Hollow plaster cut out and rebuilt, back to one flat, sound wall.
Plaster that has lost its grip on the wall behind is cut back to sound material, re-keyed and rebuilt in coats to the surrounding line, so the putty and paint that follow have something solid to hold on to.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What's plaster repair, and when does a wall actually need it?
Plaster repair means taking off plaster that's separated from the wall behind it and rebuilding that area in fresh mortar. We tap the surface to find every hollow patch, cut back to plaster that's still bonded, key and wet the background, then build up in coats and cure it before anything gets painted over it.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- Tapping the wall gives a hollow, drummy sound, or the plaster flexes under hand pressure
- Plaster has bulged, cracked away or fallen in patches, leaving block or brick showing
- A crack has opened along the line where an RCC column or beam meets the block wall
- Plaster was broken during chasing for wiring or plumbing, or where a fitting was removed, and needs making good
Something else comes first if
- Water is still reaching the wall, a leaking pipe, terrace or external face has to be traced and stopped first, or the new plaster blows exactly as the old one did
- The crack runs right through and shows on both faces of the wall, or steps diagonally through the masonry, that needs a structural engineer's opinion before any mortar goes on
- Concrete is spalling with rusted reinforcement showing through, that's RCC repair with rust treatment and polymer mortar, not a plastering job
What the service includes.
Sounding survey and marking out
We tap across the wall with a knuckle and a light hammer. Bonded plaster rings solid; plaster that has let go sounds drummy. Every hollow area is chalked out so the extent is agreed before anything is cut.
Moisture and cause check
Blown plaster is usually a symptom. We check for damp, white salt deposits and the junctions where an RCC beam or column meets block work, and tell you plainly what we find.
Containment and dust control
Hacking plaster makes fine dust and rubble. Openings sheeted, floors covered, adjoining rooms closed off, and debris bagged at the wall rather than swept along your corridor.
Cutting back to sound plaster
The hollow area is cut out to squared edges on plaster that's still holding, with the edges undercut slightly. Feathering a patch out to nothing leaves a thin lip that cracks off within a season.
Keying, mesh and bonding coat
Joints raked out, loose material and efflorescence brushed off, the background wetted so it can't pull water out of the fresh mix, and galvanised mesh lapped across concrete-to-blockwork junctions before a bonding coat goes on.
Rebuilding to line and level
Cement mortar built up in coats to a controlled thickness, each coat scratched to key the next, then ruled off to the plane of the surrounding wall and finished to match the existing surface as closely as it can be matched.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Structural crack stitching, and anything needing a structural engineer's opinion
- RCC repair where reinforcement is exposed or corroded, rust treatment and polymer mortar are separate work
- Tracing and stopping the water source; waterproofing is surveyed and quoted separately
- Removing and refixing tiles, false ceiling panels, sanitary fittings or joinery to reach the affected plaster
- Painting the full wall or room to blend the repair, we leave the patch cured and ready, finish painting is quoted separately
The sequence.
Inspection and sounding
We tap out the whole wall, not only the visible damage, chalk the hollow areas and photograph them. This is what decides whether it is a patch repair or the wall coming off entirely.
Trace the cause
A moisture reading, and a look at the terrace, the floor above, the adjacent bathroom and the pipe runs. If water is still getting in, we say so and hold, plastering over a live leak wastes your money.
Set up and cut back
Floors and openings sheeted and the area contained, then the marked plaster hacked off to squared edges on sound material, with debris bagged as we go.
Prepare the background
Joints raked out, dust and salts brushed off, mesh lapped over the RCC-to-blockwork junctions, and the background thoroughly wetted so the fresh mortar bonds instead of drying out on contact.
Rebuild in coats
Mortar applied to a controlled thickness per coat, each coat keyed for the next, then ruled off flush with the surrounding plaster and finished to match the existing surface.
Cure, dry and hand back
The patch is water cured, then left to dry before any putty or primer touches it. We walk the wall with you in side light and close out anything that still reads.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- How much of the wall sounds hollow once it is tapped out, which is nearly always more than the damage you can see
- The thickness being rebuilt, a deep patch has to be built up in coats rather than filled in one pass
- What the plaster is sitting on: block work, old brick, or an RCC face that needs mesh and a bonding treatment
- Access and height, ceilings, stairwell walls and external elevations need staging rather than a stool
- Whether the home is occupied, so the area needs containment, daily clearing and debris carried out
- Whether the patch is blending into plain emulsion or has to be matched into an existing texture or decorative finish
Plaster Repair — your questions.
How do you decide how much plaster to remove?
By sound, not by sight. We tap across the wall, plaster still bonded to the block rings solid, while debonded plaster gives a hollow, drummy note. The damage you can see is almost always smaller than the area that has let go. We chalk out the drummy zone, cut back to plaster that's still holding, and show you the marked-up wall before anything comes off.
Can you just fill the bulge or the crack instead of hacking it off?
You can, and it will come back. Filler and putty bond to whatever they're spread over. If that layer has already separated from the block behind, your repair is stuck only to a loose piece of plaster and lets go along with it, usually taking a larger flake next time. Where the plaster is hollow, it has to come off.
When can the repair be painted?
Not until it has cured and dried out. Fresh cement mortar shrinks as it sets and holds water well after it feels hard. Putty or paint over it and you get blistering, patchy sheen, salt bloom and hairline shrinkage cracks straight through the new coat. We cure the patch with water, then judge readiness by checking the plaster itself rather than by the calendar.
Will the patch be invisible once the wall is painted?
On a plain emulsion wall painted corner to corner, in normal light, it usually reads as one surface. Two honest limits. A repair can still show in strong raking light from a window, because no hand-applied patch matches the original plane exactly. And hand texture is hard to match, on a textured, metallic or high-sheen wall, plan to redo the whole wall, not the patch.
The plaster inside your flat is gypsum. Is it the same repair?
The method is the same, the material is not. Gypsum plaster is fine on internal walls that stay dry, but it softens wherever moisture reaches it, which is why it fails first on bathroom-facing walls, kitchen walls and external walls through the monsoon. We rebuild those areas in cement mortar and keep gypsum to the dry internal surfaces where it belongs.
Related services
- Waterproofing and ProtectionIf damp is blowing the plaster, the water has to be stopped before any repair holds.
- Interior Wall PaintingOnce the plaster has cured, the wall still needs putty, primer and finish coats.
- Wall Repair and PreparationThe other preparation a wall may need: crack filling, putty and levelling.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.