1 London Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7JU info@kiif.co.uk01625 830714 HomeAboutServicesBuilding ContractorsOne contract for the whole buildNew BuildBespoke homes and developmentsRenovationWhole-house renovation programmesRefurbishment & RestorationPeriod buildings brought up to dateLandscapingExternal works and hard landscapingPlasteringSkimming, rendering and lime workJoineryStructural carpentry and fitted joineryRoofingNew roofs, re-roofing and repairsGroundworksFoundations, drainage and site works View all services Areas We CoverCounties & Regions - Alderley EdgeOur home village: office and yard on London Road. - CheshireCounty-wide building work from our Alderley Edge base. - ManchesterPeriod refurbishment and commercial fit-out in South Manchester. - LancashireNew builds and conversions north of the Cheshire border. - YorkshireStone-built property and rural schemes across the county. - MerseysideCommercial conversions and coastal refurbishment work. Towns - WilmslowTwo miles from base: extensions, refurbishment and conversions. - KnutsfordTown centre period property and rural barn conversions. - MacclesfieldStone terraces, hillside sites and retaining structures. - PrestburyHigh-specification homes delivered discreetly. - StockportResidential, commercial and industrial work across the borough. - BramhallSuburban extensions and remodelling on close-packed plots. View all areas we cover Our WorkReviewsContact01625 830714Request an Estimate - Home - Services - PlasteringPlastering and rendering # Plastering And RenderingIn Cheshire By Our OwnDirectly Employed Plasterers A wall is only as good as the plaster on it, and plaster is one of the least forgiving trades to get wrong: poor key, the wrong background preparation or a render mix applied in the wrong conditions shows up within months, not years. KIIF's plastering is carried out by directly employed tradespeople who also work on our own new build and refurbishment sites, so they are used to matching new plaster into old walls and getting the background right before a single trowel touches it. Request an Estimate01625 830714 Family-run in Alderley Edge with more than 40 years in construction. No obligation site visit before any work is priced. 40+ years Experience across residential, commercial and industrial construction. Directly employed Plasterers on our own books, not booked job by job through an agency. In-house support Estimating, procurement, administration and customer service under one roof. Family-run Keep It In Family, led by David Cain with Victoria Kennedy on project management and design. The service ## What our plastering and rendering work covers Plastering sits at the point where a building stops being a structure and starts being a finished space, so it gets judged harder than almost any other trade. A flat, well-jointed wall or ceiling is invisible when it is right and impossible to hide when it is wrong: every shadow from a window, every downlight and every coat of paint shows up a hollow or a hairline crack. We treat plastering as a finishing trade that depends entirely on the preparation done before it, which is why our plasterers check backgrounds, moisture and movement joints before they mix anything. Internally we carry out skimming onto plasterboard and existing plaster, traditional two-coat float and set work onto blockwork and brick, dot and dab dry lining where a wall needs building up or insulating, coving and cornice repair, and patch repairs that blend into surrounding surfaces rather than standing out as an obvious repair. On period properties across Cheshire we also carry out lime plaster, which behaves differently to modern gypsum systems and needs to be applied and cured on its own terms, particularly where the building fabric needs to breathe. Externally we apply render systems including traditional sand and cement render, and modern silicone and monocouche systems that give a coloured, low-maintenance finish without painting. Render is a weathering system as much as a decorative one, and detailing around openings, movement joints, beads and the base of the wall determines whether it sheds water properly for decades or lets it in behind the finish within a couple of winters. Because plastering and rendering are usually one part of a wider job, whether that is a new build, an extension, a refurbishment or a conversion, our plasterers work alongside our own joiners, bricklayers and decorators on the same programme. That means plaster goes on when the background is genuinely ready, not when a subcontractor's diary happens to have a gap, and drying times are respected rather than squeezed to hit an artificial date. ### Who this is for - Homeowners renovating or extending who need skimming and dry lining carried out to a proper standard - Owners of period properties in Cheshire who need lime plaster rather than a modern gypsum system - Clients wanting to re-render a tired elevation with a modern silicone or monocouche finish - Developers and self-builders who need plastering coordinated with the rest of a new build programme - Anyone with cracked, blown or damp-damaged plaster who needs a proper diagnosis before it is made good What poor delivery costs ## Where plastering and rendering go wrong Most plastering failures are not visible until the finish has been on the wall for a season or two. Understanding what causes them is the fastest way to avoid paying for them twice. ### Skimming over the wrong background Plaster skimmed directly onto a damp, dusty or unsuitable background loses adhesion and blows within months. Backgrounds need to be checked and prepared, not assumed to be ready. ### Modern