Every wall has to end up somewhere, and in UK construction there are two mainstream ways of getting there. Traditional plastering — float and set, or a backing coat plus skim — is applied wet, straight onto the masonry or onto a backing board. Dry lining fixes plasterboard to the wall or to a stud frame using dabs of adhesive or screws, and the joints are then taped, filled and sanded, or skimmed if the spec calls for it.
Both approaches can produce an excellent wall. The right choice comes down to the building, the budget, the programme and the standard of finish you're chasing.
On a bare masonry wall, dry lining is usually cheaper. Boards, adhesive and jointing materials are modest per square metre, and a competent dryliner covers large areas quickly. Dot and dab typically lands somewhere around £12 to £20 per square metre for labour and materials before decoration. A skim coat over the boards adds a few pounds more and gives you a true plaster finish.
Wet plastering is more labour-intensive. A backing coat plus a skim generally sits in the region of £20 to £35 per square metre, and higher where access is awkward, ceilings are involved or the substrate needs preparation. Materials alone are cheap; it's the trowel hours you're paying for.
Cost isn't only day-one, though. Wet plaster bonds to the wall and dries as a continuous, airtight skin, whereas dry lining leaves gaps at perimeter edges, socket boxes and service penetrations unless they're carefully sealed. If you're chasing a good air permeability result on a new build, that difference can pay for itself in reduced heat loss and a smaller heating system.
Dry lining wins on speed, almost without exception.
Wet plaster needs time. A backing coat may need several days before skimming, and the skim itself wants around four to seven days before painting, longer in cold or damp weather. On an unheated winter site that's a genuine pinch point, and it holds up second fix and kitchen fitters behind it.
One caveat in the other direction: plastering is far happier in a cold, dusty shell than jointing compound is. Fillers need reasonable temperatures to cure properly and they're fussy about draughts and grit.
Dry lining gives you somewhere to put insulation without touching the external wall. Thermal laminate boards — plasterboard factory-bonded to a PIR or EPS layer — are the go-to for solid brick and hard-to-treat properties, and 25 to 60mm bonded directly to the wall can make a real dent in a U-value.
Wet plastering insulates very little on its own, though it brings useful thermal mass and, in older buildings, a breathable surface that manages moisture rather than trapping it.
On acoustics, a drylined stud wall packed with mineral wool, fitted with resilient bars and double-boarded will comfortably outperform a single-skin plastered partition. But a badly detailed dot and dab wall can transmit sound straight through the adhesive dabs, so perimeter sealing and full-bed dabs matter.
Bathrooms and shower rooms are best drylined with moisture-resistant boards, tanked in the wet zone, then tiled. Plaster doesn't enjoy being repeatedly soaked, and a skim coat behind tiles adds nothing except cost.
Old solid stone and brick walls reward a different approach. A lime plaster finish lets the wall breathe and move as it always has. Dry lining the same wall with a vapour-tight board and an unventilated cavity invites interstitial condensation and, eventually, rotten timbers.
And never dryline over a damp wall without a proper damp-proofing system in place. You'll simply hide the problem until it reappears as stained board and a musty smell.
Plastering is a proper trade and takes years to master. The timing is everything — knowing when to trowel, when to flick water on, when to leave it alone. A good plasterer delivers a seamless surface where you'll never spot a joint.
Dry lining is more forgiving but far from foolproof. Taping and filling to a Level 4 or Level 5 finish takes practice, and defects show up brutally under raking light once the wall is painted. Joint bands, crow's feet and sanding scratches are the classic giveaways.
The tools differ too. Plasterers live with a hawk, trowel, mixing paddle and corner tools. Dryliners want a board lifter, a decent drywall saw and rasp, and a proper set of taping knives.
Whichever route you take, the substrate has to be right first: level, plumb, sound and dry. No finish rescues a bad wall.
Plenty of jobs use both. Board it out to get the insulation, the levels and the services in, then skim for the finish. That combination is hard to beat on value.
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