What James does, and how each job actually works
Three things, done properly, covering everything from a single blown patch to a full exterior re-render. Each section below explains what the work involves, when it is the right answer and when it is not.
Service 01
Plastering
The Brighton Plasterer provides full interior plastering across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns. James hacks off failed plaster, applies a backing coat to true up the wall, then finishes it flat and ready for decorating, typically within two to four days for a single room.
Most of the plastering James takes on in Brighton starts with a wall that has already failed. Blown lime plaster behind a chimney breast, a ceiling that has parted company with its laths, or a patch of crumbling render around a replaced window. The honest answer is that patching over the top rarely lasts, so the first job is always to hack back to a sound background and see what is actually there.
From there the work is straightforward and done properly. Bonding or browning goes on as a backing coat to bring the wall true and flat, dubbed out where the old building has moved. Once that has gone off, two coats of finish plaster are laid on and trowelled up to a hard, closed surface that takes paint without a hint of the patchwork underneath.
A great many jobs are the lighter version of that, and they are just as welcome. Where the wall behind is basically sound but covered in old artex, filled patches, wallpaper scars or forty years of layered paint, it wants a re-skim rather than a full re-plaster. Surfaces are stabilised and primed to suit how porous they are, beads are set, then two coats of finish plaster go on wet on wet and are trowelled through several passes as they firm up. That final trowelling is what separates a flat wall from a wavy one, and it cannot be rushed.
Older Brighton and Hove properties need a little more thought than a new build. Lath and plaster ceilings, lime backgrounds, solid brick walls with no cavity and the odd bit of flint all behave differently, and using the wrong material on them causes problems a year later rather than a week later. James will tell you when a wall wants a breathable lime approach rather than a gypsum one, even though it is more work.
- Full re-plastering, and a lighter re-skim where the background is already sound
- Hacking off blown, damp-damaged or artexed surfaces back to a sound background
- Bonding, browning and hardwall backing coats to bring old walls true
- Lath and plaster ceiling repair and overboarding in period properties
- Ceilings flattened and finished ready for a modern matt emulsion
- Everything sheeted up, and the dust and debris taken away at the end
Plastering where you are
Every town below has a page covering plastering and the property that is actually there.
Service 02
Damp Proofing
Damp proofing treats the cause of moisture in a wall, not just the stain it leaves. The Brighton Plasterer diagnoses whether the problem is rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation, then installs an injected damp proof course, tanking system or breathable re-plaster to suit the property and its construction.
A great deal of what gets called rising damp in Brighton is not rising damp at all. It is a raised external ground level bridging the original slate course, a blocked or cracked gutter soaking one patch of wall every time it rains, a failed pointing detail on an exposed elevation, or straightforward condensation in a room with no meaningful ventilation. Each of those has a different fix and a different cost.
So the job starts with diagnosis. Moisture readings taken at height intervals up the wall, a look at the external ground level and the rainwater goods, and a proper conversation about how the room is heated and ventilated. Only then is it sensible to talk about treatment, because injecting a chemical damp proof course into a wall that is wet from a leaking downpipe achieves precisely nothing.
Where treatment is the right answer, the work is done to last. Injected damp proof course through the mortar bed, the wall hacked back and re-plastered with a salt-resistant renovating system or, in older breathable construction, a lime-based one. In basements and cellars, a tanking slurry or cavity drain membrane depending on how the space will actually be used.
- Damp survey and moisture readings before any treatment is quoted
- Chemical injected damp proof course into solid and cavity walls
- Salt-resistant renovating plaster and breathable lime re-plastering
- Cellar and basement tanking, slurry systems and cavity drain membrane
- Straight answers when the fix is guttering or ventilation, not a damp course
Damp Proofing where you are
Every town below has a page covering damp proofing and the property that is actually there.
Service 03
Rendering and Exterior Rendering
Exterior rendering protects a building's walls from wind-driven rain and salt air while changing how it looks. The Brighton Plasterer applies traditional sand and cement, monocouche and through-coloured silicone renders across the Sussex coast, specifying the system around the property's exposure, its background and whether the wall needs to breathe.
