PLASTERING

An Apprenticeship is a mixture of work based and college training; you’ll earn money while you learn a trade. All of our Apprenticeships are industry approved to ensure you gain the skills you will need throughout a sustained career. The plastering apprenticeship scheme will qualify you as a professional plasterer as well as giving you the option to gain further industry recognised qualifications. On Site provides all apprentices with personal protective equipment and a tool kit before you get started.

Plastering is a skilled trade which requires up to 3 years of training. A Plasterer will work on anything from new-build housing, commercial developments to major restoration projects. There are two main types of work:
Solid plastering – Applying wet finishes to walls, ceilings etc using hand tools or spraying equipment to level and protect surfaces.
Fibrous plastering – Making ornamental plasterwork, such as cornices and architraves from plaster and short fibres.
A Plasterer will be a practical, hands-on, person who finds enjoyment from creating a great finish to a site.

National careers service or
On Site Bristol brochure

Responsibilities

Daily tasks can include:

  • Speaking with clients to establish their requirements
  • Measuring ceilings and walls
  • Giving quotes based on resources required to complete work
  • Preparing the surface of a wall. This involves removing old plaster and ensuring that all plasterboards are level
  • Spreading wet plaster mix onto walls, working from top to bottom
  • Scraping the first coat to make a satisfactory base for the second coat
  • Applying a third, thinner, final coat
  • Maintaining existing plasterwork using specialist hand tools
  • Correcting plasterwork
  • Applying or removing (skimming) artex from ceilings and walls
  • Pebble dashing or applying sand or cement to external walls

Skills

Plasterers need to possess the following skills:

  • Excellent hand-eye co-ordination skills
  • Practical abilities – good with your hands and tools
  • Upper-body strength
  • Physical stamina
  • Ability to work to deadlines
  • Ability to work in a team
  • Good attention to detail
  • Interpersonal skills, as you will often have to speak to clients
  • Confidence with numbers – you have to calculate wall, ceiling and floor areas and the volume of materials needed
  • Artistic ability (particularly for decorative jobs and fibrous plastering)