Written by Mark Reid,
Trades Editor ·Verified 19 August 2026
Cambridge has a mixed bag of housing stock, which makes plastering work here a bit more varied than in newer towns nearby. You've got Victorian terraces around Mill Road and Romsey with lath and plaster ceilings that need proper skill to repair without cracking, alongside 1930s semis in Cherry Hinton and newer builds out towards Trumpington and Orchard Park where dry lining and skimming plasterboard is more typical. Damp is a recurring issue too, especially in older properties near the river in Chesterton or Riverside, so plenty of local plasterers also handle tanking and renovation plaster alongside standard skimming work. Anyone hiring in this area tends to want someone who's dealt with both old lime plaster and modern boarding, not just one or the other.
The businesses featured here are pulled from public business listings and ranked mainly by review rating and how many reviews they've built up, with a small lift given to those showing a working website and phone number. We also read through each business's homepage to check that plastering is genuinely what they do day to day, which stops general builders or unrelated tradespeople sneaking onto a page like this. Any listings flagged as permanently closed get removed automatically as part of that process. Where you spot a Trust Verified badge next to a business, that one has gone through our fuller verification, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history and registered company information. You can read exactly what that involves on our How We Verify page. For businesses without that badge, we'd encourage you to run your own checks before booking, since we haven't independently verified those ones ourselves.
Before you commit to anyone, ask to see photos of recent jobs, ideally something similar to your own, whether that's a full ceiling skim in a period property or rendering an external wall. Get written quotes from at least two or three plasterers, since prices for the same job can vary by £150 to £300 depending on how busy someone is and how they price materials. Check whether the quote includes making good around sockets and skirting, and ask how many coats they're applying and what drying time they're allowing, since rushing a skim coat is one of the most common causes of cracking and blowing later on. A bit of paperwork and a proper conversation upfront saves a lot of hassle further down the line.
How We Select & Rate The Best Plasterers in Cambridge
Businesses are ranked using public business listings, based mainly on review rating and review count, with a small lift for those showing a working website and contactable phone number. We check each business's homepage to confirm plastering work is what they primarily do, which keeps unrelated trades off this page, and we remove any listings flagged as permanently closed. Where a business carries a Trust Verified badge, it has additionally passed our full verification covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history and registered company information (see our How We Verify page for the complete list). Businesses without that badge haven't been independently verified by us, and being listed isn't an endorsement. Always do your own checks before hiring.
Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. Every other listing is ranked on rating and review count from third-party business listings. How we rank & verify →
Plastering work across Cambridge and the surrounding villages covers skimming, rendering and repairs for domestic and commercial clients. Cambridgeshire Plastering has built a strong local reputation, reflected in a 4.9 rating from 58 reviews. Jobs range from small patch repairs to full wall and ceiling finishes on renovation projects.
Kitchen fitting in Cambridge, carried out by Plaster.man Renovation, a local outfit that has earned a five-star rating across 38 Google reviews. The business covers the CB2 area and takes on kitchen installation work as its core trade. Straightforward in scope, it offers a clear point of contact for homeowners looking to have a kitchen fitted without dealing with a large firm.
Skimming and re-skimming of old plaster walls and ceilings makes up much of the workload at S.E Davey Plastering, based in Cambridge. The firm also handles bonding and rendering, catering to older properties where surfaces need levelling before decoration. Eleven Google reviews give the business a full five-star rating.
Plastering work across Cambridge is carried out by Cambs Plastering, covering skimming, rendering and repairs for domestic properties. The firm has built a small but consistent record locally, holding a five-star rating from nine reviews. Jobs range from single-room patch-ups to full replasters ahead of decorating.
A call to D.M. Wright Plastering often starts with a cracked ceiling, a damp patch skimmed over badly by someone else, or a room being replastered before decorating. Based in Cambridge, the firm handles this sort of interior finishing work, with a 4.1 rating from seven reviews reflecting jobs completed to date.
Transparency notice: Recommended and Featured listings are paid placements, so a business's fee affects whether and where it appears. All other listings are ranked by a combined score drawn from ratings and review counts published on third-party business listings, plus basic completeness signals such as a working website and phone. A Trust Verified badge means we have independently checked that business's documents; businesses without it have not been independently verified by us. How we verify →
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For a standard skim on a small room, around 3m by 4m, you're typically looking at £250 to £400 including materials. A full ceiling skim tends to run £150 to £250 per room, and rendering an external wall can cost anywhere from £40 to £70 per square metre depending on the finish and whether scaffolding's needed. Older properties with lath and plaster ceilings or damp issues usually cost more because of the extra prep work. It's worth getting two or three quotes, since prices between local plasterers can vary quite a bit for what sounds like the same job.
How long does plastering take to dry before painting?
Fresh plaster generally needs five to seven days to dry per coat in normal conditions, though this stretches out in colder months or in poorly ventilated rooms. Painting too early is a common mistake, it traps moisture and causes the paint to bubble or the plaster to blow. A decent plasterer will tell you when it's ready rather than giving you a fixed date, and they'll usually recommend a mist coat, a watered-down first layer of paint, before the full coat goes on.
Do I need to move furniture out before plastering work starts?
Most plasterers will ask you to clear the room as much as possible, or at least move furniture away from the walls, since dust and debris get everywhere during prep and sanding. Some will help shift heavier items for an extra charge, but it's best to ask this upfront when getting your quote. Covering flooring with dust sheets is standard practice, but it's worth checking that's included rather than assuming it.
What's the difference between skimming and rendering?
Skimming is the thin top coat of plaster applied to interior walls and ceilings to give a smooth finish ready for painting. Rendering is generally an exterior job, using a sand and cement or modern polymer-based mix to protect and finish outside walls. Some plasterers do both, but rendering often needs different tools and experience with weatherproofing, so it's worth checking a business has done exterior work before if that's what you need.
How do I know if my ceiling needs replastering or just a repair patch?
Small cracks, minor blown patches or a bit of flaking can usually be patched without redoing the whole ceiling. But if you're seeing widespread cracking, sagging, or the plaster sounds hollow when you tap it in several places, that usually points to a bigger problem with the lath or the bond behind it, and a full replaster is the safer long-term option. A local plasterer can usually tell within a few minutes of looking at it in person, so it's worth getting someone round rather than guessing from photos.
How should I choose between plasterers in Cambridge?
Start by checking recent reviews on public listings sites and look for consistency rather than just a high average, a handful of five-star reviews can be misleading. Ask to see photos of finished jobs similar to yours, and don't be afraid to request references from past customers. Confirm they hold public liability insurance and ask for proof, and check whether they're registered with a trade body relevant to plastering. Get at least two written quotes so you can compare what's actually included, not just the bottom line figure, and check whether call-out costs, materials and clean-up are itemised separately.
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