Plasterer in Solihull

Solihull likes to call itself the “Town in the Country”, and that mix of town and countryside shows up in the homes we work on. In one week we might skim the living room of a 1930s semi in Olton, re-plaster a cottage wall in Hampton-in-Arden and board out a loft in Shirley. RCR Connections Ltd is a plastering and rendering company covering the whole borough, from Castle Bromwich, Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood in the north down to Hockley Heath and Balsall Common in the south.

This page explains what we do in Solihull, how the borough’s different kinds of housing affect plaster and render, when Solihull Council’s planning rules come into play, how a job runs, and what to look for when you choose a plasterer. If you already know what you need, skip straight to the quote section at the end, or call 07453 614095 / WhatsApp me on 07453 614095.

Plastering and rendering is all we do. The team has 62 years of combined experience. We don’t fit kitchens or build extensions. That focus means we can give you a straight answer about walls, ceilings and render, including when a cheaper fix will do the job.

Wall and ceiling skimming in Solihull

A lot of Solihull enquiries are for wall and ceiling skimming: a thin finish coat over sound plaster, plasterboard or a previously painted surface that is still firm. In B90, B91 and B93 that often means refreshing a living room after woodchip or lining paper comes off, skimming a newly boarded extension wall, or covering a textured ceiling so it can take a flat paint finish. Where the old plaster is blown or damp, a skim on its own will not hold — we check first and re-plaster or board where needed. For the finish-coat detail, see our guide to plaster coats and plastering and re-plastering walls and ceilings. Shirley jobs are covered on plasterer in Shirley.

Plastering and rendering services in Solihull

Below is each service we offer in Solihull, what it involves and where it tends to come up in the borough. If you’re not sure which one you need, send us photos and we’ll tell you.

Plastering

Plastering is the general term for building up and finishing a wall or ceiling so it’s flat, solid and ready to decorate. On bare brick or block that usually means a backing coat (a bonding or browning plaster, or a sand and cement base in some situations) followed by a finish coat. On plasterboard it means a finish coat straight onto the boards, once the joints have been taped.

In Solihull we plaster new openings after knock-throughs, rooms that have been stripped back during a renovation, garages being turned into living space, and extensions on houses of every age. The right backing depends on the wall. A 1980s block wall in Monkspath is a different job from the soft brick of a Victorian cottage, and we choose the materials to suit.

Skimming

A skim is a thin finish coat, a few millimetres thick, applied over a sound surface. It’s the job most homeowners mean when they ask for “plastering”. It covers hairline cracks, old filler, patched areas and the dents of years of picture hooks, and gives you a smooth surface to paint.

The key word is “sound”. Skimming over plaster that’s coming away from the wall just puts a nice face on a problem. Before we quote for a skim we tap the walls to listen for hollow, blown patches and check for damp. Where a wall is sound, a skim is usually the quickest and least disruptive way to get a new finish. In the interwar semis around Olton, Sharmans Cross and Shirley we often skim whole rooms that have had layer after layer of lining paper and woodchip.

Re-plastering and patch repairs

Re-plastering means hacking off old plaster back to the brick or block, then building the wall back up from scratch. It’s needed when plaster is blown, crumbling, contaminated by salts after a damp problem, or simply too uneven to skim.

Patch repairs are the smaller version: making good after an electrician has chased in new cables, after a radiator has been moved, after a kitchen or bathroom has been ripped out, or where a doorway has been blocked up. A good patch should disappear once it’s painted. That means matching the depth of the surrounding plaster, keying the edges properly and finishing flush, rather than leaving a slight bump you can see when the light hits it.

Landlords in the borough often ask us to deal with a run of patches between tenancies, and homeowners often ask us to follow on after a rewire. If the whole room is full of patches, a skim over the lot can be the better option. We’ll tell you which is sensible.

Artex and textured ceiling skimming

Textured ceilings were very popular in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and plenty of Solihull homes from that period still have them, from swirls and stipples to the “pebble” and “bark” patterns. Most people want a flat, modern ceiling instead.

There are two main routes. We can apply a stabilising coat and skim directly over the texture, or we can over-board the ceiling with new plasterboard and skim that. Which one suits depends on how deep the pattern is, whether the ceiling is cracked or sagging, and how well the old surface is holding on.