Rendering on the Sussex coast is a different job to rendering twenty miles inland. Salt-laden air, sideways rain off the Channel and long spells of damp all attack a wall in ways a sheltered site never sees, and a render that would last decades in a valley can craze and blow within a few years on an exposed seafront elevation.
That is why James specifies the system to the property rather than fitting every job to one product. A solid Victorian wall that needs to breathe is a poor candidate for a dense cement render. A modern block build on an exposed corner is a strong candidate for a through-coloured silicone system that sheds water and keeps its colour without repainting. Monocouche sits between the two and suits a lot of Sussex housing stock well.
Detailing is what makes render last. Bellcast beads at the base so water throws clear rather than tracking back, proper stop beads at openings, movement joints where the background changes, and a scratch coat that is fully cured before the top coat goes anywhere near it. Skipping any of those is how you get the cracked, streaked renders you see all along the coast road.
- Through-coloured silicone and monocouche render, no repainting needed
- Traditional sand and cement render, floated, sponged or pebbledashed
- Render repairs, crack stitching and patching to match existing
- Coastal detailing: bellcast beads, movement joints, proper reveals
- Full scaffold arranged and coordinated as part of the job
Rendering where you are
Every town below has a page covering rendering and the property that is actually there.
Before and after
A full re-plaster, start to finish
Hacked back to a sound background, floated true and skimmed flat, ready for the decorator. Drag the handle to compare.
Service questions
Questions about the work itself
Practical answers on timings, materials, preparation and what to expect while the job is running.
What is the difference between a full re-plaster and a re-skim?
A full re-plaster means hacking off failed material and applying a backing coat to bring the wall true before finishing it. A re-skim is the thin two-coat finish applied over a wall that is already sound. Both are plastering, and James will tell you which one your wall actually needs.
How long does it take to skim one room?
An average bedroom or living room is generally a one-day skim once preparation is complete. Ceilings add time, as does a wall that needs significant making good before the finish can go on.
Which render system should I choose?
On an exposed Sussex coastal elevation, a through-coloured silicone render usually performs best because it sheds wind-driven rain, breathes and never needs repainting. Monocouche suits a lot of standard housing, and traditional sand and cement still has its place inland.
Do I need a damp proof course or is something else causing the damp?
Very often it is something else. Raised external ground levels, a cracked downpipe, a failed render detail or condensation all leave the same tide mark as rising damp. James takes moisture readings and inspects outside before recommending any treatment.
What are the three services you actually offer?
Plastering, exterior rendering and damp proofing. James keeps the list short deliberately, because those three are what he does day in and day out across Brighton and Sussex, and a short list done properly beats a long one done adequately.
Do you do lath and plaster ceiling repairs?
Yes, as part of plastering. A ceiling that is only cracked in places can usually be saved by re-fixing the loose areas. Once it has come away from the laths more widely, boarding over the top is the cheaper answer in the long run, because patching it will not hold.
Do you supply and arrange scaffolding?
Yes. For rendering and any work at height, scaffold is arranged and coordinated as part of the job and its cost is written into the quote from the start, including a pavement licence where one is needed.
What preparation do I need to do before you arrive?
Clear the room as far as you reasonably can, take down curtains and pictures, and move anything fragile out. Anything left is moved to the middle and sheeted. Wallpaper removal can be included in the quote if you would rather not do it.
Do you guarantee your work?
James stands behind the work he carries out and will come back if something is not right. Manufacturer guarantees on render and damp proofing systems vary by product, so ask about the specific system when you get your quote.
Can you do small repairs, or only whole rooms?
Small repairs are welcome. A single blown patch, one damaged reveal or a section of failed render is worth a call, and James will often group small jobs in the same area so the visit is worth making.
Not sure which one you need?
Describe the problem and James will tell you what it actually wants.