How to invoice as a plasterer (UK)

How plasterers normally break the money down

A plasterer's invoice is usually a price per room or per day for the skimming or floating, plus boards, beading and finish plaster as materials. Keeping those apart is what stops the customer asking what the total covered.

Step by step

1. 1Price by the room where the scope is clear and by the day where you are chasing out, patching or working around other trades.
2. 2Name each room and what you did — skim over artex, board and skim, float and set, patch repairs.
3. 3List plasterboard, beading, scrim and adhesive as materials rather than absorbing them into the room price.
4. 4Note if you removed old coverings or dealt with damp-affected walls; it is extra labour that is invisible in the finished wall.
5. 5Add the drying time before decorating. It heads off the "can I paint it tomorrow?" call and shows you know your trade.

When to send it

On completion of the rooms covered. On bigger refurbishments, invoice weekly so you are never more than a week out of pocket.

You are often paid by a main contractor rather than the homeowner. Agree terms and the contractor's payment run date before the first bag is mixed.

Common questions

Should a plasterer charge per room or per day?

Per room where the walls and ceilings are straightforward, and per day where you are patching, chasing out or waiting on other trades.

Do I include materials in the room price?

You can, but listing boards, beading and plaster separately makes your labour figure look reasonable and makes changes easy to price.

Should drying time go on the invoice?

Yes — a one-line note about drying before decorating prevents the most common post-job complaint, which is paint failing on fresh plaster.