Textured coatings applied before 2000 can contain asbestos. Skimming over or boarding over normally leaves the old coating sealed in and undisturbed, which is why both methods are popular. If you want the texture scraped or sanded off, have a sample tested first. We won’t sand or scrape a coating that hasn’t been tested. Our guide to skimming over Artex goes into more detail.

Dry lining and plasterboard

Dry lining means fixing plasterboard to a wall or ceiling, either on dabs of adhesive (often called dot and dab), on timber or metal battens, or on a stud frame. The boards are then either skimmed or taped and jointed ready for paint.

In Solihull we board loft conversions, garage conversions, kitchen extensions, new stud walls and ceilings that need replacing. Dot and dab is also a good way to get a flat finish quickly on an uneven solid wall, as long as the wall underneath is dry. Where insulation is going in at the same time, for example on a cold outside wall of an older house, there are insulated plasterboards that do both jobs. On older solid-walled cottages we think carefully before doing that, because trapping moisture behind boards can cause problems later.

K-Rend monocouche render

K-Rend monocouche is among the most widely used through-coloured renders. “Monocouche” means “single layer”, although in practice it goes on in two passes. The colour runs right through the render, so it doesn’t need painting, and the finish is usually scraped back to a fine, even texture.

Through-coloured render is a popular choice on Solihull’s newer homes and on extensions where people want a clean, modern look. It’s also widely used to give older houses a smart new face, as long as the wall underneath is suitable and any planning rules are followed. We go into more depth on our K-Rend monocouche page and on our K-Rend monocouche in Birmingham and Solihull page.

Silicone render

Silicone render is a thin-coat finish, usually applied over a base coat with reinforcing mesh. The silicone makes the surface water-repellent and helps it stay cleaner for longer, because rain runs off rather than soaking in. It comes in a wide range of colours and textures and is flexible enough to cope with small movements in the building.

Silicone finishes are often chosen for houses near trees and gardens, where green staining can be a problem on ordinary render, and they’re the usual top coat on insulated render systems. Plenty of the leafier roads in Solihull fit that description.

Sand and cement render

Traditional sand and cement render is built up in coats and then usually painted with a masonry paint. It’s hard-wearing and familiar, and it’s often the right choice for repairs, for matching existing render on a house, or for garden walls, plinths and outbuildings.

It’s not right for every wall. On older solid brick walls that need to breathe, a hard cement render can trap moisture, which is why we look at the age and construction of the building before recommending it. On some of the older cottages in Solihull’s villages, a lime-based render may be more suitable.

Insulated render

Insulated render systems fix insulation boards to the outside of the house, then cover them with a reinforced base coat and a finish such as silicone render. They’re aimed at homes with solid walls, which lose more heat than cavity walls, and they also give the house a completely new look.

This is bigger work than ordinary rendering. Details around windows, doors, pipes, the roof edge and the ground level all need careful planning, and building regulations apply. In conservation areas and on listed buildings it needs particular care, and in many cases permission. If you’re thinking about it, talk to us early so the details can be thought through before you commit.

Render repairs

Render can crack, blister, go hollow or start to stain. Small cracks let water in, and once water gets behind render, frost can push it off the wall over a winter or two. Common causes include old render that’s simply reached the end of its life, render taken down over the damp-proof course, failed or missing beads at corners and edges, and leaking gutters or downpipes.

We repair patches, cut out and fill cracks, replace failed sections and, where a house has been patched too many times, recommend re-rendering instead. Getting a repair to match old painted render is usually straightforward. Matching faded through-coloured render can be harder, and we’ll be honest about how close a match is likely to be. There’s more on this in our guide to signs your render needs repairing before winter.

Free, no-obligation quote in Solihull: Call 07453 614095 or WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 with a few photos, or send us a message.

Solihull homes and what they mean for plaster and render

Solihull grew in stages, and you can often tell what a job will involve just from the age of the house. Here’s how the borough’s main types of housing tend to behave.

Older cottages and village houses

The historic centres of Berkswell, Hampton-in-Arden, Meriden, Barston and Temple Balsall have houses that are much older than the suburbs around them, including some timber-framed and listed buildings. Walls are often solid brick or have infill panels, and the original plaster and render are usually lime-based.

