Plasterer in Fulham for patching, cracks and wall repairs

Plaster repairs in Fulham's older houses

Many of Fulham's terraced houses date from the Victorian and Edwardian years, and plenty still have their original lime plaster on wooden laths. Lath is a row of thin timber strips nailed to the joists or studs, with plaster pushed through the gaps so it grips. After a hundred years or more, that grip can fail. You see it as a ceiling that sags slightly, a wall that sounds hollow when you knock on it, or cracks that open and close with the seasons.

Newer flats and the riverside developments around Sands End are a different story. Their walls are mostly plasterboard with a thin skim on top, so the usual problems are dents, screw holes, popped joints and damage from wall fixings. Both kinds of wall can be repaired well, but they need different materials and a different approach, so we always check what is behind the surface before mixing anything.

What our Fulham handyman can fix in a day or two

Most of the jobs we hear about are patch repairs rather than whole rooms. Someone has taken down a heavy mirror and left four big holes. A radiator has been moved and the old pipe runs need filling. An electrician has chased cables into the wall and the channels need making good. These are quick jobs when you have the right tools, and we bring them, and the result should be invisible once the room is painted.

Bigger patches take longer because plaster needs time to dry between coats. Where a section of old ceiling has come loose, the usual fix is to cut back to sound material, fix new plasterboard in place and skim it so it sits level with the rest. Skim means a thin final coat of finishing plaster that gives a smooth surface. If a wall is generally sound but rough, a full skim over the top is often the neatest answer.

• Filling holes from old fixings, shelves and TV brackets
• Making good after electrical or plumbing work
• Cutting out and replacing blown or loose patches
• Skimming over damaged or uneven walls

Cracks: when they are cosmetic and when to ask more questions

Fine cracks along ceiling joints, around door frames and where walls meet ceilings are very common in Fulham terraces. Timber floors and roofs move a little as the weather changes, and old plaster does not stretch. These cracks are usually cosmetic and can be raked out, filled and taped so they are less likely to come back.

Wider cracks, cracks that run diagonally from the corners of windows and doors, or cracks that keep getting bigger are worth more thought. We will tell you honestly if a crack looks like more than a plaster problem, so you can ask a surveyor or structural engineer to take a look before money is spent on making it pretty.

Damp, mould and old plaster

Plaster that is crumbly, stained or covered in salts is often a sign of damp behind it. Common causes in older London houses include a leaking gutter or downpipe, a cracked render, a blocked air brick or a plumbing leak inside the wall. Replastering without fixing the cause just means the new plaster fails too, and that is money down the drain.

We will point out anything we notice, such as water marks under a window or a gutter dripping onto a wall outside. Fixing the source first, letting the wall dry, and then patching it gives the repair a far better chance of lasting. If mould is the issue, better airflow and a mould resistant paint after the repair often help in bathrooms and kitchens.

Mansion block and conversion flats

Flats in mansion blocks and converted houses bring their own quirks. Ceilings are often high, so a scaffold tower or proper steps are needed even for a small patch. Walls between flats can be solid brick, old lath partitions or newer plasterboard put in during the conversion, and you cannot always tell which until the old plaster is opened up.

Noise and dust matter more when neighbours share the stairs. We mix plaster outside the flat where possible, cover floors and doorways, and clean up at the end of each day. If your building has rules about working hours or using the lift for materials, tell us when you ask for a quote and we will plan the work around them.

Landlords with rental flats often need a lot of small repairs done between tenants: holes from picture hooks, scuffs on corners, a cracked patch above a door. We can get through all of them in one visit, which saves you booking separate trips, and the flat can be painted straight after.

Textured ceilings and asbestos

Some Fulham homes, often flats that were modernised decades ago, have textured ceilings with swirls or stipple patterns. People often call this artex. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says asbestos can be found in any building built before 2000, and its guidance lists textured coatings among the materials that can contain asbestos.

For that reason we do not sand, scrape or drill into old textured coatings without knowing what is in them. If your ceiling might be affected, the safe first step is to have a sample tested. Once you know, we can talk about options such as boarding over or skimming, or you can bring in a licensed or specialist asbestos contractor where that is needed.

Getting ready for decorating

Plaster repairs are usually the step before painting or wallpapering. New plaster has to dry out properly before it is painted, and the time depends on how thick it is, how warm the room is and how much fresh air gets in. A thin skim on plasterboard dries far quicker than a deep patch on an old brick wall. We will give you a realistic idea for your job.

Fresh plaster also soaks up paint, so the first coat is normally a thinned mist coat that seals the surface. If you would like the painting done as well, we can follow on with that too. People in Parsons Green, Putney and Chelsea often book the plastering and decorating together so the room is only out of action once.

Common questions