Plastering & Rendering · Manchester & Greater Manchester
Plasterers & Renderers
In Manchester — Flat
Walls, Tight Finishes.
Skim finishes, full replasters, dry-lining and modern silicone render systems across Greater Manchester. Walls that look flat under a raking light, render that doesn't crack on the second winter.
FMB Member · Fully Insured (£2m PL & EL) · Fixed Written Quotes
Service Overview
Plastering & Rendering —
The Brief, In Plain English.
What It Is
Internal plastering covers skim coats over existing plaster or fresh boards, full replasters where old lime or gypsum has blown, dry-lining (plasterboard on dabs or studs) for new walls, and float-and-set on freshly built masonry. External rendering covers traditional sand-and-cement render, modern silicone and silicone-silicate through-coloured systems on insulated or solid substrates, and pebbledash and rough-cast finishes.
Who It's For
Homeowners replastering ceilings or rooms during a refurbishment; extension and loft conversion clients needing skim across new boards; landlords prepping properties to let; property developers needing render across multi-unit schemes; clients refreshing tired pebbledash or cracked render with a modern through-coloured silicone system.
When You Need It
Internally — after first fix electrics and plumbing, before second fix and decoration. Whenever plaster has blown (sounds hollow when tapped) or cracked badly. Externally — when render has cracked, debonded or stained beyond paint repair, or as part of a full external wall insulation upgrade.
Why It Matters
Plaster is what your eye sees. A 2mm bow shows up under a wall light. A render crack lets water into the substrate and triggers internal damp. The trade is fast for someone time-served and slow for everyone else — the difference between an apprentice doing it and a plasterer who's done 20,000 ceilings is visible from the doorway.
What Happens If You Wait
The Cost Of
Doing Nothing.
Bad plaster and bad render are two of the most expensive things to put right because they sit on top of every other trade. Replacing them means stripping back, redoing first fix, redecorating — multiplying the original cost by three or four.
Risks Of Ignoring It
- →Plaster blowing within a year — moisture trapped in old substrate, wrong PVA dilution, or skim laid too thick.
- →Hairline cracks across new ceilings — bad joint reinforcement on plasterboard, or skim feathered thin.
- →External render cracking on the south elevation — wrong mix, no movement beads, or laid on a frosty morning.
- →Damp blooming through render to the inside wall — water bridging a missed bell-cast or stop-bead detail.
- →Pebbledash dropping off in patches — original substrate failing, fresh coat applied over loose material instead of being hacked off.
Common Mistakes Customers Make
- ×Letting a labourer skim over old wallpaper or loose paint — guarantees the new plaster falls off.
- ×Choosing cement render over an insulated substrate without the right primer and mesh coat — system fails cohesively.
- ×Painting render with masonry paint that doesn't breathe — traps moisture, blows the render face off.
- ×Hiring the cheapest renderer for an EWI or silicone job — the manufacturer's warranty depends on a certified installer, lose the warranty, lose the system.
Our Process
First Call To
Final Sign-Off.
01
Survey & Substrate Check
We tap-test existing plaster, check for damp, identify substrate, and recommend skim, replaster or dry-line. For render, we check substrate condition and movement joints.
02
Fixed Written Quote
Itemised — area, prep, materials, beads, scaffold (external). PC sums on render colour where you're choosing later.
03
Prep & Beading
Old plaster hacked off where needed, surfaces dusted and PVA'd, beads (corner, stop, bell-cast) installed. Substrate primed where the system requires it.
04
Float & Set / Render Coats
Browning or bonding coat where required, two-coat skim trowelled flat. External render: base coat with mesh, primer, top coat through-coloured or finished as specified.
05
Clean & Sign-Off
Floors and frames protected throughout, swept clean on handover, walked round with you. 12-month workmanship guarantee starts.
Credentials
What Stands
Behind The Work.
Fully Insured
£2m public liability and £2m employers' liability cover.
FMB Members
Federation of Master Builders — verified profile.
Structural Work In-House
Carried out by Ultra Build's own team — not subcontracted out.
Garden & External Works
Handled in-house alongside the main build.
NAPIT-Registered Electricians
Electrical work carried out by our NAPIT-registered specialist subcontractors, with certification on completion.
Gas Safe-Registered Engineers
Gas work carried out by our Gas Safe-registered specialist subcontractors, with certification on completion.
The Team
Around 7 full-time staff, and 20+ including long-standing subcontractors we've worked with for 5+ years.
Why It's Worth It
What You
Actually Get.
Flat Under A Raking Light
Two-coat skim trowelled to a polished finish — no rolls, no shadow lines, paints true without endless skim repairs.
No Blow-Backs
Substrate prepped properly — sealed where dusty, hacked off where loose, PVA at correct dilution. The plaster bonds and stays.
Render That Survives Winter
Modern silicone systems on properly prepared and beaded substrate — breathable, self-cleaning, won't crack on the third hot summer.
