Walls levelled with putty, so paint has something true to sit on.
Plastered walls stripped back, filled, puttied and sanded flat, so the emulsion that follows sits on a true surface instead of following every trowel mark, hollow and ripple already in the wall.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What does wall putty do, and does every wall need it?
Putty is a thin levelling layer over plaster. It fills trowel marks, shallow hollows and surface pitting so paint sits on one flat plane rather than tracing the defects underneath. Not every wall needs it: a sound, already-puttied or gypsum-finished surface may only want spot filling and sanding. We decide that after checking the wall, not by default.
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
- The plaster is sound but uneven, with trowel ridges, shallow hollows and pinholes that catch the light
- New plaster has cured and dried and the wall is being finished for the first time
- Old whitewash or distemper is coming off and the wall has to be brought up to an emulsion-ready surface
- You want a matt, satin or low-sheen finish, which shows every undulation the wall still has
Something else comes first if
- The wall reads damp, or the plaster is still green from recent work, putty over moisture blisters and lifts, so the source has to be traced and the plaster allowed to dry out first
- The wall is out of true by more than a few millimetres, that's a plaster levelling job, and putty built up thick to disguise it will craze and sound hollow
- Cracks run through the plaster to the masonry, or are still moving, those must be cut out and repaired, and a moving crack needs an opinion before anything is skimmed over it
What the service includes.
Surface assessment and moisture check
We tap for hollow plaster, rub the surface to see how chalky the old coating is, and check moisture at skirting level and around any staining before agreeing that putty is the right answer.
Protection and dust control
Floors sheeted, fittings, frames, switches and sockets masked, and doorways sealed off, putty sanding throws a very fine dust that travels through a house otherwise.
Stripping back what won't hold
Loose, chalky whitewash and distemper scraped and washed off, and glossy or shiny old coatings abraded, because putty laid over a powdery layer comes away later as a sheet.
Crack and hollow repair first
Cracks opened out, cleaned and filled, and drummy plaster cut back to sound material, then left to set. Repairs come before levelling, never under the same coat.
Putty in thin coats
Applied with a blade in thin passes, edges feathered into the surrounding surface, corners and edges kept straight, and each coat allowed to dry before the next.
Sanding, light check and primer
Sanded between coats and finished with a finer grit, checked with a lamp held flat to the wall to throw up high and low spots, then dusted off and primed to seal the absorbent surface.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Plastering, and rebuilding areas where the plaster has failed, that's quoted as plaster repair
- Damp source treatment and waterproofing; putty is a levelling material and holds back no water
- Investigation of structural or moving cracks, or anything needing a structural engineer's opinion
- POP cornice, moulding and false ceiling work, and gypsum skim coats over new boards
- Deep cleaning of curtains, upholstery and adjoining rooms beyond clearing our own dust and debris
The sequence.
Inspect and test the surface
Every wall tapped, rubbed and checked for moisture. We mark which walls need full putty, which need spot filling only, and which need repair or replastering before we can touch them.
Agree the system and the coat count
Cement-based or ready-mixed acrylic, interior or exterior grade, and how many coats each area needs. It goes into the quotation rather than being decided with a blade in hand.
Protect, then strip back
Sheeting, masking and doorway sealing first, then scraping off old chalky coatings and washing the wall down so we're working on plaster, not on someone else's finish.
Repair before levelling
Cracks cut out and filled, hollow plaster cut back and made good, and the repairs left to set and dry. Putty over a fresh repair simply moves with it.
Apply and sand the putty
Thin coats, dried between passes, sanded flat with the surface checked under raking light. This stage decides whether the finished paint looks flat or looks patched.
Dust off, prime and hand over
The wall vacuumed and wiped down, primer applied to seal it, and a walkthrough with you under your own lights to mark anything that still needs another pass.
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.
- Measured wall and ceiling area to be puttied, not the floor area of the room
- How much old coating has to come off first, chalky distemper and whitewash have to be scraped back, washed down and left to dry before anything will bond to the plaster, which is slow, wet work
- How far out of true the surface runs, which decides whether two coats are enough
- Whether ceilings are included, since overhead work is slower and needs more protection
- Which putty system the substrate calls for, and whether it is interior or exterior grade
- Access, stairwell voids, double-height walls and anything above normal reach needing staging
Wall Putty Application — your questions.
Does every wall in the house need putty?
No. A wall that was puttied properly and is still sound usually needs only spot filling, a light sand and a wash down. Gypsum-finished surfaces in newer apartments are already smooth and are better primed directly than covered in cement putty. We check each wall, mark the ones that genuinely need full putty, and put that room-by-room breakdown in your quotation.
How many coats of putty will you apply?
Normally two thin coats, with a third worked into patches that are still reading low under a lamp. Thickness is not a shortcut, putty built up heavy in one pass shrinks as it dries and crazes into a fine map of hairline cracks, or stays soft underneath and hollows when knocked. The coat count is agreed in your quotation.
Can you just fill our cracks with putty?
No. Putty is a skim, not a filler. Pushed into a crack it bridges the gap without keying into the sides, and the crack reappears as a line through your finished paint. Cracks have to be opened out, cleaned, filled with the right repair material and allowed to set before any putty goes near them. Live structural cracks need a separate opinion first.
Is putty used on exterior walls too?
Exterior-grade cement putty exists and can be used where the wall is dry, sound and not taking direct driven rain. It is a levelling material, not a barrier, it won't stop water entering through a crack, parapet or seepage from above. On weather-hit elevations we often skip putty and go straight to exterior primer and coating, and treat the water source separately.
How much dust does the sanding make, and can we stay at home?
A fair amount, and it is very fine. We sheet floors, mask fittings, seal doorways to the rest of the house and clear the room at the end of each day. You can usually stay at home if we work one room at a time, but please move soft furnishings, curtains, electronics and open kitchen items out of the room first.
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.