Plasterer in Marston Green

Marston Green is a leafy commuter village in the north of Solihull borough, squeezed between Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Chelmsley Wood and the eastern edge of Birmingham at Sheldon and Tile Cross. Its streets of 1930s semis and detached houses grew up around one of the oldest railway stations in the region, and later decades added bungalows, post-war homes and newer infill. RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands. From our side of the city, Marston Green is only a short drive across the east of the city for us.

This page looks at plastering and rendering in Marston Green in depth: how the village grew, what lies behind the walls of its houses, the particular issues that come with living beside an international airport, and how a typical plastering job is put together from first photo to final mist coat. It is written to help you decide what your walls and ceilings need before you get in touch.

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

Plastering in Marston Green: from Merestone to commuter village

A medieval manor

Marston Green began as a small farming settlement on the Coleshill estate. In the eleventh century it formed part of a manor recorded as Merestone, and for centuries it stayed a quiet place of fields, hedges and scattered houses in north Warwickshire.

The railway arrives early

The village owes much of its later growth to the railway. Marston Green station opened on 9 April 1838, on the London and Birmingham Railway, which makes it one of the earliest stations in the Midlands. Unlike many small stations around Birmingham, it has stayed open to passengers ever since, although none of its original buildings survive, having been replaced in the 1970s. Today it sits on the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line, with local trains to Birmingham and Coventry.

Suburban growth between the wars

Commuters followed the trains. Through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and especially in the 1930s, many detached and semi-detached houses went up, turning the farming village into a leafy suburb. Clubs date from that time too: the tennis club was founded in 1923 and the cricket club in 1926.

War and the hospital years

During the Second World War there was a Canadian air force base in the village. Afterwards its buildings became a maternity hospital, where many people from east Birmingham and Solihull were born, and later a psychiatric hospital, before being demolished in the 1990s.

Airport, NEC and new neighbours

The second half of the twentieth century changed Marston Green’s surroundings completely. Birmingham Airport expanded next door, the National Exhibition Centre opened nearby, and the large estate of Chelmsley Wood was built on the fields to the north-east. The village itself was in Meriden Rural District until 1974, when it was transferred to Solihull and the new West Midlands county. Today it is in the civil parish of Bickenhill and Marston Green, which had a population of 7,432 at the 2021 census.

Chelmsley Wood on the doorstep

The fields to the north-east of the village became Chelmsley Wood from the late 1960s, one of the largest housing estates built to rehouse families from inner Birmingham. Its arrival brought shops, schools and new roads close to Marston Green, while the village kept its own character, with green space and the railway helping mark the edge. For homeowners, it means a big pool of tradespeople nearby, but also busy roads at school and rush hours.

Bickenhill and the green belt

The parish shares its name with Bickenhill, the old village to the south-east, and green belt fields still separate Marston Green from the airport and the NEC in places. The mix of countryside and big infrastructure so close together is part of what makes the area unusual.

The village centre

St Leonard’s Church, the Marston Green Tavern, the infant and junior schools and the parade of shops near the station give the village its centre. Most of the housing spreads out from there along tree-lined roads.

What Marston Green’s houses are made of

Older cottages and early houses

A small number of older cottages and late Victorian or Edwardian houses survive near the village centre. These may have solid brick walls and lime-based original plaster, with lath and plaster ceilings, and they need a careful, breathable approach where plaster is failing.

The 1930s semis and detached houses

The bulk of Marston Green’s older housing dates from the inter-war years. These houses are typically brick with cavity walls, bay windows, hipped roofs and sometimes rendered or pebble-dashed upper floors. Inside, walls are usually finished with sand and cement or early gypsum backing plasters, while overhead you may find either timber lath or some of the first sheet boards. Ninety years on, many have been extended, rewired and re-plumbed.

Post-war homes and bungalows

After the war, more houses and a good number of bungalows were built in and around the village. Built with a cavity, they were plastered in gypsum and given board ceilings, and plenty still carry the textured finishes fashionable from the sixties to the eighties.