render on old, breathable walls Cement-based render on a solid, breathable period wall traps moisture behind it, leading to damp and eventual failure. Lime-based systems exist for exactly this reason. ### Rendering in the wrong conditions Render applied in frost, direct sun or high wind cures unevenly and cracks. Getting the weather window right matters as much as the mix. ### Missing movement joints Render or plaster taken across a structural movement joint without a break will crack along that line as the building moves seasonally. ### Poor detailing at openings and cills Water ingress around windows and doors is usually a detailing failure at the render, not a failure of the render material itself. ### Rushed drying times Decorating over plaster or render before it has properly dried traps moisture, causing staining, blistering paint and mould that then gets blamed on the plaster. Our process ## A fixed sequence, so you always know what happens next - Step 1 ### Site visit and diagnosis We look at the background, check for damp, movement and existing defects, and establish whether the job is a straightforward skim, a full float and set, or a render specification. - Step 2 ### Specification and estimate We confirm the right system for the substrate, whether that is gypsum, lime or a silicone or monocouche render, and provide a clear estimate before work starts. - Step 3 ### Preparation Backgrounds are cleaned, dubbed out, beaded and made sound. This stage is unglamorous and is also the single biggest factor in how the finished work performs. - Step 4 ### Application Plaster or render is applied by our own directly employed tradespeople, in coats appropriate to the system, with attention to falls, movement joints and detailing around openings. - Step 5 ### Curing and finishing Drying and curing times are respected rather than rushed, and surfaces are finished ready for decoration or, on external render, left as the final weatherproof finish. - Step 6 ### Handover and snagging We walk the finished work with you, check for any imperfections in raking light, and close out anything that needs attention before we consider the job complete. What you get ## The practical difference a directly employed team makes ### Backgrounds checked, not assumed Because our plasterers also work our own building sites, they know what a background should look like before plaster goes on, and will flag problems rather than skim over them. ### The right system for the wall Period property gets lime, modern construction gets modern systems. We do not apply one standard specification regardless of what is behind it. ### Coordinated with the rest of the job On refurbishments, extensions and new builds, plastering happens at the right point in the programme, not whenever a separate subcontractor is available. ### Directly employed tradespeople The same plasterers return to make good and to fix anything that needs attention, because they are our own team rather than a one-off subcontractor. ### Weatherproof render detailing Beads, movement joints and detailing around openings are treated as part of the specification, not an afterthought, so render sheds water for its full life. ### One point of contact David Cain leads delivery and Victoria Kennedy handles day-to-day liaison, so questions about the work get answered by someone who actually knows the job. Detail ## Plastering and rendering methods and materials The right approach depends heavily on the age of the building, the existing background and how the finished surface will be used. This is the detail behind the work we take on. ### Internal skimming and dry lining Skimming is the thin final coat applied over plasterboard or a browning coat to give a smooth, paintable surface. It depends entirely on a sound background: plasterboard correctly fixed and scrimmed at joints, or a browning coat that has properly set. Dot and dab dry lining is used where a masonry wall needs building out, insulating or straightening, fixing plasterboard to dabs of adhesive rather than a timber or metal frame. We also carry out coving and cornice installation and repair, and patch repairs to existing skimmed surfaces, feathering new plaster into old so the join disappears once decorated. - Skimming onto plasterboard and existing plaster - Dot and dab dry lining - Coving, cornice and patch repairs - Making good after electrical or plumbing work ### Traditional float and set plastering Float and set is a two-coat traditional system applied directly onto blockwork or brick: a floating coat brought to a true, flat surface followed by a thin setting coat. It is more labour intensive than skimming plasterboard but gives a denser, more durable wall and suits solid masonry construction, extensions and new build internal walls where there is no board to skim. ### Lime plaster for period properties Older solid-wall buildings across Cheshire were built to breathe, and rely on lime plaster and lime render rather than modern gypsum and cement systems to manage moisture. Lime is more forgiving of movement, allows moisture to pass through the wall rather than trapping it, and is usually the correct specification for listed buildings and older cottages and farmhouses. Curing times are longer and the material behaves differently to modern plaster, which is why it needs plasterers who understand it rather than treating it as a like-for-like substitute. ### External rendering External render is both a weatherproofing layer and a decorative finish, and the choice of system matters as much as the quality of application. Traditional sand and cement render is robust but needs painting and can crack if not detailed