Choosing a Plastering Company

What to check before you hire

Choosing a plasterer involves more than comparing a price: check who will do the work, what evidence supports their experience and how you can verify their business details. Public liability insurance, relevant training, trade scheme status and completed jobs each provide a different kind of reassurance. None is a substitute for assessing the others, and membership or a qualification does not guarantee a flawless finish. Use the checks below to decide whether a plastering company has the experience and accountability your project needs.

Insurance and qualifications

Ask the contractor for evidence of current public liability insurance before work starts. This cover can respond to claims involving accidental injury or damage to someone else’s property arising from the business’s work; it is distinct from a promise to put defective plaster right.

• Request a current certificate or policy schedule showing the insurer, the insured business name, the policy dates and the public liability limit.
• Check that the insured name matches the person or company providing your quote, rather than an unrelated trading name or another contractor.
• Read the description of business activities and ask whether plastering, skimming and the specific work at your property fall within the stated cover.
• Confirm that the policy will remain in force during your planned work dates; an expired certificate does not demonstrate current insurance.
• If subcontractors will attend, ask whether they are covered by the contractor’s arrangements or must provide evidence of their own insurance.
• Ask the insurer or broker to clarify any wording you cannot interpret, including the limit and relevant exclusions, rather than relying on a verbal assurance.

A policy certificate is evidence of a policy, not proof that every possible claim is covered. Ask the contractor to explain how the cover relates to your job, and check unclear details with the insurer or broker named on the document. There is no single public liability limit that suits every project, so do not treat a particular figure as a universal legal minimum. Plasterers in the UK do not need a licence to carry out ordinary plastering work. A licence is therefore not a meaningful pass-or-fail test. Instead, ask about practical training and experience, such as an NVQ in Plastering at Level 2 or Level 3, or a completed plastering apprenticeship. These can show structured training, but they do not by themselves prove the standard of a particular person’s finish. Check that the qualification belongs to the person who will actually work on your property, especially if a business owner plans to send a team. Ask how long that person has handled jobs similar to yours and request references as a separate way to assess their work. A clear answer about insurance, training and who will attend is more useful than an unsupported claim of being fully qualified. Before booking, verify the policy details and match the named worker’s experience to the work you need.

Trade bodies and schemes

Trade body membership and scheme registration can offer extra checks, but they are not the same as a government licence or a guarantee of workmanship. Two names you may encounter are TrustMark and the Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors (FPDC).

• TrustMark is a government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home; look for registration that covers the relevant trade and type of job.
• TrustMark registered businesses operate under scheme requirements covering areas such as technical competence, customer service and good trading practices.
• The Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors is a sector trade body for businesses working in plastering and drylining, rather than a general licensing authority.
• Ask the contractor which organisation or scheme lists them, what their membership or registration applies to, and whether it is held by the business or an individual.
• Check the current listing with TrustMark or the FPDC using the contractor’s registered business name, not just a logo printed on an estimate or van.

A logo alone is not proof of active status: businesses can change names, let memberships lapse or display an outdated badge. Ask for a membership or registration number if available, then confirm the listing directly with the organisation and check that the address and trade details match. TrustMark status applies through its registration arrangements, so verify that the plastering work you are considering falls within the relevant registration. FPDC membership can indicate a connection with a specialist plastering and drywall trade body, but it should not be treated as independent approval of every job or as a guarantee that disputes will be resolved in your favour. Ask what current membership means in practice and whether the contractor can provide details of the applicable requirements. Use scheme status as one useful verification point alongside insurance, qualifications and examples of completed work; a credible plasterer should be willing to explain and substantiate the claim.

References and past work

Ask for references from customers whose projects resemble yours, rather than relying only on a list of general Plastering contractor reviews. A room skim, a ceiling repair and plastering over new board involve different conditions, so comparable work gives you a more relevant picture of the contractor’s experience.

• Request two or three recent customers’ references, with their permission to share contact details, and ask whether each job involved a similar surface or finish.
• Ask the customer whether the plasterer arrived as agreed, protected adjoining areas, communicated changes and completed the agreed work, not simply whether they liked the result.
• For photos, ask when the work was completed and whether images show the whole room, corners and edges as well as close-up areas.
• If you can visit a completed job, inspect it in daylight from several angles, including around window reveals, sockets and transitions to existing plaster.
• Compare the examples with your own project: a small patch repair is not equivalent evidence for skimming several rooms or plastering a ceiling.