Newer infill

More recent homes, built on infill plots and small developments, use blockwork or timber frame with dry-lined walls and plasterboard ceilings.

Living next to an airport: plaster and sound

Why noise matters here

Few villages in the Midlands sit as close to a runway as Marston Green. Aircraft noise is part of life for many households, and owners often want quieter bedrooms and living rooms.

What plaster can and cannot do

Plaster on its own does little to stop aircraft noise, most of which comes in through windows, doors, roofs and vents. But plasterboard can play a part. Adding a layer of dense acoustic board to a ceiling below a loft, or to walls, can reduce noise, especially when combined with extra loft insulation, sealed gaps and good secondary or acoustic glazing.

Insulation schemes

Birmingham Airport has offered sound insulation help to some homes near the flight path in the past. If you think your home may qualify, check with the airport before starting work, so the plastering can be planned alongside any insulation.

Making good after window and loft work

New acoustic glazing, extra loft insulation and new ventilation units all disturb plaster around reveals, ceilings and walls. We repair and finish these areas so the rooms are ready to decorate.

Plastering problems in Marston Green homes

Blown plaster in older houses

After decades of patching and some damp, plaster in older homes often comes away from the wall. Knock on it and you hear a dull, empty note, often followed by cracking or a bulge. We take it back to sound material and rebuild with new backing and finish coats.

Sagging lath ceilings

In the 1930s and older houses, lath and plaster ceilings eventually lose their grip. Sagging ceilings can be overboarded with plasterboard, repaired in place or replaced, depending on their condition.

Cracked plasterboard ceilings

In post-war homes, plasterboard ceilings crack along joints and around fixings. Securing the boards and putting a new finish across the ceiling gives a sound, smooth surface.

Textured ceilings

Swirls and stipples from the textured-coating era are common in the village’s bungalows and post-war houses. A coating dating from before 2000 needs an asbestos test before any sanding or scraping. Covering it with new board or plaster is usually the simplest way forward.

Vibration and hairline cracks

Some owners notice fine cracks that seem to come back however often they are filled. Seasonal movement, heating cycles and, close to busy roads or the railway, vibration can all play a part. Reinforcing cracks with scrim tape before plastering helps them stay closed.

Damp in older homes

Damp can come from leaking gutters, bridged damp-proof courses, high ground levels or failing render. The cause has to be put right before replastering, or the new work will fail too.

Plastering services for Marston Green

A fresh finish on walls and ceilings

When walls and ceilings are basically sound, two thin coats of finishing plaster give a smooth new surface for decorating. Preparation, including filling, taping and priming, makes all the difference.

Re-plastering from the brick

Where plaster has failed, we strip it back and build the wall up again with backing coats, then finish.

Ceiling work

Overboarding, repairing or replacing ceilings, including acoustic upgrades below lofts.

Extensions, lofts and conversions

Boarding and plastering for rear and side extensions, garage conversions and loft rooms, with fire-rated, moisture-resistant and acoustic boards as required.

Making good

Patching after rewiring, new heating, kitchens, bathrooms, windows and alarm systems.

The 1930s house in detail

Halls and stairs

The typical inter-war semi has a hall running from the front door to the kitchen, with the stairs rising along the party wall. The stair wall and the ceiling over the landing are where cracks tend to collect, and the hall takes knocks from pushchairs, bikes and furniture. Re-plastering the stairwell is one of the most common jobs, and it needs proper platforms to reach the high sections safely.

Front rooms with bays

The front room usually has a bay window, a chimney breast and, in many houses, a picture rail. Bays move slightly differently from the main walls, so fine cracks around the bay are common. Chimney breasts can suffer from staining and salts if the flue is capped without ventilation.

Back rooms and kitchens

Back rooms have often been knocked through into the kitchen or extended into the garden. Where the old back wall stood, a scar runs over the ceiling and both side walls, and it needs boarding and finishing before it stops showing.