Lime plaster is softer and more flexible than modern gypsum, and it lets moisture move in and out of the wall. If you cover a damp-prone solid wall with gypsum plaster or a hard cement render, the moisture can get trapped, and the new finish may blow or stain. On these houses we look closely at what’s there before quoting, and where lime is the right answer we’ll say so. If a building is listed, even internal changes can need listed building consent, so check with Solihull Council before work starts.

Victorian and Edwardian houses

Solihull town centre and parts of Olton have some Victorian and Edwardian homes. Typical issues include lath and plaster ceilings that have cracked or started to sag, walls patched repeatedly over the years, and decorative features such as cornices that the owner wants to keep.

A sagging lath and plaster ceiling can sometimes be secured and over-boarded, and sometimes needs taking down. Taking one down is messy, so it needs proper protection and planning. Where a ceiling has a cornice worth saving, we can work around it.

1920s and 1930s semis

The interwar semis and detached houses of Olton, Sharmans Cross, Shirley, Elmdon, Lyndon and the edge of Sheldon are some of the most common houses we work on. They’re usually solid and well built, but many still have original plaster that’s been patched, papered and painted for decades.

Common jobs include skimming over lining paper ghosts and old filler, re-plastering chimney breasts where damp has come through, plastering in openings where a kitchen and dining room are being knocked together, and making good after a new consumer unit and rewire. Many of these houses also have pebbledash or painted render on the front, which often needs repairing or replacing.

Post-war and 1960s to 1970s estates

North Solihull, including Chelmsley Wood, Smith’s Wood, Kingshurst and Fordbridge, was largely built in the 1960s and 70s, and there are estates of a similar age around Shirley, Elmdon Heath, Hobs Moat and elsewhere. Typical features include textured ceilings, plasterboard ceilings with cracks along the board joints, and some houses built with non-traditional methods.

If your house was built using a non-traditional construction system, check what it is before planning any rendering or insulated render. Some systems have specific requirements, and it can affect mortgages and insurance. We’ll ask about this when you send photos.

1980s and later homes

Monkspath, Hillfield, Cheswick Green, parts of Shirley and Dickens Heath are mostly made up of newer homes. Dickens Heath in particular is a newer village, with townhouses, flats and family homes around its village centre.

Newer houses tend to have plasterboard throughout, often fixed on dabs. The most common jobs here are patch repairs where boards have cracked or been damaged, skimming over taped and jointed walls that have shown their joints, boarding out loft and garage conversions, and through-coloured or silicone render on extensions to match or update the original finish.

Planning, conservation areas and building control in Solihull

Most plastering inside a house doesn’t need any permission at all. Rendering can, depending on where you live and what you’re changing. Your local planning authority is Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. Here’s a plain guide, but always check the council’s own website or ask its planning team before you commit to work.

When rendering may need planning permission

Under national permitted development rules for houses, you can usually re-render or render the outside of a house without applying for planning permission as long as the new finish is of a similar appearance to what’s already there. Changing the look, for example rendering over bare brick or changing the type or colour of the render, may need planning permission.

The rules are stricter on designated land, which includes conservation areas. There, cladding any part of the outside of a house with render is not permitted development, so you need to apply for planning permission. Some areas also have an Article 4 Direction, which removes further permitted development rights. Flats and maisonettes don’t have the same permitted development rights as houses, and some newer estates have planning conditions or covenants that control materials. If your home is listed, you’ll need listed building consent for significant works, inside or out.

Solihull’s conservation areas

Solihull Council’s website lists 20 conservation areas in the borough, including:

• Ashleigh Road
• Barston
• Berkswell
• Bickenhill
• Castle Bromwich
• Granville Road
• Grove Avenue
• Hampton-in-Arden
• Malvern Hall and Brueton Avenue
• Malvern Park Farm
• Meriden Green
• Meriden Hill
• Olton
• Solihull
• Temple Balsall
• Walsall End
• Warwick Road
• White House Way

The council says that conservation areas come with restrictions on permitted development for minor works and that some may also be covered by an Article 4 Direction. It has a map you can search to see whether your property is in one, and you can contact its planning team at planning@solihull.gov.uk if you’re unsure. If your house is in or near one of these areas and you’re thinking about rendering, check first. We’re happy to provide product details and photos to help with an application.

