Guide
How to choose a plasterer, and what to ask
Plastering is unregulated and there is no register to look anybody up on. That changes what is worth asking, and makes four questions do most of the work.
There is no register, and that changes the questions
Plastering in the UK is unregulated. There is no licence to hold, no register to be struck off, and no legal qualification you need before charging somebody to skim their ceiling. Gas work has a statutory register behind it and electrical work has its competent person schemes. Plastering has neither.
That is not a scandal, because bad plastering is a cosmetic and financial problem rather than a safety one. But it does mean the usual shortcut does not work. You cannot look somebody up, so you have to ask better questions instead.
What the accreditations are worth
TrustMark, FIS membership and the manufacturer approved-applicator schemes all exist and all mean something narrow.
TrustMark is a government-endorsed quality scheme across many trades. It is a genuine vetting process and it is also not specific to plastering.
FIS, the Finishes and Interiors Sector, is a trade body whose membership leans heavily towards commercial fit-out contractors rather than the sole traders who skim domestic rooms.
Manufacturer approvals matter for one thing: on a render system the guarantee usually depends on the applicator being registered with that manufacturer. If you are having silicone or monocouche render, ask about this specifically.
None of them is a substitute for the four questions below.
The four questions
Are you skimming or floating? A skim is a finish coat over something sound. Floating means building the wall up first and is roughly double the work. A quote that does not distinguish them is a quote that can change on the day.
What do you expect to find behind the wallpaper? This is really a question about whether they have looked. A plasterer who has tapped the wall and has a view about what is under the paper has priced the job; one who has not has priced a guess.
What preparation do you want from me? Most quotes assume a cleared, sheeted room. Knowing that in advance saves an argument and often saves money, because doing it yourself is free.
When can I paint it? The right answer names days and mentions a mist coat. An answer of next day means they have not allowed for the wall drying, and that is where paint failures come from.
Quotes, and what a real one looks like
Get three. Not because the cheapest wins, but because three prices tell you what the job is worth and one tells you nothing.
A real quote names the rooms and the surfaces, says whether it is skim or float and set, states what is included in preparation and making good, says who removes the waste, and gives a number rather than a rate. A day rate with no estimate of days is not a quote.
Be wary of a price that is far below the other two. In this trade that usually means they have assumed a skim where the others assumed a float, and the difference appears once the walls are stripped.
Deposits and payment
For a domestic job of a few hundred to a few thousand pounds, a plasterer should not need a large deposit. Materials for a room are tens of pounds, not hundreds, and the labour is theirs to risk.
A modest deposit for materials on a bigger job is reasonable. Half up front for a two day skim is not. Pay the balance when the work is done and you have seen it, and get a receipt either way.
Common questions
Do plasterers need qualifications in the UK?
No. Plastering is unregulated: there is no licence and no register. NVQs and CSCS cards exist and are held by many people in the trade, but neither is legally required to do domestic work.
Is TrustMark worth looking for?
It is a real vetting scheme and a reasonable signal. It is not plastering-specific, plenty of good plasterers are not in it, and it is required if grant funding is paying for external wall insulation. Treat it as a bonus rather than a filter.
How many quotes should I get?
Three. One price tells you nothing about whether it is fair, and two leave you guessing which is the outlier. If one of the three is far cheaper, ask what they have assumed about the state of the walls.
Should I pay a deposit?
Not usually for a domestic job. Materials for a room cost tens of pounds. A modest deposit on a large job is reasonable; half up front for two days of skimming is not.