Bedrooms and box rooms

Upstairs, ceilings may still be original lath, and the small front box room above the hall is often where cracks first appear. Bedroom walls on the outside of the house can be cold, and condensation is common behind wardrobes and in corners.

Original features

Picture rails, simple cornices, panelled doors and chimney breasts give these houses their character. We keep them wherever we can, working the new plaster up to them and patching any damage.

Extending a Marston Green semi

Kitchen-diners at the back

Rear extensions opening the kitchen into a family room are by far the most common project. Steels are boxed in with fire-rated board, and the new and old walls and ceilings are boarded or plastered to one finish.

Side extensions and garages

Many 1930s semis have a side garage or driveway that becomes a side extension, utility room or ground-floor bedroom. These need insulated walls, new ceilings and careful plastering where the extension meets the original house.

Loft rooms

Hipped roofs on 1930s houses are often converted with a hip-to-gable extension and a rear dormer. The result is a large new room with sloping ceilings, new stairs and lots of angles to plaster.

The joint between old and new

Wherever new structure meets old, there will be slight movement. Reinforcing the junction with tape and beads helps the finish stay crack-free.

Damp and condensation

Older houses

Solid-walled cottages and some early houses near the centre can suffer from damp if gutters leak, ground levels are too high or hard cement coatings trap moisture. Fixing these first, and using breathable materials, gives plaster the best chance.

Inter-war houses

Cavity walls built in the 1930s sometimes have debris in the cavity or bridged damp-proof courses, which lets damp through. A surveyor or damp specialist can identify the cause.

Condensation

Many homes now have sealed windows and fewer open fireplaces than they were built with, so condensation and mould can appear on cold walls and ceilings. Ventilation, extraction and steady heating usually help more than new plaster.

Getting rooms ready for us

Empty what you can

Clear small items, take down curtains, blinds, pictures and shelves, and move larger furniture into the middle of the room.

Paper and paint

If you can, strip old wallpaper first. Under it, there may be loose plaster that needs repair, which we will point out.

Services

Book an electrician to free off faceplates and a plumber to remove radiators where we are plastering behind them.

Dust and fresh air

Plastering is a wet trade, but hacking off old plaster and sanding filler creates dust. We sheet doorways and keep internal doors shut, but it is sensible to cover anything delicate in nearby rooms and to make sure children and animals stay clear of the room we are in. Once we have finished for the day, opening a window in the room helps the plaster start drying and clears the air.

Parking and access

Tell us where a van can sit and where mixing is easiest. Roads near the station and schools can be busy at certain times of day.

NEC and airport traffic

Planning around big events

When major shows and concerts are on at the NEC, traffic around Marston Green can build up. We plan deliveries and start times with that in mind, and it can help to tell us if you know of a big event on the dates you want.

Working near the airport

The airport does not affect plastering inside your home, but it can matter for outside work on scaffold, which must be kept within normal height limits. For ordinary houses this is not an issue.

Buying in Marston Green

What to check at a viewing

Check overhead for dips and long cracks, knock along the walls for empty-sounding areas, and look closely at bays and chimney breasts. Fresh paint can hide a lot, so a survey is worth having.

Planning work in the right order

If you are buying a house that needs rewiring, a new kitchen or new heating, do those first and plaster afterwards, so you decorate only once.

Quieter rooms: an acoustic upgrade step by step

Start with the weak points

Before spending money on plaster, look at windows, doors, trickle vents, letterboxes, loft hatches and gaps around pipes. Sound finds the easiest route, and sealing and upgrading those openings usually brings the biggest improvement.

Ceilings under the loft

In bedrooms below a loft, much aircraft noise passes through the roof and ceiling. Thick loft insulation helps, and adding a layer of acoustic plasterboard to the ceiling, fixed to the joists or on resilient bars, adds mass and reduces the sound further. The new ceiling is then plastered.

