Plastering services in Shropshire
Lime plastering for Shropshire's older properties
Traditional buildings need materials that work with how they were built. Where lime is appropriate, a compatible build-up supports moisture movement and preserves the character of an older interior.
About 60 seconds · Photos optional · No obligation
Shropshire has a lot of stone, brick, timber-framed and solid-walled buildings, and a lot of them have at some point been given a modern gypsum or cement finish. The symptoms follow a familiar pattern: blown patches, salt bloom, decoration failing at low level, and damp that seems to move around. The wall is not faulty — it is behaving exactly as a solid wall does when something impermeable has been put on it.
That said, lime is a specification, not a fashion. It is right where the substrate and the building suit it. Applying it because it sounds appropriate for an old house, without understanding the wall build-up, previous repairs, salts, moisture sources and exposure, is its own kind of mistake.
This is the service where a photograph is least likely to be enough. Photos are genuinely useful for the first conversation and for routing the enquiry to someone who does this work properly, but a dependable price for traditional plastering needs the building looked at. We would rather say that up front than give you a number that changes on day one.
When lime is worth asking about
- Solid-walled properties built before roughly 1919
- Timber-framed buildings with lath or riven-lath backgrounds
- Stone cottages and farm buildings
- Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas
- Walls where a modern plaster or render has blown or is showing salts
- Repairs to existing lime plaster that is largely sound
What changes the price
- The substrate: stone, brick, cob, lath or a mixture across one wall
- How much unsuitable modern material has to be removed first
- The number of coats, and the curing time between them
- Whether hair-reinforced or specific lime types are specified
- Salt contamination and moisture sources that need resolving first
- Conservation or listed building requirements
- Season and drying conditions — lime does not work to a rushed programme
Lime and period-property plastering: common questions
Why can I not just use normal plaster on an old wall?
You can, and plenty of people have, which is why so many old houses have blown patches and salt staining at skirting level. A solid wall handles moisture by letting it move through and evaporate. A dense, impermeable finish stops that, so the moisture goes somewhere else — usually into the wall, the timber, or out through your decoration.
Is lime plaster always right for a period property?
No. It is right where the building and substrate suit it. That judgement needs the wall build-up, moisture sources, previous repairs and salt contamination assessed in person. Anyone promising lime as the answer before seeing the building is guessing.
How long does lime plaster take?
Longer than gypsum, and that is inherent to the material rather than a scheduling problem. Coats need time to cure before the next goes on, and the finished work needs time before decoration. If you have a fixed deadline, raise it at the enquiry stage so it can be planned around honestly.
Can I decorate lime plaster normally?
Not with standard modern emulsion, generally. A breathable paint system — limewash, clay or a suitable mineral paint — keeps the wall working as intended. Sealing new lime with a plastic-based paint undoes much of the point of using it.