Established by Andrew Deacon in 2002 as a plastering firm, Deacon Contractors have earned an excellent reputation for providing a high quality and reliable service. With more than 13 years experience working in both domestic and industrial markets across the entire Sussex area, Deacon Contractors is a family business that has expanded in size and stature – building up a very strong portfolio of work – which you can see in our gallery.
Whether on a building site or in the many thousand homes we’ve help renovate, here at Deacon Contractors we are fully equipped to deliver a long lasting and professional product that you can be proud of. Working alongside some of the largest and highest rated building firms in Brighton and across Sussex, we are confident that the plastering service we provide will be every inch as good as you expect.
We work hard to achieve a finish we can put our name to, but also to keep up with changes in the industry and ahead of the competition. Although the basics of plastering haven’t changed much over the decades, a number of stylish new trends have emerged – like coloured and monocouche – modernising the trade and providing more choice for homeowners and developers.
Interior
With many years experience of plastering around Brighton, Hove and the Sussex area, we’ve naturally spent much of our time plastering the walls and ceilings of properties. Whilst always achieving the same high quality and durable finish, there are a few different methods in use – and we are fully equipped and skilled in all.
Skim Coat:
Skim coat plastering is a two coat application of gypsum based plaster to achieve a smooth flat finish. This is the most popular and common form of plastering, and is what most people associate with the term plastering. It can be applied over a multitude of backgrounds, including plasterboard, existing plastered walls and artex – troweled to a smooth finish ready for paint.
Float and Set:
This is the term used for the traditional style of plastering often referred to as ‘wet plastering’, where a backing layer is applied first to the brickwork or blockwork. This process requires a wet undercoat plaster such as Thistle hardwall or Thistle bonding to be spread across the surface. Once this layer has been ruled to a flat, level finish it is allowed to harden before a skim coat can then be evenly applied. This method of plastering enhances the U-Values of the wall, helping to keep your home insulated.
Coving:
The decorative concave moulding placed at the junction between wall and ceiling, providing a tidy finish and stylish visuals to the room. Arriving in a number of different forms and sizes – we have great experience in applying the decorative touches to your interior design projects with a smooth coving finish.
Tacking & Dry-lining:
Tacking is the mechanical fixing of plasterboard using screws. It can be applied over timber stud work or fixed to the MF System. Dry-lining is the bonding of boards to the walls using plasterboard adhesive – both achieving a flat finish ready for plaster.
Tape and Joint:
A preparation mainly used with commercial properties and with ever decreasing frequency – the tape and joint application requires fibreglass tape to be applied before applying a filler and the finishing top coat layer.
Exterior
Whilst plastering the interior of homes is generally a more common process in terms of volume for us here at Deacon Contractors, we do a lot of our work on the exterior of properties too. Much like the standard processes of interior plastering not drastically changing much over the years, the exterior methods have remained in place for many decades too.
As the initial face that everyone will see, it’s vital that the exterior finish is not only durable, insulating and protective – but also aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the style of the property. We specialise in all types of exterior finish, and much of our work can be seen around the whole of the Sussex area.
Sand Cement Render:
The traditional classic and most common standard finish, the sand, cement, render application to exterior walls has remained relatively unchanged for decades – and is the most popular choice for its obvious durability benefits and cost effective value.
Monocouche:
One of the biggest changes to the plastering industry came with the introduction of monocouche, and it has proven very popular ever since. The modern through-coloured and textured finish has swept the UK, revolutionising the look and feel of homes everywhere.
Monocouche is a through-coloured product, meaning there is no need for decoration after the product has been applied. As well as the clear design and aesthetic value that this provides, one of the main benefits of of this method is the complete lack of expense or maintenance required in the proceeding years, whilst looking highly decorative and ultra-modern throughout the duration.
Pebble Dash:
Although no longer as popular as with recent years, we have great experience in providing a pebble dash exterior finish to homes. Also known as drydashing, roughcasting and harling – the process involves inserting dashings of shard into the sand and cement render, applying evenly across the exterior wall and smoothing for a decorative, stippled finish that actually has its origins in Roman times.