Kitchen plastering and decorating in Godalming

Why do people in Godalming choose kitchen plastering and decorating?

If your Godalming kitchen has blown plaster behind old tiles, hacking off and re-boarding is usually more reliable than patching over it, and gives the new tiles and units a firm base to fix to.

If you own an older solid-walled house in Surrey, the walls may have lime plaster, which is often better repaired with lime than covered with gypsum. Our Surrey coverage reaches every part of Godalming (GU7) and out towards Guildford.

What does kitchen plastering and decorating in Godalming include?

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

Ceilings skimmed or overboarded, after textured coatings in older homes are tested for asbestos
Loose or blown plaster hacked off back to the wall where needed
Walls re-boarded or skimmed so units and tiles fix to a flat surface
Chases around new sockets, cable runs and pipework filled and made good
Ceilings, walls, skirting, architraves and door frames decorated to finish the room
Free survey visit to check walls and ceilings and give an itemised quote

What does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Godalming?

Typical kitchen plastering and decorating prices for homes in Godalming, including VAT and adjusted for the South East. Your own figure depends on the size of the kitchen, the layout and what is moving. Prices in the South East usually run above the national guide, mainly because labour and parking cost more.

What does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Godalming?
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%.

Kitchens in homes around Godalming

The housing mix across Surrey includes 1930s semis, Victorian and Edwardian villas, detached family houses and new-build estates, so no two kitchen fits are quite alike. 1930s semis often have a narrow kitchen beside the dining room, while larger detached houses and Edwardian villas may have room for an island or a separate utility.

Surrey's water is hard across most of the county, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common, and a scale-reducing filter is worth considering. Private roads, long drives and village lanes can be awkward for large lorries, while town-centre flats may need lift bookings and parking permits for delivery day.

Building regulations, electrics and gas in Godalming

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 buildings and conservation areas in older towns and villages may need consent for new vents, and flats in managed blocks usually need the freeholder's consent first.

Worth knowing before the fit

Pick the final paint colour for your Godalming kitchen while the plaster dries, testing samples on the dried mist coat rather than on bare plaster.
Keep a small tin of each paint used in your Godalming kitchen, labelled with the colour and finish, for touching up marks around handles and the bin.
Photograph the walls of your Godalming kitchen before plastering, showing where cables and pipes run, so you know where not to drill when fitting shelves later.
Choose a paint sold for kitchens or bathrooms, with a wipeable or scrubbable finish; standard matt emulsions can mark easily near the hob and bin.

Questions about kitchen plastering and decorating in Godalming

How much does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Godalming?

Guide prices in Godalming are about £400 to £920 including VAT for skimming the walls and ceiling over sound plaster. The final price depends on the size of the kitchen and what is moving, and is set out in an itemised written quote.

Which parts of Godalming do you work in?

All of them. Our Surrey coverage takes in the whole of Godalming, including the GU7 postcode district, as well as surrounding towns such as Guildford. If you are unsure, send us your postcode.

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.

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.

Can a textured kitchen ceiling be skimmed over?

Often, yes, but have it tested first if the house was built before 2000. Some older textured ceiling coatings contain asbestos, so a sample should be tested before anyone sands, scrapes or drills them. If the result is clear, the ceiling can usually be skimmed or overboarded. If asbestos is found, follow the report's advice and use a specialist asbestos contractor.

Kitchen plastering and decorating in neighbouring towns

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