Building regulations

Plastering and skimming inside a house don’t normally need building regulations approval. Rendering, re-rendering and insulated render can. Under the energy efficiency rules in Approved Document L, putting a new layer of render on the outside of a wall, or stripping a wall back and rebuilding it, counts as renovating a thermal element. Where more than half of a wall’s surface is renovated, the whole wall may need upgrading to improve its insulation, where that is technically, functionally and economically feasible.

In practice, this matters most if you’re re-rendering a whole elevation or taking old render off back to brick. Dry lining the inside of an outside wall can also count. Speak to building control, either Solihull Council’s service or a registered building control approver, before you start, and we’ll plan the work around what they need.

How a job runs, from quote to finish

Every job is slightly different, but most follow the same steps.

1. Photos and details. WhatsApp photos of the walls, ceilings or outside of the house to 07453 614095, with rough sizes, your postcode and what you’d like done. A short video walking round the room is even better.
2. Free quote or visit. For straightforward jobs we can often quote from photos. Where there’s suspected damp, a sagging ceiling, a large rendering job or a listed or conservation area property, we’ll arrange to come and look.
3. A clear written quote. You’ll see what’s included, such as preparation, beads, boards, waste removal and any repairs, so you can compare like for like.
4. Booking in. We agree a date. If other trades are involved, we fit around them. Plastering usually goes after first fix electrics and plumbing and before second fix, kitchens, flooring and decorating.
5. Protection. Floors, stairs, doors and furniture are covered. Outside, we protect paths, windows, doors and plants, and agree where scaffold or access towers will go.
6. Preparation. Loose material is removed, surfaces cleaned, beads fitted and the right bonding agent or primer applied, so the new plaster or render grips.
7. Application. Plaster or render is applied, flattened and finished. For render, that can mean several visits as each coat needs time to cure before the next goes on.
8. Clean-up and handover. Waste is bagged and taken away, the area is swept, and we talk you through drying, decorating and aftercare.

Getting your home ready

It helps if you can clear the room as far as possible, take down curtains, pictures and shelves, and tell us about anything fragile. If sockets and switches need loosening off the wall so we can plaster behind them, an electrician should do that. For rendering, we’ll need clear access around the house and somewhere to mix.

Drying times and aftercare

Plaster

New plaster dries from dark pink or brown to an even pale pink. A skim coat usually needs a few days to dry. Thicker backing coats, and re-plastered walls, need longer, sometimes a week or more, especially in winter or in rooms without much airflow.

• Keep the room ventilated. Open windows a little and leave internal doors open.
• Don’t put heaters right up against new plaster or crank the heating up to full. Fast, uneven drying can cause cracking.
• Wait until the whole wall is an even pale colour, with no darker patches.
• Paint with a mist coat first: a coat of matt emulsion watered down so it soaks into the plaster and gives the following coats something to grip.
• Avoid vinyl or “wipe clean” paints on brand new plaster, as they can stop it breathing while it finishes drying.

We’ve written a fuller guide: how long plaster takes to dry before painting.

Render

Render cures rather than just dries, and weather matters. Most render manufacturers set limits for temperature and conditions, and we won’t apply render in frost, heavy rain or strong direct sun if it risks the finish. That’s why outside work sometimes moves by a day or two.

Through-coloured and silicone renders don’t need painting. Sand and cement render should be left to cure fully before it’s painted with a breathable masonry paint. For long life, keep gutters and downpipes clear and working, deal with leaks quickly, keep soil and paving below the bottom edge of the render, and wash off green growth gently rather than with a high-pressure jet.

How to choose a plasterer in Solihull

There are plenty of plasterers in the area, and most homeowners only hire one every few years. These are the questions worth asking.

• Do they specialise? A plastering and rendering specialist will usually have a better feel for difficult walls, old houses and render than a general builder.
• Did they look at the wall properly? A good plasterer asks about damp, taps for hollow plaster and checks the ceiling is fixed before quoting a skim.
• Is the quote clear? It should say what’s included: preparation, boarding, beads, protection, waste removal and making good.
• Do they understand older houses? If yours has solid walls or lime plaster, ask how they’d deal with it.
• Are they insured? Ask about public liability insurance, especially for outside work and scaffold.
• Can they show you their work? Photos of recent jobs are useful. Our projects page shows some of our work.
• Do they explain aftercare? You should know how long to wait and how to paint before they leave.

