What a full room skim is
A skim is a thin coat of finishing plaster, usually two to three millimetres thick, trowelled over the existing walls and ceilings to give a completely new surface. It is the go-to fix for rooms where the walls are covered in old repairs, hairline cracks, nail holes and dents, or where the plaster is sound but simply no longer looks good under fresh paint.
Patch Me If You Can skims rooms of every size across Nottingham and up to 30 miles around: box rooms and bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen-diners, hallways, staircases and landings. With 18 years of experience, we know how to get a flat, even finish in older homes and new builds alike.
When a skim is the right choice
- The walls have lots of small repairs that show through the paint
- Old wallpaper has come off and taken the surface with it
- A ceiling has hairline cracks or a textured finish such as Artex
- The room has been rewired or replumbed and has chases and holes everywhere
- You are redecorating and want a fresh start rather than another coat of paint over the problems
If the problem is a single area of damage on an otherwise good wall, a patch repair may be all you need. If plaster is loose or hollow over a large area, it needs to come off and be built back up before a skim.
How we skim a room
Protecting the room. Floors are sheeted, furniture is moved or covered, and sockets, switches and light fittings are protected or loosened so the plaster can run neatly behind them.
Preparing the surface. Loose material is removed, cracks are opened up and filled, and the walls are treated so the new plaster bonds properly and does not dry too fast. Metal beads go on external corners and window reveals to keep the edges straight and strong.
Two coats. The finishing plaster goes on in two thin coats, then it is trowelled several times as it firms up, until the surface is smooth and polished.
Ceilings first. In a full room the ceiling is usually done first, then the walls, so nothing drips onto a finished surface.
After the skim: drying and decorating
New plaster is dark pink when it goes on and dries to an even light pink. Allow around a week for a skim to dry before decorating, longer in winter or in rooms without much ventilation. Keep the room aired, but avoid blasting it with heaters, because drying too fast can cause cracking.
Bare plaster is very absorbent, so the first coat of paint should be a mist coat: emulsion thinned with water so it soaks in and seals the surface. Vinyl or wipeable paints go on afterwards, once the mist coat is dry.
Staircases, landings and hallways
Stairwells are the hardest part of a house to skim well, with tall walls, awkward angles and little room to stand. They need the right access equipment and careful planning so every wall is finished in one go. They are a regular part of our work and well worth doing properly, because a hallway is the first thing anyone sees.
Call 07877 353120 or send photos of the room through the enquiry form to arrange a quote for a full room skim in Nottingham.