Walls

Walls facing the noise can take an independent lining of sound-rated board, packed with mineral wool. This reduces the room size slightly, so it is usually done only on the walls that face the noise.

Sealing and finishing

Acoustic work only performs if the edges are sealed. Gaps at the edges of boards, around sockets and at the junction with the floor are filled with acoustic sealant before plastering.

Realistic expectations

No plaster or board will make an airport silent. The aim is a noticeable reduction, especially at night, and the best results come when windows, roof and plaster are tackled together.

Lath ceilings: repair, overboard or replace?

Repair in place

If most of a lath ceiling is firm and only parts have dropped, the loose sections can be secured with plaster washers and adhesive and the cracks repaired. This keeps original cornices and the ceiling height.

Overboard

Fixing new plasterboard through the old ceiling into the joists is clean and quick, keeps the old ceiling as a sound and fire layer and gives a flat new surface. It lowers the ceiling slightly and covers cornices.

Replace

Taking a lath ceiling down is very messy but allows the joists, wiring and insulation to be checked and upgraded. It is the best choice when the ceiling has largely failed.

Removing a chimney breast

Why people do it

In smaller rooms, taking out a chimney breast adds useful space, especially in kitchens and bedrooms.

What is involved

The breast must be properly supported above, often with steel or gallows brackets, and building regulations approval is needed. Once the builder has done the structural work, the wall and ceiling where the breast stood need building up and plastering to a flat finish.

Party walls

In semis, the chimney breast is usually on the party wall. Work affecting it may require notice to the neighbour under the Party Wall Act.

Bungalows adapted for later life

Wet rooms and wider doors

Many bungalow owners adapt their homes for easier living, with wet rooms, wider doorways and grab rails. Wet rooms need a proper waterproofing system on walls and floors, and the surrounding walls are plastered with moisture-resistant materials.

Fixing points

Grab rails and supports need solid fixings. Where walls are plasterboard, adding timber or plywood behind the board before plastering gives a secure base.

Tiled and steamy rooms

Behind tiles

Walls to be tiled need a sound, flat and suitably primed surface. In showers and wet areas, tile backer boards or tanking are used instead of plaster alone.

Painted walls and ceilings

Kitchen and bathroom ceilings take a lot of steam. A good finish coat, a quality kitchen or bathroom paint and decent extraction keep them looking good.

Questions to ask a plasterer

Will you check for hollow plaster?

A good plasterer taps walls and ceilings and tells you what needs cutting out before the finish goes on.

How will you deal with cracks?

Ask whether cracks will be taped and reinforced, not just filled.

What is included?

Preparation, beads, protection and waste removal should be clear in the quote.

How long until I can decorate?

You should get honest advice on drying times and the first coat of paint.

Working through the year

Indoor work

Plastering inside can be done all year round. In cold weather, rooms need gentle background heat to dry properly.

Outdoor work

Rendering needs dry, mild weather, so it is best planned for spring to early autumn.

Fitting the work around a commute

Early starts

Many Marston Green households commute into Birmingham, Solihull or further afield by train. We start at 7am on weekdays, so we can be on site and working before you leave, and Saturday mornings are available for smaller jobs.

Access while you are out

If you are happy to leave a key or a code, we can carry on while you are at work. We keep the house secure, lock up when we leave and let you know how the day went.

Living in the house during work

Most plastering jobs can be done while you live at home. We work room by room where possible so that the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom stay usable.

Pebble-dash and render on 1930s houses

What is usually there

Many inter-war houses in the village were given a pebbled or roughcast coat above the ground-floor brick or across the bays, and sometimes over the whole house. After ninety years, much of it has been painted, patched or partly replaced.

When it fails

Hollow sections, cracks around bay windows and staining under sills are the usual signs. Water getting behind the render can cause damp patches inside, especially in bedrooms above the bay.