What shapes your plastering quote in Solihull

Every job is different. These are the main things we look at before we quote.

• The size of the area. Wall and ceiling area for plastering, and elevation area for rendering.
• The state of the surface. Sound walls just need a skim. Blown, damp-damaged or very uneven walls need more preparation or full re-plastering.
• Ceiling condition. A ceiling that can be skimmed is a different job from one that needs over-boarding or taking down.
• Textured coatings. Skimming over Artex needs extra preparation, and any testing for asbestos is separate.
• The type of render. Sand and cement, silicone, through-coloured and insulated render systems all involve different materials and steps.
• Access. Scaffold or towers for render, high ceilings, stairwells, and how easy it is to get materials in and waste out.
• Extra details. Beads, window reveals, sills, corners, bellcast trims above the damp-proof course and the number of openings.
• Old render removal. Taking off old render adds labour and waste.
• Timing and sequencing. Whether the room is empty, and whether we’re working around other trades.

Photos are the quickest way to a free quote. Call 07453 614095 or WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page.

Solihull postcodes: B90, B91, B92 and B93

When people search for a plasterer in Solihull they usually mean one of four postcode areas. Davey and the lads cover all of them, and we turn up on site ourselves rather than passing the job on.

• B91. Solihull town centre, Blossomfield, Streetsbrook, Malvern Park and the roads off Warwick Road and Lode Lane. Interwar semis, later estates and larger family homes. Typical jobs: full room skims, ceiling repairs after leaks, boarding and skimming extensions, and making good after kitchen or bathroom strip-outs.
• B90. Shirley and the south-west of the borough. See our plasterer in Shirley page for the Stratford Road, Monkspath and Dickens Heath side in more detail.
• B92. Olton, Elmdon and towards the airport. Plenty of 1930s houses with old plaster and later rear wings that need boarding and MultiFinish.
• B93. Knowle, Dorridge, Bentley Heath and Hockley Heath. Period buildings around Knowle High Street need a careful eye (and sometimes lime), while the larger modern houses and the Victorian and Edwardian streets near Dorridge station take the full range of skimming, ceilings and extension plastering. We already cover Bentley Heath with its own page.

Knowle and Dorridge plastering

Knowle village has some of the oldest buildings in the borough, including timber-framed and listed properties in the conservation area. Solid walls, uneven surfaces and lime plaster are common there. We match materials to the wall and keep the gentle undulations rather than forcing everything flat. If a job needs listed building consent or a conservation plasterer beyond what we do, we will say so before you book.

Dorridge grew with the railway. Around Station Approach the houses are often Victorian or Edwardian, with high ceilings, cornices and sometimes original lath and plaster. Typical work includes ceiling repairs, making good after rewiring, skimming later rear extensions and boarding new loft rooms. Bentley Heath sits between Knowle and Dorridge and is mostly later 20th-century family housing: textured ceilings that need careful handling after testing, garage conversions and open-plan kitchen opens.

For a free quote in Knowle, Dorridge or anywhere in B93, WhatsApp photos and rough room sizes to 07453 614095. Outside work is on our rendering in Solihull page.

Plastering in the rest of Solihull: area by area

Every part of the borough has its own mix of houses, and that changes what we find once the old wallpaper comes off. These notes come from how each area was built, not a record of particular jobs, and we still look at every room before we price it.

Blossomfield and the town-centre side (B91)

Blossomfield Road runs from the town centre past Solihull station towards the college campus. Along it and the roads off it are interwar houses with picture rails, coved ceilings and original plaster that has been patched many times. Closer in, near the station and the centre, there are newer flats and apartments. These usually have plasterboard partitions, and cracks along the board joints are common. Landlords often ask us to sort them between tenancies. In the older houses we check whether the plaster is still keyed before skimming over it. If a ceiling has sagged away from its laths, over-boarding it and then skimming is often tidier than patching.

Alderbrook and Widney

Alderbrook, south of the town, is mainly mid-century semis and detached houses. Many have been knocked through downstairs or extended, so the job is often blending new plasterboard into old walls so the join doesn’t show once it’s painted. Around Widney Manor Road the houses are bigger, with tall rooms, long open-plan extensions and garden rooms. On big, unbroken walls and ceilings, good light and a flat finish matter even more. We plan the order of rooms so you can carry on living in the house.