with movement joints. Modern silicone and monocouche renders are self-coloured, more flexible and shed water more effectively, and are increasingly the specification of choice for new build and re-rendering projects where low maintenance matters. Whichever system is used, the detailing around window and door openings, at movement joints, at the base of the wall and at abutments with roofs is what determines long-term performance. We detail these properly rather than relying on the render material alone to do the work. - Traditional sand and cement render - Silicone render systems - Monocouche one-coat render systems - Beading, movement joints and opening details ### Repairs and diagnosis Not every job starts from a bare wall. We are regularly asked to diagnose cracked, blown or damp-affected plaster and render, work out the underlying cause, whether that is a leak, rising damp, a failed damp proof course or simple age, and carry out a repair that addresses the cause rather than just patching the symptom. Recent work ## Plastering and rendering we have delivered Questions clients ask ## Before you commit to the work How much does plastering cost?It depends on the area, whether it is a skim onto existing plasterboard or a full float and set onto masonry, and the condition of the background. We visit, assess the background and provide a clear estimate before any work starts. Do you do lime plaster on period properties?Yes. We carry out lime plaster and lime render on older, solid-wall buildings where a breathable system is the correct specification, rather than applying modern gypsum or cement products that can trap moisture. What is the difference between dot and dab and float and set?Dot and dab fixes plasterboard to masonry using adhesive dabs, then skims the board. Float and set is a traditional two-coat wet system applied directly onto blockwork or brick without any board. Which one is right depends on the wall, the insulation requirement and the finish you want. Can you match new plaster into an existing wall?Yes, patch repairs and making good after electrical or plumbing work is a regular part of what we do, and our plasterers feather new work into old so the repair disappears once decorated. How long does render take to cure before painting?It varies by system and weather conditions, but rendering, unlike some finishes, punishes rushed timescales badly; painting or sealing too early traps moisture and causes staining or blistering. We tell you the correct drying window for the system we use. Do you carry out both silicone and monocouche render?Yes. We apply traditional sand and cement render as well as modern silicone and monocouche systems, and we will recommend the one that suits your wall construction and the look you want. Can plastering be coordinated with a wider building project?Yes. Most of our plastering work happens as part of a new build, extension, refurbishment or conversion, and it is scheduled by our own team at the point the background is genuinely ready, not by a separate subcontractor's availability. Do you use subcontractors for plastering?Our plasterers are directly employed, which is unusual for a contractor of our size. It means the same people return for making good and any follow-up work. Can you fix cracked or blown plaster?Yes. We diagnose the cause first, whether that is damp, a leak or a failed background, then carry out a repair that addresses the cause rather than just covering the symptom. Which areas do you cover for plastering and rendering?We are based at 1 London Road, Alderley Edge and carry out plastering and rendering throughout Cheshire and the wider North West, including Wilmslow, Knutsford and Macclesfield. Related work ## Often delivered alongside this ### Refurbishment & Restoration Plastering is often one part of a wider internal refurbishment or restoration project. View service ### Extensions & Remodelling New walls and ceilings created by an extension need plastering finished to match the rest of the house. View service ### Maintenance & Reactive Works Cracked or damp-damaged plaster is a common reactive maintenance call. View service We deliver this service across Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Macclesfield and the wider North West. See recent projects, read about the family behind KIIF or return to the homepage. ## Get a plastering or renderingestimate you can rely on Tell us about the walls or ceilings involved and whether it is internal plastering, external render or both. We will visit, assess the background and come back with a clear estimate and the right system for your building. 01625 830714Request an Estimate - Family-run, over 40 years in construction - Directly employed joiners, bricklayers and groundworkers - In-house estimating and procurement - Site visit with the team who will build it ### Tell us about your project Send the details and we will arrange a site visit at a time that suits you. Keep It In Family. A family-run building contractor in Alderley Edge with over 40 years' experience across residential, commercial and industrial construction. ### Services - Building Contractors - New Build - Renovation - Refurbishment & Restoration - Landscaping - Plastering - Joinery - Roofing - Groundworks ### Areas We Cover - Alderley Edge - Cheshire - Manchester - Lancashire - Yorkshire - Merseyside - Wilmslow - Knutsford - Macclesfield - Prestbury - Stockport - Bramhall ### Get In Touch KIIF Limited1 London Road, Alderley EdgeCheshire, SK9 7JU 01625 830714 info@kiif.co.uk Request an Estimate © 2026 KIIF Limited. All rights reserved. ReviewsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions Call UsGet Estimate