Skimming

Have old walls in need of attention?

Skimming is our most popular service across Moray and Aberdeenshire. It typically involves adding two layers of multi finish plaster the same day, resulting in an overall thickness of around 3-5mm. This is ideal for both old walls and ceilings that are beyond the scope of sanding and filling. The same approach is taken to skim over freshly plasterboarded walls to ensure flat walls/ceilings ahead of painting. 

Plastering/skimming vs tape & joint?

Although these terms are mistakenly interchanged they are actually two entirely different approaches to finishing walls ahead of painting. Tape and joint is a cheaper approach, whereby the tapered edges and butt joints of boards have a paper tape applied over them and then filled with a jointing compound. While the overall drying time of tape & joint is quicker than skimming, it does result in a weaker less durable finished wall/ceiling. Skimming has the following added advantages:

1) Ability to remove undulations due to less than perfect boarding
2) A more durable surface that will not be damaged as easily due to knocks
3) Less likelihood of screw heads popping through over time
4) Less chance of cracks appearing on joints of plasterboard
5) Better sound insulation
6) Less hollow sound of wall

Very often tape & joint is not an option for older properties where the walls may be composed of lath and plaster or the condition is not good enough that filling is a practical solution.  If this sounds like your property, send us a message.