The options

Where the dash is still gripping firmly, a modern coating can go straight over it after preparation. Where large areas are loose, it is removed and the wall re-rendered. Either way, new beads, drips and a clean stop above the damp-proof course make the job last.

New layouts and partition walls

Moving walls

Changing the layout upstairs, for example to add an en-suite or split a large bedroom, usually means new stud partitions. These are boarded, with acoustic insulation if needed, and plastered to match the existing walls.

Blocking up doorways

When a doorway is blocked up, the opening is filled with studwork or blockwork and plastered so it disappears on both sides.

Garden offices and outbuildings

Home working

With more people working from home, garden offices are increasingly common in the village’s longer gardens. Board and plaster inside turn a timber shell into a room that feels part of the house.

Garages

Detached or attached garages can become gyms, studios or utility rooms. Walls and ceilings are insulated, boarded and plastered.

Signs your plaster needs attention

On walls

Cracks that reopen after filling, bubbles or bulges, crumbling patches near the skirting and paint that flakes off in sheets all suggest the plaster underneath has a problem.

On ceilings

A dip in the middle of a ceiling, a crack running the full length of a room or small pieces of plaster dropping onto the floor are warnings. Lath ceilings in particular should not be ignored once they start to sag.

Around windows and doors

Cracks running diagonally from the corners of openings, or damaged reveals after new windows, are common and usually easy to put right.

Ceilings, coving and lighting

Coving

Plain coving neatly finishes the line between wall and ceiling and suits most 1930s and post-war houses. Where an original cornice survives, we repair around it instead.

Lighting changes

Moving to downlights or new pendant positions leaves holes and channels in ceilings. It is best to plan lighting before plastering, so the ceiling is finished once.

Beads and corners

Metal angle and edge trims keep arrises true and resist knocks, which matters most in hallways and on the stairs.

The oldest houses near the centre

What to expect

The handful of Victorian and Edwardian houses and older cottages near St Leonard’s and the station often have solid walls, lime-based plaster and lath ceilings. Many have had cement-based repairs over the years, which can trap moisture.

Our approach

We look at the walls before deciding on materials, and where a breathable repair is needed, we use lime or a compatible plaster. If a building is listed, we will advise checking with the council before removing any original plaster.

Bungalows in Marston Green

Loft conversions

Many bungalows in the village have generous roof spaces, and converting them into bedrooms is a popular way to add space. Sloping ceilings, dormers and roof windows all need careful boarding and plastering, and fire-rated boards are needed in places.

Ceilings and walls

Older bungalows often have wide joist spacing and ceilings that crack or sag. Overboarding gives a flat, sound surface, and is a good opportunity to add better insulation or acoustic board.

Kitchens and bathrooms

Bungalow kitchens and bathrooms are often being updated for easier living. Once the fitters have done their first fix, we plaster the walls and ceilings ready for tiles and paint.

Rendering in Marston Green

Pebble-dash and painted render

Many of the 1930s houses have pebble-dash or painted render on bays and upper floors. Cracked, drummy or faded finishes can be patched, coated over with a modern system, or stripped and started afresh.

Modern render systems

Our options include K-Rend monocouche and silicone, plus sand and cement. The through-coloured type is never painted; the silicone type sheds rain and grime well. See our rendering in Solihull page for more.

Extensions

Blockwork additions take render well, whether you want them to blend in or stand out.

Choosing a colour and finish in a 1930s street

Roads of inter-war semis often have a fairly uniform look, with matching bays, rooflines and pebble-dash. A new finish can look excellent, but think about how it will sit next to the other half of your semi and the houses either side. Soft whites, creams and light greys usually sit comfortably, and a scraped or fine textured finish suits these houses well. We can bring samples so you can see the colour on your own wall in daylight before deciding.

Keeping render looking good

Clear gutters, sound downpipes and well-sealed window frames do more than anything else to keep render clean and intact. Algae can appear on north-facing walls and under trees; a gentle clean with a suitable product removes it.