Manufacturer-Backed Warranties
Certified installers for K-Rend, Weber, Parex and Wetherby systems — manufacturer's warranty registered in your name.
Clean Daily Site
Floors sheeted, frames masked, dust extraction where needed. You can move back into a skimmed room within 48 hours of last coat.
Workmanship Guarantee
Written Into
The Contract.
Every Ultra Build Northwest contract carries a workmanship guarantee in writing. It covers defects with the structural build and plumbing issues such as faulty fittings — not just a verbal promise.
10
Years
On Roofs
2
Years
On Extensions
Up To
5
Years
On Internal Renovation Defects
In Detail
Plastering & Rendering —
Every Variation Covered.
Materials, methods and the situations each variation applies to — so you know what you're buying before you buy it.
Working across
Manchester · Cheshire · Oldham · Salford · Stockport · Alderley Edge · Altrincham & Hale
Full Service Area MapSkim & Two-Coat Plastering
Two-coat skim over existing plaster or freshly boarded surfaces, trowelled flat with the second coat polished. Sets in 24–48 hours, fully cured in 7–10 days, ready for mist coat and topcoat after that. Standard internal finish for refurbishments and extensions.
Full Replasters & Damp Make-Good
Where existing plaster has blown — hollow under tap, cracking, bulging — we hack off back to brick, replace with sand-and-cement base or bonding coat, then two-coat skim. Salt-resistant render coat where rising damp has been treated, with appropriate membrane where specified.
Dry-Lining & Boarding
Plasterboard on dabs (most extensions, internal partitions) or on metal/timber stud framework, with jointed and skim-finished surface. Acoustic and fire-rated board specced for the application.
Silicone & Silicone-Silicate Render Systems
K-Rend, Weber, Parex and Wetherby through-coloured silicone systems — breathable, self-cleaning, available in a wide palette and grain sizes (1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm). Mesh-reinforced base coat, primer, top coat. Manufacturer's 10-15 year warranty when installed by certified team.
Traditional Sand-Cement Render & Pebbledash
Where the property style or budget demands traditional render — sand-and-cement scratch and float coats, lime renders on heritage properties, pebbledash and rough-cast finishes to match existing. Movement beads and bell-cast at base, stop beads at openings.
Residential vs Commercial
Domestic plastering is room-by-room with the client living in the house — we work clean and contain dust. Commercial plaster and render runs to a programme around occupier hours and is scaffolded and sheeted to access standards.
Questions
Straight
Answers.
Cost, timeline, guarantees, lifespan, emergency availability — the questions everyone asks, answered before you call.
Ask YoursHow much does plastering cost per room in Manchester?
+
2026 Greater Manchester pricing: skim a standard bedroom (walls and ceiling, prepped) £550–£900; full replaster of same room £1,200–£2,000. Per m² rates: skim £18–£28 per m², full replaster £40–£60 per m². Fixed itemised quote.
How long until I can paint new plaster?
+
Two-coat skim is dry to touch in 24–48 hours and ready for a mist coat (watered-down emulsion) at around 7 days. Full topcoat after the mist coat is dry. Heavier base coats need longer — we tell you on handover.
How much does rendering cost?
+
Sand-and-cement render £40–£60 per m². Silicone through-coloured render system £75–£110 per m². Pebbledash £45–£70 per m². Scaffold extra. Fixed itemised quote per elevation.
How long does silicone render last?
+
Modern silicone-silicate render systems carry 10–15 year manufacturer's warranties and routinely run 25+ years before any meaningful repair. Self-cleaning under rainfall, breathable, doesn't crack at the same rate as cement render.
Can you render over existing pebbledash or render?
+
Sometimes — if the substrate is sound and bonded, we can render over with a base coat and mesh. Where the existing is debonded or hollow, it has to come off first. We tap-test and tell you honestly before quoting.
Do you skim over wallpaper or artex?
+
Wallpaper — no, has to come off. Artex — we cover with bonding agent and a fresh skim coat as standard (no need to scrape, no asbestos risk disturbance on pre-2000 artex).
Do you guarantee plastering and render?
+
Yes — 12-month workmanship guarantee on all internal plastering. Render systems carry the manufacturer's 10–15 year warranty plus our 12-month workmanship cover, both documented.
Can you do plastering during a kitchen or bathroom refit?
+
Yes — plastering is sequenced into our refit programme as standard, between first fix and tile/install.
Do you do dry-lining as well as wet plaster?
+
Yes — plasterboard on dabs or stud, skim or tape-and-joint finish depending on the spec.
Do you cover Manchester and surrounding areas?
+
Yes — all of Greater Manchester. See service areas.
Next Step
Get Walls That Paint True And Render That Lasts.
Free site survey across Greater Manchester, fixed written quote — no obligation. FMB member, fully insured with £2m public liability and £2m employers' liability, Manchester-based.
Related Services