Use references to ask specific questions: was the finish consistent across the wall, were cracks or uneven areas raised before work began, and did the contractor respond if an issue appeared after completion? A customer’s account is useful context, but it remains one person’s experience; compare more than one reference and look for consistent details. Photos can demonstrate the type of work undertaken, although lighting, cropping and the absence of a wider view can make flaws difficult to judge. A site visit can reveal how edges, corners and joins look in a finished room, but arrange it with the property owner and do not assume every customer will agree. Also check that the person or business named in the reference is the same one offering to carry out your work. Online reviews may help you find patterns in customer feedback, but read recent comments for details about the actual job rather than relying on star ratings alone. Treat a very cheap verbal-only offer as a warning sign if the contractor will not provide a written scope or evidence of insurance and relevant experience. Without written details, it is harder to establish what work was agreed or compare the offer fairly with another contractor’s. Before you commit, verify the documents, speak to a recent customer and review examples of comparable plastering.

Your consumer rights

UK consumer law sets standards for services supplied by a trader to you as a private customer. For plastering, those protections cover both the care taken during the work and, in many cases, your ability to cancel an agreement made in your home. The exact outcome depends on what you agreed, how the work was carried out and whether the contractor followed the required process. Keep the contract, messages, photographs and payment records together so you can explain what happened and when.

Reasonable care and skill

Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires a trader supplying a service to a consumer to perform it with reasonable care and skill. This is a legal term implied into the contract, even if your written agreement does not repeat it. For plastering, the standard is judged in context: the contractor should use competent methods, take appropriate care of the surfaces and carry out the finish you agreed. The law does not promise a flawless result in every room, but it does require professional work consistent with the contract and the circumstances.

What counts as a problem depends on the agreed finish and the condition of the walls or ceilings. Examples that may indicate poor workmanship include pronounced ridges or hollows where a smooth finish was agreed, loose or debonding plaster, or avoidable damage to adjacent surfaces. A hairline crack alone does not establish a breach: movement, a damp substrate or another underlying issue may contribute, and the cause may need inspection. If the agreement specified a particular finish, use that description when identifying the difference between the expected result and the work delivered.

If you believe the standard was not met, contact the plastering company promptly in writing. Describe each affected area, when you first noticed the issue and how it differs from the agreed finish; attach dated photographs taken in good light, including wider views that locate each defect. Keep your quote, invoice and relevant messages, and save a copy of your complaint and the response. Ask the contractor to inspect the work and propose a remedy. Unless urgent action is needed to prevent further damage, give them a reasonable opportunity to assess and put matters right before arranging for another trader to alter the plaster.

Under section 55 of the Act, you can require repeat performance where the service did not meet section 49, provided it is possible and can be completed within a reasonable time without significant inconvenience to you. The contractor must provide that remedial service at no extra cost. If repeat performance is impossible, or is not provided within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, section 56 provides for an appropriate price reduction; in some circumstances it can be up to the full price. Explain the remedy you are seeking and allow a practical time for a response. If the disagreement remains unresolved, Citizens Advice can explain options for pursuing a consumer complaint.

Cancelling a contract signed at home

If you agree a plastering contract at your home, it will normally be an off-premises contract under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. You generally have 14 days after the day the contract is made to cancel without giving a reason. The right can apply even if you agreed verbally rather than signing a paper form, so note the date and how the agreement was reached. Check the paperwork for the trader’s identity, the agreed service, cancellation information and any cancellation form supplied with the contract.

Read the terms carefully before sending a notice, particularly anything about when work will start and whether you asked for it to begin during the 14-day period. A trader should obtain your express request to start early; for an off-premises agreement, that request must be made on a durable medium, such as an email or signed document. If you validly requested an early start and then cancel, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for the service supplied up to the time you gave notice. If the service has been fully performed, the cancellation right is lost only where you gave prior express consent to the work being completed and acknowledged that you would lose that right once it was complete.

Send your cancellation as a clear written statement to the trader’s contact details in the contract. You do not have to use a model cancellation form, but it can help make your intention unambiguous. Include your name, address, the date of the agreement and a brief description of the plastering job; state plainly that you are cancelling the contract. Email is useful because it creates a dated record, while a posted letter can be sent with proof of postage. Keep a copy and any delivery confirmation, and send the notice before the 14-day period expires rather than relying on a later conversation or an unanswered telephone call.

Check whether the trader gave you the required cancellation information. If it was not provided, the cancellation period may be extended; where the information is supplied within the following 12 months, the period generally ends 14 days after you receive it. If the trader disputes your notice, retain the contract, your message and evidence of when it was sent, then ask them to identify the term or legal basis for refusing it. Where you requested early work, also keep the written request and any record of work already completed, as these may affect what amount, if any, is payable after cancellation. For a plastering job agreed at home, record the contract date and send a clear written notice promptly if you decide not to proceed.