Plastering is one of the most important parts of creating a clean modern home.

​

You can choose beautiful paint colours, expensive flooring, fitted furniture and stylish lighting, but if the walls and ceilings are tired, uneven or badly finished, the room will never look quite right. Poorly applied lining paper, cracked plaster, old textured finishes, lumpy walls, patched ceilings and dated coving can make a home feel older and less cared for than it really is.

​

A smooth wall changes everything.

​

It gives paint a better surface. It improves how light moves across the room. It makes furniture, artwork, lighting and flooring look more intentional. It also helps create the crisp, simple appearance that many homeowners now want in a modern interior.

​

For older houses, plastering and internal finishing can be one of the most effective upgrades available. Stripping old paper, repairing damaged surfaces and reskimming walls and ceilings can make the whole property feel brighter, cleaner and more valuable.

​

APN Home helps homeowners understand when a room may only need decorating preparation, and when it may be worth taking a harder look at the walls, ceilings and internal details before spending money on paint, wallpaper or fitted finishes.

​

​

Why smooth walls and ceilings matter so much

 

It is difficult to create a modern interior if the surfaces are poor.

​

Many older homes have walls that have been decorated again and again over decades. There may be layers of wallpaper, old lining paper, patches of filler, cracked plaster, uneven corners, badly repaired chases, blown plaster, textured ceilings or tired paintwork. Even when freshly painted, these surfaces can still look rough.

​

The problem is that paint does not hide everything. In fact, modern lighting can make poor surfaces more obvious. Recessed lights, wall lights and natural daylight can highlight bumps, cracks, paper seams and uneven plaster.

​

Common internal finish problems include:

​

• poorly applied lining paper

• visible paper joints

• old wallpaper paste residue

• cracked plaster

• blown or hollow plaster

• uneven walls

• patched areas after electrical work

• damaged ceilings

• textured or dated ceiling finishes

• old coving that no longer suits the room

• dado rails and picture rails that interrupt clean wall lines

• rough corners and poor junctions

• tired walls that never look fresh even after painting

​

For years, the traditional decorative route was to strip the walls, repair obvious damage, hang lining paper and then apply two or three coats of emulsion. That can still work in some homes, especially where the budget is tight or the walls are basically sound.

​

But times have changed.

​

Many homeowners now realise that stripping, repairing and reskimming walls can give a much cleaner result. In many cases, the cost difference between extensive preparation, lining paper and decoration compared with proper skimming is not as great as people expect.

 

Once the walls are skimmed, the room has a fresh surface that can be painted directly and finished to a much higher standard.

​

This is especially true in older homes where the walls have been covered up for years. A skim coat can transform tired rooms, making them feel cleaner, sharper and more modern almost immediately.

​

The same applies to ceilings. A freshly skimmed ceiling can make a room feel brighter and more finished, particularly where old surfaces are cracked, stained, textured or uneven.

​

TOP TIP: Before paying for high-quality paint or wallpaper, check the surface underneath. If the walls are uneven, cracked, badly lined or tired, it may be better to invest in plaster repairs or a skim coat first. A good finish starts with the surface, not the paint tin.