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Polished Plaster & Decorative Finishes in London
Hand-applied feature finishes — polished plaster, textured coatings and microcement-style surfaces with real depth.
Decorative finishes are the one area of decorating where the material is a small part of the cost and the hand applying it is nearly all of it. Polished plaster in particular is built up in thin coats and burnished by hand, and the depth and movement in the finished surface come entirely from how those coats are laid on.
We apply polished plaster, lime-based and textured coatings, and microcement-style finishes to feature walls, chimney breasts, alcoves and whole rooms across London. Because these finishes are effectively a mirror of what is underneath, the substrate preparation is at least as important as the application — walls are made genuinely flat and correctly primed before any decorative coat goes on.
These surfaces suit a particular kind of room, and they are not always the right answer. If a good paint finish or panelling would give you the effect you are after for a fraction of the cost, we will tell you that.
What’s included
Our decorative finishes service covers
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Polished plaster
Venetian-style and marmorino finishes built up in coats and burnished for depth and sheen.
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Microcement-style finishes
Seamless, contemporary surfaces for feature walls and, where appropriate, other surfaces.
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Textured and lime-based coatings
Matt, tactile finishes with subtle movement, suited to period and contemporary rooms alike.
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Metallic and pearlescent effects
Subtle sheen and light-reactive finishes for feature areas.
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Substrate preparation
Making walls genuinely flat and correctly primed, because the finish will reveal anything that is not.
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Sealing and protection
Appropriate sealing so the finish stays cleanable and durable in a working room.
Free quote
Get a price for your decorative finishes project
Tell us the rooms involved and roughly what you have in mind. We will come and look, talk through the options, and follow up with a clear written quote.
Rather talk it through?
Call us and we can usually give you a sense of the scale and cost straight away.
07956 658896Decorative Finishes — common questions
Is polished plaster suitable for a bathroom or kitchen?
Often yes, with the correct system and sealing. It is popular for bathroom walls and splash areas because it is seamless. It is not a substitute for tanking in a shower enclosure, and we will be clear about where the boundary sits.
How durable is a polished plaster wall?
Sealed properly it is hard-wearing and wipeable, and it ages well. It is not indestructible — a sharp knock can chip it, as with any plaster surface — but it can be repaired and re-burnished.
Can it be painted over later?
Yes. With appropriate preparation and priming a decorative finish can be painted over if your taste changes, which is worth knowing before you commit to a bold one.
How long does a feature wall take?
Typically two to four days for a single wall, because each coat has to dry before the next goes on and the burnishing is done by hand. It is not a job that can be rushed into a single day.
Is it much more expensive than paint?
Yes, considerably — it is a specialist hand-applied finish and the labour reflects that. It earns its place on one carefully chosen wall far more often than across a whole house.
Also from us
Related services
Painting & Decorating
Carefully prepared surfaces and rich, long-lasting finishes — the kind of decorating that still looks right five years after we leave.
Learn more →Wallpaper Hanging
Clean pattern matching, invisible seams and a wall underneath that was prepared properly first.
Learn more →Panelling & Carpentry
Timber panelling, alcove joinery and fitted woodwork — measured to the room, not to a standard size.
Learn more →Ealing & West London first
Our core service area
We are centred around Ealing and nearby West London, and cover most of London for the right project.