Haslucks Green and Cranmore

Haslucks Green has bungalows alongside interwar and post-war semis. Bungalow loft conversions mean sloping ceilings, dormers and dwarf walls to board and skim. On those, the beads and angles take as long as the flat areas. Cranmore, between Shirley and the town, is mostly 1970s and later estate housing, much of it dry-lined from new. Typical work is skimming over tired or damaged board, garage conversions, and textured ceilings. With any Artex, we arrange testing before anyone sands or scrapes it, and bring in a specialist if the test finds asbestos.

Catherine-de-Barnes and Copt Heath

East of the town, Catherine-de-Barnes has older cottages alongside later detached houses, so it is worth checking what a wall is made of before it gets a gypsum skim. Copt Heath, towards Knowle, is mostly large detached homes, where kitchen extensions, utility rooms and loft rooms are the usual work. See our plasterer in Copt Heath page for more.

Davey and the lads cover all of these areas from our Birmingham base and do the plastering themselves. WhatsApp photos and rough room sizes to 07453 614095, or call 07453 614095, for a free quote.

Nearby areas we cover

We work right across the borough and beyond. These pages have more detail on specific areas:

• Plasterer in Shirley and Olton
• Bentley Heath and Copt Heath
• Dickens Heath, Cheswick Green, Tidbury Green and Hockley Heath
• Balsall Common, Berkswell, Meriden and Hampton-in-Arden
• Marston Green, Chelmsley Wood and Castle Bromwich
• Over the border: Hall Green, Acocks Green, Sheldon, Birmingham, Coventry and Kenilworth

For outside work, see our rendering in Solihull page. For everything we do, see our plastering and rendering services.

North Solihull and Castle Bromwich: different jobs again

Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst and Smith’s Wood

Solihull Council’s own history explains that Chelmsley Wood was built between 1966 and 1970 on farmland and woodland that Birmingham families once visited for bluebell picnics, laid out with footpaths kept apart from the roads. Kingshurst grew in the 1950s after its old hall was pulled down in 1962. Homes from these years range from brick semis to flats and maisonettes, and some blocks have since been replaced through the North Solihull regeneration that began in 2005. Inside, we often find early plasterboard with filled joints that have cracked, and ceilings with textured coatings that need testing before anyone sands or scrapes them. By postcode, Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst, Fordbridge and Marston Green are B37, while Smith’s Wood and Castle Bromwich are B36. B40 takes in Bickenhill and the NEC side, which has only a handful of homes. Smith’s Wood is much like its neighbours inside: mostly post-war houses where tired early plasterboard and cracked ceilings often need skimming rather than full replastering.

Castle Bromwich’s older streets

The old village around the grade I listed Castle Bromwich Hall has been a conservation area since 1980. Older cottages and houses there often have solid walls and lime plaster. We repair these with breathable materials, and we check with the council before changing anything on the outside.

After a rewire or new heating

Electricians and heating engineers have to chase channels into walls and lift boards. Once they’ve finished, we fill the chases, patch any loose areas and skim where the damage is widespread, so the room is ready to decorate. Booking us in straight after the other trades keeps the house upside down for the shortest possible time.

Larger Edwardian homes near the town centre

Larger older houses close to Solihull’s centre often have tall ceilings, deep cornices and a mix of original lime plaster and later patches in gypsum. When we repair them, we work out which is which first, because gypsum laid straight onto damp lime walls can fail. Where the cornice is sound, we protect it and plaster up to it rather than risk damaging the detail.

Selling or letting

Fresh, smooth walls make rooms photograph well for a sale or a new tenancy. A skim of the main rooms is often all that’s needed before the photographer arrives.

More questions about plastering and rendering in Solihull

Do I need to move out while you plaster?

Usually not. We work room by room where we can and keep dust down. If a whole house is being re-plastered, or a ceiling is coming down, you may want to stay elsewhere for a day or two, and we’ll tell you in advance.

Can you plaster a wall that has had damp?

Yes, once the cause of the damp has been fixed. Plastering over an active damp problem just hides it for a while. If a damp-proofing company has worked on the wall, follow any plastering specification they’ve given, because some treatments need a particular backing plaster.

My Olton or Shirley semi has pebbledash. Can you render over it?

