Service
Plastering and skimming
Good plastering is quiet. You stop noticing the walls. Luc skims, repairs and finishes walls and ceilings from his base in Upper Norwood, across Crystal Palace, Croydon, Streatham, Beckenham and nearby Surrey, and can decorate afterwards too.
Skimming walls and ceilings
A skim is a thin, smooth coat of finishing plaster over an existing surface. It covers fine cracks, old patches and tired textures, and gives paint a clean base.
It works when the wall underneath is sound. Luc checks that first. If it isn’t, skimming over it would be a waste of your money.
Repairs
Cracks, holes, blown plaster, damaged corners and patches where fittings have come off. Small repairs are filled and finished to sit flush. Larger areas may need cutting back and replastering before a skim.
After building work
New windows, rewiring, plumbing, a removed chimney breast or a knocked-through wall. Each leaves walls that need making good. Luc comes in after the other trades and gets the room ready to decorate.
Finishing over plasterboard
Where new boards are already up, in an extension, loft or partition, Luc can skim them to a smooth finish ready for paint. The aim is for new walls to sit naturally beside old ones.
Assessed, not assumed
Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, conversions and modern flats all turn up in this part of London, but the age of a house does not tell you what a wall needs. Luc taps for hollow plaster, looks at cracks and checks old finishes before suggesting a skim, a repair or taking an area back.
Textured ceilings or coatings of unknown age are not sanded, scraped or drilled until they have been tested for asbestos. Damp, leaks or structural movement need the right trade first. Plastering over the cause just hides it for a while.
Step by step
How a job runs.
- 1
Call or email
Tell Luc what’s going on. Photos and your postcode help.
- 2
Look and quote
A visit where needed, then a free quote in plain words.
- 3
Protect the room
Floors and furniture covered before any mixing starts.
- 4
Plaster
Prep, then the skim or repair, checked as it sets.
- 5
Dry and tidy
Room cleaned. Advice on drying before paint goes on.
Common questions
Can you decorate after plastering?
Yes. That’s the main point of Nova Coat & Plaster. Luc can do both, so one person owns the finish.
How messy is plastering?
Some mess is unavoidable, but dust sheets go down first and the room is tidied at the end of each day.
Do you do exterior rendering?
The focus is interior plastering. Ask about anything else and Luc will be straight about whether it suits him.
Do I need a skim or a full replaster?
It depends on whether the existing plaster is sound. Luc checks before advising, rather than going by the age of the house.
Can you skim over a textured ceiling?
Often, once the coating has been tested for asbestos. Nothing is sanded or scraped before then.
Where Luc works
Based in Upper Norwood, SE19 2AL, covering south east London and nearby Surrey, including Purley, Coulsdon, Kenley and out towards Banstead by arrangement.
Walls you can stop thinking about.
A call or a few photos by email is the quickest way to a free quote. If he can’t pick up, he’ll ring you back.