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Skimming and filling
Tired, patched and cracked walls brought back to one flat surface, either filled and sanded or given a fresh skim coat, so the paint has somewhere decent to go.
in short
AltHome skims and fills tired, cracked and patched walls across Kerry, Cork and Limerick so the paint goes onto one flat surface. A few holes and hairline cracks are filled and sanded; a wall with many patches or uneven texture gets a 2 to 3 mm skim coat over a bonding primer. A room is usually done in a day, then four to seven days drying before the mist coat.
what decides it
Filler, skim, or find out why it cracked
There is a point where filling stops being worth it. A few nail holes, a hairline crack and the scars of an old shelf are filling work: fill, sand, spot prime and paint. Once you are looking at a wall with twenty patches, old wallpaper adhesive, a tide of different textures and a surface that ripples in side light, filling just documents the problem. A skim coat, two or three millimetres of finish plaster over the whole wall, resets it to one flat plane and is usually cheaper than a painter spending two days chasing it with filler and still not getting it right. The preparation decides whether the skim holds. Every wall is different in how thirsty it is, so a dusty old plaster wall gets a bonding primer that gives the new plaster grip, a painted wall gets deglossed and primed, and a very absorbent background gets controlled so it does not suck the water out of the plaster and leave it powdery. Old wallpaper comes off completely, because paper under plaster will lift the whole lot off in sheets within a year. Cracks get opened up, filled with the right material for their width and scrimmed where they cross a joint. The one thing we will not do is skim over a wall that is cracking or staining for a reason. A crack that keeps coming back in the same line, a damp patch that reappears every winter, or plaster blowing off in one corner is telling you about movement, a leak or rising damp, and burying it under fresh plaster only hides it until the paint is on. We find the cause first and say so plainly, even when it means a smaller job for us.
Why you cannot paint it the next morning
New plaster looks dry long before it is dry. It goes from dark brown to pale pink patchily, and the last of the moisture is still leaving for several days. Paint it too early with ordinary emulsion and the film seals the surface, traps the water and flakes. The first coat is a thinned mist coat that soaks in and binds, and we tell you the actual date the room is ready rather than a guess, taking into account the time of year and whether the heating is on.
the work
What is included in skimming and filling?
- Look at the wall in side light and tell you honestly whether it needs filler or a skim.
- Check any recurring crack or damp patch for a cause before covering it.
- Strip wallpaper fully, remove loose material and cut out blown plaster.
- Prime the background to suit what it is, and scrim the joints and corners.
- Skim, trowel up and leave one flat plane across the whole wall or ceiling.
- Sheet, vacuum and wash down as we go, and give you the date it can be painted.
4 steps
How long does it take to skim a room?
You get in touch
Send a photo taken with a lamp held flat against the wall. That shows us more than any description. We answer the same day.
We come and look
We tap the wall for hollow areas, check the cracks and the moisture, and price filling and skimming separately so you can choose.
We do it
Usually a room a day, sheeted and cleaned down each evening. You keep the rest of the house.
You sign it off
We check it under a light with you, deal with anything that shows, and tell you exactly when to paint.
next door
What goes around it
Skimming is the step between the messy work and the finished room.
asked
Skimming and filling: common questions
Filling or a full skim, which do I need?
If the damage is isolated, filling. If the wall has many patches or an uneven surface that shows in daylight, skimming, because filling that wall costs nearly as much in labour and never looks as good. We will tell you which one your wall is, and we will say so when filling is enough.
Can you skim over wallpaper?
No. It might hold for a while, but the paste behind it lets go and takes the new plaster with it. The paper comes off, the wall is washed down and primed, then skimmed. Stripping is part of the price we give you rather than a surprise on day one.
How long before I can paint?
Usually four to seven days in a heated house, longer in winter or in a room with no ventilation. The colour going uniformly pale is the sign. We give you a date and we would rather you waited two extra days than had flaking paint in a month.
How much does it cost to skim a room?
It depends on the wall and ceiling area, how much preparation the surface needs (wallpaper, gloss paint, loose plaster) and whether the ceiling is included. Skimming is usually cheaper than a painter filling a badly patched wall over several days. We price it on a visit.
Why do cracks keep coming back after filling?
Because something is moving: a joint between board and plaster, a lintel, settling timber or a failed skim. Filling alone cannot hold it. We look for the cause first and tape, reinforce or skim the area so it stays closed.
quote
Get a fixed quote for skimming
Tell us the address and how many rooms or walls. We work across Kerry, Cork and Limerick. We ring you back within one working day.
085 220 1422 · info@althome.ie
Written by the AltHome crew. Last reviewed September 2026.