Often, yes, if the pebbledash is well bonded. Loose or hollow pebbledash needs taking off first. We’ll check by tapping and looking for cracks. Remember that a change from pebbledash to smooth or coloured render changes how the house looks, so check whether you need planning permission, especially in a conservation area.

Should I skim or over-board my ceiling?

If the ceiling is firmly fixed and fairly flat, a skim is usually enough. If it’s cracked across, sagging, badly textured or uneven, over-boarding gives a better and longer-lasting result. We’ll tell you which we’d recommend and why.

Can new plaster go straight onto old lime plaster?

Sometimes, but it needs care. Lime plaster is softer and more breathable than gypsum. On sound lime plaster in a dry wall, a suitable skim can work. On damp-prone solid walls, a lime finish may be better. We’ll look at it first.

How long does K-Rend monocouche last?

Through-coloured render is designed to be a long-term finish when it’s applied properly to a suitable wall and the house is looked after. Manufacturers publish guidance for their own products. Keeping gutters working and cleaning the render gently when it needs it both help.

Do you work on new builds in Dickens Heath and Monkspath?

Yes. Common jobs include patching damaged plasterboard, skimming walls where the board joints show through, boarding garage conversions and rendering extensions to match the house.

Do you do commercial work?

We mainly work on homes, but we also take on work for landlords, letting agents, builders and small commercial premises. Send us the details and we’ll let you know.

Can you match the render on the rest of my street?

We can usually get close on texture and colour, especially with painted render. Through-coloured renders come in set colours, so we’ll show you samples. Weathering means a new finish can look slightly fresher at first.

When is the best time of year to render?

Spring to autumn is easiest, but render can be applied in winter on suitable days. What matters is avoiding frost, heavy rain and very high temperatures while it cures.

Solihull homes we plaster

Solihull runs from older village cottages to 1930s semis, post-war estates and brand new homes. Here’s where we work most, the homes you’ll find there and the plastering jobs that come up.

• Solihull town centre, Malvern Park and Brueton Park. Larger Edwardian and 1930s detached houses on the roads around the parks. High ceilings, coving and bay windows. Ceilings brought back flat and rooms replastered after a rewire.
• Olton and Elmdon. Rows of 1930s semis with bay fronts. Artex ceilings covered, through lounges finished after a knock-through, and new kitchen extensions plastered.
• Shirley and Monkspath. Interwar semis along the Stratford Road and 1980s and 1990s estates in Monkspath. Garage conversions, loft rooms and cracked ceilings.
• Lyndon and Elmdon Heath. 1950s and 1960s homes. Textured ceilings, walls replastered after a rewire or new heating, and patch repairs.
• Hampton-in-Arden and Catherine-de-Barnes. Older cottages and village houses, some with lime plaster that needs a careful hand. Ceilings, lime repairs and new extensions.
• Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst and Smith’s Wood. Post-war council estates, houses and maisonettes. Artex covered, full replasters after a rewire, and repairs between tenants.
• Dickens Heath, Cheswick Green and Blythe Valley. Newer homes in plasterboard. Cracks at board joints, loft rooms and new extensions plastered.

Whatever the house, RCR Connections Ltd brings 62 years of combined experience to it. We’re Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and we work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm. Call 07453 614095 or WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page with photos of the room and your road or postcode in Solihull.

Outside, we also fit K-Rend monocouche and silicone render, see rendering in Solihull. If you’re out towards the Stratford Road, we’re also the plasterer in Shirley, and we do rendering in Shirley outside the house too.

More services: Plastering repairs · Plastering and coving · Plastering extensions and lofts.

Get a free quote in Solihull

Tell us what you need and we’ll come back with a free, no-obligation quote. Message us on WhatsApp at 07453 614095 (photos help), email rcrconnectionsltd@gmail.com, or use our contact page. We work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm. Our office is at Studio 9, 50-54 St Paul’s Square, Birmingham B3 1QS.

Popular areas we cover

Plastering: Plasterer in Birmingham, Plasterer in Sutton Coldfield, Plasterer in Shirley, Plasterer in Coventry, Plasterer in Tamworth, Plasterer in Wolverhampton.
Rendering: Rendering in Solihull, Rendering Contractors in Birmingham, Rendering in Tamworth, Rendering in Redditch, Rendering in Bromsgrove, Rendering in Walsall. See every town on our areas we cover page.