Kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely

Why kitchen plastering and decorating for an Ely home?

Once the old kitchen is out in an Ely home, the walls behind it are often patched, chased and uneven, and a skim gives the new units a sound surface.

After a knock-through in an Ely home, the new opening, beam and surrounding walls need plastering before the new kitchen goes in, then decorating once the plaster has dried. Homes right across Ely are covered, as are nearby places such as Newmarket, March and the villages in between.

What we cover for kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely

After the survey visit we write the scope down. For kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely it usually covers:

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
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
Walls re-boarded or skimmed so units and tiles fix to a flat surface
Edges around units, worktops and splashbacks cut in neatly at the end

Guide prices for kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely

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

Guide prices for kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely
Typical project	Guide price
Skim kitchen walls and ceiling over sound plasterPrepared and skimmed	£380–£860
Hack off, re-board and skim a kitchenOld plaster removed back to the wall	£970–£1,900
Kitchen decoratedWalls, ceiling and woodwork	£430–£1,300

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%.

What kind of kitchens do we fit in Ely?

In and around Ely, homes range across Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estate houses and fenland bungalows and farmhouses. Terraced houses in Cambridge and Peterborough often have a narrow galley at the back, while Fen bungalows tend to have a simple square kitchen beside the living room.

Water across Cambridgeshire is very hard, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common and a filter or softener is worth thinking about. Fen roads and farm tracks can be narrow for delivery lorries, and city-centre terraces often have permit parking and no rear access for long worktops.

Regulations for kitchen work in Ely

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.

Listed houses in historic centres such as Cambridge and Ely may need consent for internal changes or a new vent, although a straightforward kitchen fit needs no planning permission.

Planning ahead

Photograph the walls of your Ely kitchen before plastering, showing where cables and pipes run, so you know where not to drill when fitting shelves later.
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.
Keep a small tin of each paint used in your Ely kitchen, labelled with the colour and finish, for touching up marks around handles and the bin.
Fresh plaster usually needs three to six weeks to dry fully, so plan for a mist coat first and the final colour once it has dried.

Questions about kitchen plastering and decorating in Ely

How much does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Ely?

For skimming the walls and ceiling over sound plaster, budget around £380 to £860 including VAT in Ely. That reflects typical costs in the East of England; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.

Do you cover all of Ely?

Yes. We work across Ely, including the CB7 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Newmarket and March. Book a free survey visit and we will arrange a time that suits you.

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.

Do I need to replaster after removing kitchen tiles?

Usually, at least in places. Taking tiles off often pulls away the plaster skin or leaves adhesive ridges, so the wall may need skimming, patching or, where the plaster has come loose, hacking off and re-boarding. If you are retiling the same area, a flat, sound surface may be enough without a full skim. We check this once the tiles are off.

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.

Nearby places we cover

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