Price for plastering. Quote seems expensive to me.

[CrapBag]

We have had someone come out and quote for plastering (skimming actually so I thought it would be cheaper).

It's the kitchen, not huge but a semi decent size possibly 4x 3.5ish meters. This is rough. Also the solid plaster coving needs to come down and be made good.

Quote has come back at £665. We are not in the SE so prices here do the compare to the much higher prices up there. Is this a lot or am I being unrealistic in thinking it would be less than £500?

Yes, that does sound a lot.

Have they said how long it will take and given you a breakdown of labour/materials? I'm in the South East and would think anything over 200 day rate for a plasterer would be taking the p.

Seems a lot to me!

I'm in south east and would expect to pay £100 a day and kitchen could be skimmed in a day. Not sure how big a job the coving would be though so it could be what's bumping up the cost.

Is the kitchen a shell or does it have cupboards etc?

It will be a shell when the plastering is done. Kitchen gets ripped out, plasterer comes in and does his job then fitters come back and fit the kitchen.

I'm glad to hear i'm not being unrealistic with the price. The fitters told me it would take a day to day and a half to plaster so we are talking at over £300 a day! That is steep. I don't have a breakdown, I didn't think to ask. I am in the process of trying to get other plastering quotes so in future I will get the breakdown so I can 'see' where the money is going.

Their electrician quoted £450 for fuse board and light switch moving. I am getting it done for £340 from my friends BIL so it is something else that makes me think the tradesman they use are overpriced.

I recently had a fairly large attic done - 2-3 days work - including some base plastering before skimming. That was £280 including all materials

Mind you the builder thought it was cheap, & the guy doing it was a total flake who took nearly 2 weeks in the end because he kept not turning up

Is there a Facebook Buy & Sell page where you are? I often see posts on my local one asking for tradesmen for specific jobs. Might be worth asking

Yes, that's where I found the plumber who did my bathroom so i'm slightly wary. Am currently looking on mybuilder.com.

Just had some major work done to an old house with solid walls each wall had to have old plaster removed back to stone then damp proof membrane place battened and insulated board fitted this was then skimmed over. It cost about 1K a wall. So I think your quote for just skimming is a bit steep!
Ring round a few plasterers before you accept.

I've had a far more impressive quote for plastering than that... One day, two plasterers, seven ceilings, all for the princely sum of 1600 quid... I might become a plasterer if that's what they earn...

It sounds a lot to me.

Online recommendation is no recommendation. The advertiser may have paid to be listed, and may have written his own recommendations. Ask around friends and neighbours, and look out for people having work done. A few weeks afterwards, ask them what they think.

A few £hundred per room is typical.

My experience is 300-500 per room (top end of that being a large room) for boarding and skimming. Labour only. Bear in mind when you convert a fixed price to day rate is it one guy or two

Yeah that's a lot. We paid 325 for a kitchen plaster job which needed loads of filling not just skimming. Try another firm.

Other plasters I know (since having kitchen done) charge 240 a day.