Planning and permissions

Indoors

Interior plastering seldom needs any approval, the exceptions being listed houses and larger schemes like extensions.

Rendering

Like-for-like re-rendering generally falls under permitted development. Check with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council if you are unsure, if the house is listed or if permitted development rights have been removed.

Extensions and lofts

Loft rooms and extensions go through building control and, in some cases, planning. We work to the approved plans and leave anything building control wants to see open for inspection.

How a job comes together

Your first message

Pictures of the rooms, approximate sizes and what you have in mind give us enough to come back with a guide figure for most straightforward jobs. Bigger or older properties usually need a look in person.

The written quote

The quote spells out each room, the work to be done, the materials and what is excluded or needs arranging by you.

Protecting the house

Floors, stairs and furniture are covered, doorways sheeted and dust kept to a minimum.

The plastering

Backing coats first where the wall needs building up, then the finish coat, trowelled to a smooth, flat surface.

Drying and decorating

A finish coat on plasterboard can be dry in a few days; thicker coats take longer. Keep the room warm and aired, and start with a diluted first coat of matt emulsion.

Neighbouring areas

Marston Green sits beside several areas we cover. See plastering in Chelmsley Wood, plastering in Hampton-in-Arden and plastering in Coleshill.

Marston Green (B37 7): parish, ward and the houses near the airport

Marston Green is B37 7, the same postcode district as Chelmsley Wood. Its local council is different, though: it shares a parish council with Bickenhill (Bickenhill and Marston Green), and it sits in the Meriden and Arden ward rather than a north Solihull ward. Many people find that surprising. In practice it means planning questions about render or extensions here go to Solihull Council, and the parish is consulted on bigger changes.

Render repairs on the 1930s semis

The render work we see most in the village is on the inter-war houses: pebbledash and painted render on bays and first floors that has cracked around the windows or come loose under the sills. The question is usually whether to patch or start again. A firm wall with a few cracks can be repaired to match. A wall that sounds hollow across large areas is better stripped and re-rendered in K-Rend monocouche, silicone or sand and cement. On a street of matching semis, many owners choose a colour that keeps the pair looking like a pair.

Houses close to the A45 and the airport

Walls facing the busier roads tend to collect grime faster. A silicone finish sheds dirt better than painted render, and that is worth weighing up before choosing.

Davey comes to look at the job himself and works on site with the lads. See our main pages for a plasterer in Solihull and for rendering in Solihull. For a Marston Green quote, WhatsApp 07453 614095 or call 07453 614095.

Marston Green homes we plaster

Marston Green is an old village by the airport with 1930s semis round it and big post-war estates close by. Here’s where we work most, the homes you’ll find there and the plastering jobs that come up.

• Marston Green village. Older cottages and 1930s semis near the station. Through lounges and bay windows.
• Tile Cross. Post-war homes. Artex ceilings covered and rooms replastered after a rewire.
• Chelmsley Wood. 1960s and 1970s estates. Repairs between tenants and textured ceilings.
• Bickenhill. Village cottages. Lime repairs and ceilings.
• Elmdon. 1930s and later homes. Kitchen extensions and garage conversions.
• Kingshurst. 1950s and 1960s homes. Patch repairs and full room replasters.
• Sheldon. Interwar semis. Ceilings and loft rooms.

Whatever the house, RCR Connections Ltd puts 62 years of combined experience into 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. WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page with photos of the room and your road or postcode in Marston Green.

Outside, we also fit K-Rend monocouche and silicone render for homes around Marston Green, see rendering in Solihull. Just north, we’re also the plasterer in Chelmsley Wood.

Nearby areas we also cover include plastering in Sheldon and plastering in Hay Mills.

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

Experience, hours and contact

Our crew has 62 years of combined experience, a lot of it across east Birmingham and north Solihull. Our days are Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm, closed Sundays. WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page; any pictures of the job are welcome.

More from RCR Connections Ltd: Plasterer in Solihull · All plastering and rendering services · Areas we cover