Areas We Cover
Plasterer Bayswater and Lancaster Gate
Bayswater and Lancaster Gate sit on the northern edge of Hyde Park, with long white stucco terraces facing the park and garden squares behind. Lancaster Gate, Porchester Terrace, Cleveland Square and the streets around Queensway hold one of London's densest runs of Victorian stucco, much of it listed. Choice Finishes provides lime plaster, fibrous and ornamental repair, external render, basement tanking and polished plaster here for architects, main contractors and private clients.
Project Media
Selected Heritage Work
Lancaster Gate: a three-year heritage restoration
Our largest heritage project is in the middle of this neighbourhood. We joined the Lancaster Gate restoration eighteen months into a three-year programme, when the original plastering contractor could not resource the package, and scaled up to 16 specialist plasterers. From then on we held the whole plastering scope: 4,000m² of traditional lime plaster, gypsum to most of the 11 apartments, grassello di calce polished plaster, external render from mansard to ground, waterproofing and screed to 13 basement vaults, and ornamental fibrous restoration throughout. Our Lancaster Gate case study tells the full story.
Lime plaster set out by hand
The old plaster had already been stripped to bare brick, so every wall was plumbed and levelled from scratch, then floated and skimmed in lime. Where original lath could not be saved, we fixed new riven timber lath and applied lime coats by hand, curing each area in turn so new work stayed compatible with the historic fabric. Bayswater's solid-walled houses need the same breathable approach when plaster fails. Our lime plastering service explains it in more detail.
Fibrous plaster and cornice restoration
At Lancaster Gate we took moulds from surviving original profiles and figurative reliefs, cast new fibrous sections off site, checked each run against the original and fixed them around retained ceiling centres. Enrichment was finished by hand so arches, coffers and capitals read as one composition. For one damaged cornice or a whole reception room, our cornice restoration copies what survives rather than substituting a catalogue moulding.
Render on park-facing elevations
The terraces along Hyde Park depend on a continuous run of white stucco. At Lancaster Gate we rendered all six levels, from mansard to ground, keeping a consistent finish on elevations completed months apart. Across Bayswater we match and repair render so fronts stay weathertight without blurring mouldings, using systems suited to listed elevations.
Basement vaults and lower-ground flats
Vaults and cellars under Bayswater terraces are often damp and irregular. At Lancaster Gate we brought 13 vaults back into use, each a different size and shape, with structural waterproofing, render and screed. Lower-ground flats across W2 need the same sequence, and because our Tanking & Waterproofing team also plasters, the work runs from waterproof layer to finished wall without a gap between trades.
Polished plaster in W2
The Lancaster Gate vaulted ceilings were finished in blue grassello di calce and the bay windows in cream: a lime putty plaster burnished to a soft depth so it sits naturally beside lime walls and ornament. In Bayswater homes we also apply Venetian plaster and Marmorino to walls and stairwells, and Tadelakt to showers when correctly detailed. Our polished plaster service page explains each finish.
One team for every package
For the main contractor at Lancaster Gate, one subcontractor for lime, gypsum, render, waterproofing and fibrous work meant one point of responsibility and no coordination gaps. We bring the same approach to smaller W2 projects.
Plastering Services in Bayswater & Lancaster Gate
Our plasterers in Bayswater & Lancaster Gate deliver every specialism below, across Bayswater & Lancaster Gate and the rest of London.
Lime Plastering
Traditional lime plaster restoration for heritage and listed buildings.
Tadelakt
Waterproof Moroccan lime plaster for bathrooms and feature walls.
Cornice Restoration
Matched cornice, ceiling rose and enriched plaster repairs for period interiors.
Fibrous Plastering
Bespoke cast mouldings, arches and ornamental plasterwork.
Cornice Repair & Fibrous Plaster
Cornice repairs, matched profiles, ceiling roses and traditional ornamental plasterwork.
Plastering
Full-service plastering for every project, from skimming to bespoke finishes.
Traditional Plastering
Skimming, re-skimming and wall & ceiling finishing.
External Rendering
Sand and cement, lime, silicone and monocouche render for heritage buildings, refurbishments and new builds.
Tanking & Waterproofing
Basement tanking and below-ground waterproofing systems.
Damp Proofing
Diagnosis-led damp repairs, salt-damaged plaster removal and appropriate replastering.
Polished Plaster
Venetian, Marmorino and Tadelakt decorative polished finishes.
Microcement
Seamless microcement floors, walls and wet rooms.
Other Areas We Cover
Frequently asked questions
Yes. We were appointed eighteen months into a three-year heritage restoration and took on effectively the entire plastering scope, including 4,000m² of lime plaster, grassello polished plaster, external render, tanking to 13 basement vaults and ornamental fibrous restoration.
Yes. We take moulds from surviving original profiles, cast new fibrous sections to match and make them good into the retained fabric, as we did across Lancaster Gate.
Yes. At Lancaster Gate we installed structural waterproofing, render and screed to 13 vaults of varying size and brick condition, and we carry out tanking for lower-ground flats across Bayswater.
Get in Touch
Planning a project in Bayswater or Lancaster Gate?
Send us drawings or photographs and tell us about the property, its listed status and the work you have in mind. Call 07854 393865 or email choicefinishesltd@gmail.com. We typically respond within one business day.
Get a QuoteCall 07854 393865