Cost guide
How much does re-plastering after damp cost?
Re-plastering after damp treatment costs £40 to £70 per square metre including hacking off, salt retardant render and a skim. A typical single wall is £450 to £900. The damp treatment itself and the drying time are separate.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your room.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Hack off, render and skim, per m² | £40 to £70 |
| Typical single wall | £450 to £900 |
| Whole room, four walls to a metre | £900 to £1,800 |
| Lime replastering on a solid wall, per m² | £60 to £110 |
| Tanking a cellar wall, per m² | £70 to £120 |
Do not let anybody replaster until the wall is dry and the cause is fixed. A rendered wall looks finished and takes months to prove that it is not.
What moves the price
- How high the plaster has to come off, which is set by the salt staining rather than by the damp line.
- Whether it is a cement render system or a lime one, which is decided by the age and construction of the wall.
- Drying time between the render and the skim, which is not optional and lengthens the job.
- Skirting, sockets and radiators that have to come off and go back.
- Waste removal, because hacked-off plaster is heavy.
What the money buys: hacking off to a metre above the highest salt staining.
Who quotes for it
Questions about re-plastering after damp
How long before I can decorate?
The render needs weeks rather than days before the skim, and the skim needs its own drying time after that. Budget two to three months from hack-off to a finish coat of paint, longer in winter.
My house is Victorian. Is this the right treatment?
Often not. Solid walls built before about 1919 have no cavity and are designed to let moisture evaporate. A cement render with a waterproofer seals that route and pushes the moisture elsewhere. On those walls the answer is usually lime.