Mr Skill

When World War II was over and service men returned home, they found a different England from the one they left behind. Many homes had been destroyed by bombs, more bricklayers and plasterers had been killed, and demand for houses went through the roof. A cheaper way was needed to finish off shoddily-built exterior walls quickly, and that was when pebble dash went into mode.

That plasterer’s art – for indeed it is when properly done which was often not the case – consists of applying rendering over wire mesh attached to a frame tied to the wall, and then forcing pebbles into it. This had the effective of concealing crooked brickwork quickly and cheaply, and concealing other defects too.

While popular and considered stylish at the time, pebble dash these days is associated with tatty council housing, and most who have it wish that they never did. Here are a few options you may like to consider if in fact you do.

o Although a time-consuming job many pebble dashed homes have been given a relatively modern look by simply painting the walls a popular colour over an appropriate bonding undercoat.

o In theory it is possible to Find a Plasterer to apply a skim coat to pebble dash. A skilled artisan doing a Plastering Job in London will always remove a test section first, just to make double sure the rendering is firm enough after the rumbling of heavy trucks to take the extra weight.

o The correct way, of course, is to call for Plastering Quotes to remove the pebble dash and reinstate with standard render – although the most expensive by far, this is the sound long-term advice we recommend.

Have you made up your mind what you are going to do? The next step is to find a reliable plasterer you can trust on Mr-Skill.