Kitchen plastering and decorating in Guildford

Thinking about kitchen plastering and decorating in Guildford?

Some people in Guildford are keeping their units but want the whole room redecorated in a tougher, wipeable paint after years of steam and cooking marks.

If your Guildford 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. We work throughout Guildford (GU1) and across the wider Surrey area.

What does the job involve?

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

Ceilings skimmed or overboarded, after textured coatings in older homes are tested for asbestos
Ceilings, walls, skirting, architraves and door frames decorated to finish the room
Diluted mist coat on new plaster, then moisture-resistant, wipeable kitchen paint
Loose or blown plaster hacked off back to the wall where needed
Chases around new sockets, cable runs and pipework filled and made good
Walls re-boarded or skimmed so units and tiles fix to a flat surface

What does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Guildford?

These guide ranges include VAT at 20% and are adjusted for prices in the South East. We confirm your price in writing after a free survey visit. Labour in the South East generally costs more than the UK average, which lifts these ranges a little.

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

What kind of kitchens do we fit in Guildford?

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.

What rules apply to kitchen plastering and decorating in Guildford?

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 Guildford kitchen while the plaster dries, testing samples on the dried mist coat rather than on bare plaster.
Small hairline cracks can appear as new plaster dries; ask for them to be filled and sanded just before the final coats, not straight away.
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.
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 Guildford

How much does kitchen plastering and decorating cost in Guildford?

Kitchen plastering and decorating in Guildford 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 cover all of Guildford?

Yes. We work across Guildford, including the GU1 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Godalming and Woking. 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.

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.

Kitchen plastering and decorating near Guildford

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