A parish of bungalows, terraces and flats
Rustington is a village in name, but its housing has more in common with a small town. Rustington Parish Council's 2013 State of the Parish report counted 7,158 dwellings: about a third detached, nearly a quarter terraced and roughly a quarter flats or apartments. Building along the coastal strip gathered pace after the Second World War, with lower density detached homes nearer the sea and denser streets, including the industrial estates, further north. For a plasterer, that means ceilings and walls of very different ages a few roads apart, each needing its own preparation before any finish goes on.
What the work usually looks like here
In the pre-war roads, where bungalows sit alongside semi-detached and terraced houses, the typical requests are tired ceilings, walls patched by several owners over the years, and rooms opened up when a kitchen or bathroom moves. Homes from the 1950s and 1960s, which make up whole districts of detached and semi-detached bungalows, often have ceilings cracked along the board joints or still wearing an old textured coating (see Artex ceilings plastered flat in Rustington). On the late 1990s and 2000s streets around Summerlea Primary School, the plasterboard is generally sound, so the job is more often a fresh skim after alterations or an extension.
Where an older wall has been hacked back to the brick, or a new doorway has been formed, a skim on its own will not bring it flat. That needs a backing coat first, which we explain on our page about float and set plastering in Rustington.
Flats and rented homes
With so many flats in the parish, including blocks facing the sea, a lot of plastering here happens inside buildings that other people share. Check early whether your lease needs the freeholder or managing agent to agree to the works, where materials can be stored, and when noisy preparation is allowed. Landlords between tenancies tend to want rooms back quickly; a skim over sound plasterboard dries far sooner than a wall that has been floated, so plan extra drying time if walls need rebuilding.
How a job runs, step by step
- We look at the rooms, in person or from photos, and agree what is being skimmed, patched or replaced.
- Furniture is moved or covered, floors are protected and any loose or hollow plaster comes off.
- Cracks are filled, corners and reveals are beaded, and the surface is treated so the new coat bonds.
- The finish goes on in two coats of British Gypsum plaster, trowelled smooth.
- The room is left to dry through, windows ajar, before a thinned mist coat and decorating.
Worth knowing before you call
It speeds things up if you can tell us roughly how big the rooms are, whether it is walls, ceilings or both, and whether any walls have been altered. Also mention if the house is in the Rustington Conservation Area, which runs from the south end of North Lane to The Lamb in The Street. Many of the cottages there are listed, and work that removes historic fabric can need consent from Arun District Council. You can read more about our plastering and skimming service, see everything else we cover on the Rustington area page, or ring 07824 165672 for free advice and a quote with no obligation.
