older and newer Crawley homes

Across West Sussex you will often find 1930s semis, flint and brick cottages, post-war new town houses and seaside bungalows, and each shapes the kitchen differently. Crawley's new-town houses often have a compact galley, while seaside bungalows in Worthing and Bognor Regis tend to have a small square kitchen beside the dining area.

Coastal flats may have no lift, and village lanes on the edge of the Downs can be narrow for delivery lorries, so the delivery route is checked at the survey. West Sussex has mostly hard water, so limescale on taps, sinks and boiling water taps is common and a filter is worth considering.

Do you need approval for kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley?

Skimming, re-boarding and decorating a kitchen in England need no planning permission or building regulations approval in most cases. In a listed building, listed building consent may be needed before original plaster is removed, and older solid walls may be better suited to breathable lime plaster than gypsum. Hacking an outside wall back to brick and re-boarding it may count as renovating a thermal element under Part L, so check with building control first.

Homes in the South Downs National Park, listed flint cottages and conservation areas such as central Chichester may need consent for a new external vent.

Tips before you start

If the house is listed or has solid walls, ask whether lime plaster is needed before the old plaster in your kitchen is stripped out.
Before final decorating in your Crawley kitchen, check that the new worktops and floor are covered, as paint splashes are much easier to prevent than to remove.
Pick the final paint colour for your Crawley kitchen while the plaster dries, testing samples on the dried mist coat rather than on bare plaster.
If your home was built before 2000, have textured ceiling coatings tested for asbestos before anyone sands, scrapes or drills into them.

Questions about kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley

How much does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Crawley?

Kitchen plastering and decorating in Crawley typically costs £400 to £920 including VAT for skimming the walls and ceiling over sound plaster, based on prices in the South East. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.

Do you work near Crawley as well?

Yes. As well as Crawley itself, we cover the rest of West Sussex and nearby towns such as Horley and Horsham. The process is the same wherever the kitchen is.

Should a kitchen be plastered before or after the units are fitted?

Before. Plastering is done after strip-out and first-fix electrics and plumbing, so new cables and pipes are chased in and covered, and before the base and wall units go in. Units then fix to a flat, finished surface, and the decorator only needs to cut in around them at the end. Patch repairs after fitting are possible but harder to hide.

What paint should be used on kitchen walls?

A moisture-resistant paint with a wipeable or scrubbable finish, often sold as kitchen and bathroom paint, suits most kitchen walls. It copes with steam and can be cleaned without marking. Silk or eggshell finishes are easier to wipe than flat matt, and woodwork usually gets a satinwood or gloss. New plaster needs a diluted mist coat before any of these.

How long should new plaster dry before painting?

Fresh plaster usually needs three to six weeks to dry fully before full decorating, depending on its thickness, the time of year and how well the room is ventilated. It turns from dark to an even, pale colour as it dries. A diluted mist coat can usually go on sooner to seal the surface, with the final coats applied once drying has finished.

Kitchen plastering and decorating in neighbouring towns

We also carry out kitchen plastering and decorating in these towns near Crawley: