Plaster Skimming in Co. Dublin
10 businesses offering plaster skimming across Co. Dublin.
Skimming is a thin finish coat, usually two passes of finish plaster trowelled up ready for paint. It is a finish, not a repair, and that distinction explains most disappointment with it. A skim follows whatever is underneath: a wall that is out of plumb stays out of plumb, and a bulge in the background is still a bulge afterwards, just a smoother one. Making a wall genuinely flat means dubbing out or floating it with a backing coat first, or dry lining over it, and that is a different job.
The background decides the method. Fresh plasterboard is skimmed directly once the joints are scrimmed. Bare blockwork needs a backing coat before any finish goes near it. Old plaster that is sound but tired can be skimmed over, but only after it has been tapped for hollowness, since skimming over plaster that has lost its key just adds weight to something already letting go. Suction is the other variable: a dry, thirsty background pulls water out of the plaster before it can be worked, so it is sealed or damped down first.
Then it has to dry, and in an Irish winter that takes longer than people expect. Fresh plaster goes from dark brown to an even pale pink as it dries out, and painting before that change is complete traps moisture behind the film and lifts it off later. The first coat should be a thinned mist coat so it soaks in rather than sitting on the surface. Ventilation helps and direct heat does not, because forcing it dry too fast causes cracking. Cost follows the area, whether ceilings are included, the state of the background, and how much protection and making good the room needs.
Plaster Skimming in Co. Dublin
A&D Plastering Contractor LTD
Swords, Co. Dublin
A&D Plastering Contractor LTD provides plasterwork, home improvement and repair services across north and south Dublin, handling both domestic and commercial projects. The company states it has 15 years of experience and a long-established reputation with many repeat customers. Services include all aspects of internal and external plastering, skim coating, rendering, patch work, dry and wet dashing, coving, stud work and metal partition walls, and slabbing with warmboard insulation. They also undertake insurance work. All work is guaranteed and fully insured.
AM Plastering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
AM Plastering offers a full range of plastering services, including skimming, sand and cement rendering, drylining, and internal insulation. Decorative finishes such as Venetian plaster, polished plaster, and microcement are also available, along with water damage repairs. The website describes each service in detail, emphasising smooth, durable results. Customer reviews highlight tidy workmanship, punctuality, and a professional approach.
Doyles Plastering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Doyles Plastering is a plastering company based in Dublin, offering a range of services for both domestic and commercial properties. The company specialises in external plastering, wet and dry dashing, external insulation, skimming, feature walls, rendering, internal plastering, dry lining, and ceiling coving. They serve the Dublin area, providing plastering solutions for various project types. The business is described as fully qualified and certified, and it is a member of certain associations, though specific names are not mentioned. Customer reviews highlight the team's professionalism, reliability, and quality of work, but these are not detailed here. The company encourages independent reviews and has a strong rating based on customer feedback.
Griffin Plastering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Traditional Lime, Historic and Decorative Plastering specialists, established in 2004 by Paul Griffin, a third generation plasterer. Also operates Plaques by Griffin for wall sculptures.
Lime Rendering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Lime rendering and plastering services specializing in heritage and conservation projects, including repair and restoration, sand and cement + acrylic rendering, skimming and interior insulation, and feature walls and ceilings.
Nolan Plastering
Swords, Co. Dublin
Nolan Plastering is a plastering company based in Swords, serving homes across North County Dublin. The team specialises in slabbing, skimming, stud partitions, soundproofing and fire boards, with a focus on precision and craftsmanship. They aim to deliver smooth, polished surfaces ready for painting or wallpapering, and create durable, well-structured partitions for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Their work covers new construction and renovation projects.
Peter T Carroll & Sons
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Peter T Carroll & Sons is a family-run plastering business serving Dublin, with a history spanning over three generations. They cover all aspects of plastering, from internal and external work to decorative plastering and internal insulation. Whether you need a whole house plastered or a small repair after a leak, they aim to provide a high-quality finish. They offer free, no-obligation quotes and will guide you through the process from initial visit to completion, leaving the site clean and tidy.
Plastering Contractors Dublin
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Plastering Contractors Dublin is a plastering firm based in Dublin, serving Dublin and surrounding counties including Meath, Offaly, Wicklow, Kildare, Westmeath, and Louth. The team handles both domestic and commercial plastering, with a specialism in new builds and extensions. Internal walls and ceilings are plasterboarded, studded (metal or timber), thermal boarded, lined or sand and cement, all with a skimming finish ready for painting. External walls are sand and cemented, K-Rend (waterproof external plaster), or given a wet or dry dash. Renovation works are carried out, from Georgian houses to modern buildings.
RPR Drylining & Plastering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
Drylining, SFS framing, plastering, and suspended ceilings contractor operating in UK and Ireland, with offices in Dublin, London, and Manchester.
WarmSeal Plastering
Dublin City, Co. Dublin
WarmSeal is a family-run plastering and external insulation business based in Balbriggan, serving Dublin and Meath. The company has been operating since 2007, with a focus on external insulation since 2011, and has been passed down through three generations. Services include external wall insulation, internal skimming, dry dashing, sand and cement rendering, and custom window sill selection. WarmSeal is SEAI-registered and a KABE technical advisor, and has worked on national projects such as DIY SOS. The team works on one project at a time, ensuring full focus and direct communication with clients.
Common questions
Will skimming make my uneven wall flat?
Not on its own. A skim is a thin finish coat that follows the shape of what is behind it, so a wall that leans or bulges will still lean or bulge, with a better surface. Genuinely straightening a wall means dubbing out and floating with a backing coat, or dry lining over it on battens or adhesive. Ask which of the three is being quoted, because they are not interchangeable.
How long before I can paint new plaster?
Until it has dried right through, which is judged by colour rather than by the calendar: fresh plaster goes from dark to an even pale shade with no darker patches left, including in corners and behind where furniture will sit. Cold, damp weather and poor ventilation stretch it out considerably. Painting too early seals moisture in and the paint peels, so this is the one part of the job worth waiting on.
Do I need a mist coat first?
Yes. New plaster is porous and pulls the water straight out of ordinary emulsion, which then sits on the surface without bonding and can be peeled off in sheets later. A mist coat is emulsion thinned with water so it soaks in and gives the following coats something to grip. Skipping it is one of the most common causes of paint failing on a newly plastered wall.
My walls keep cracking after plastering. Why?
Fine hairline cracking often comes from the plaster drying too quickly, typically where heat was put on the room straight away. Cracks that reappear in the same place along a line, especially at a board joint or where an old opening was closed up, are movement in the background rather than a plastering fault, and reskimming will only hide them briefly. Where damp is involved, the damp has to be dealt with first or the new plaster will fail the same way the old one did.
Looking more broadly? Browse all plasterers in Co. Dublin.