Guides · Updated 2026-10-17

Best AI tools for plasterers (UK): quotes, CIS, calls and admin

These are the best AI tools for plasterers in the UK, picked job by job: quoting, job management, agreeing extras, CIS and invoicing, missed calls, hiring a labourer, and reviews. It sits under our best AI tools for tradesmen hub and links to the AI for builders and trades hub. Most plasterers are sole traders or small gangs, so the tools here are cheap, quick to set up and work from a phone.

Prices checked: 14 to 17 October 2026 on each provider's own page (the same figures as our tools directory). Some companies price in US dollars, so the pound cost moves with the exchange rate.

No affiliate links on this page. No tool paid to be included. See how we make money.

The short version

Quoting plastering jobs

Plasterers usually price by the room, the wall or the square metre, or on a day rate for patching and new builds. Whichever you use, a clear quote says what's included: stripping old plaster or Artex, boarding, beads, skim or float and set, making good around sockets and frames, protection and clearing up, waste removal, drying time before decorating, and whether the price includes VAT. Work out a fair day rate with the day-rate calculator, add materials with the quote calculator, then write the wording with the AI quote generator.

If you agree a job in the customer's home, tell them they can cancel within 14 days; if you don't, they can cancel for up to 12 months. Contracts of £42 or less are exempt (GOV.UK: doorstep selling, checked 15 October 2026). Step by step: how to price a job.

Extras and blown plaster

Hack off a wall and you may find more blown plaster, damp or rotten lath than you priced for. If the price for that extra work isn't agreed, the customer only has to pay a reasonable price (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51), and every job must be done with reasonable care and skill (section 49). Text a photo, what you found, the extra cost and a line saying you'll carry on once they reply yes. ChatGPT drafts that message well if you give it the facts and the price. Old textured coatings such as Artex can contain asbestos; see HSE's asbestos FAQs before you scrape or sand.

Dust

HSE says the COSHH Regulations require you to protect against the risks from hazardous construction dust, and that over 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year (HSE: construction dust, checked 17 October 2026). Use HSE's own guidance for the controls; AI is fine for laying out a method statement you then check, not for deciding what's safe.

CIS, invoices and getting paid

Most plasterers do some work for builders under CIS. Since April 2026 the rules have changed: see CIS changes 2026, check deductions with the CIS calculator, and read CIS explained for subcontractors. QuickBooks includes CIS calculation and submission on all its plans. For homeowners, use the free invoice template, set a deposit and stage payments with the stage payment schedule, and chase late payers with the payment reminder generator. Compare apps: invoicing apps for tradesmen.

Hiring a labourer

From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over (GOV.UK, checked 17 October 2026). Write the advert with the job advert generator, which flags pay below that rate, and see the full cost with the cost of employing someone calculator. If they'll work for you as self-employed, check their status with HMRC's employment status tool.

Calls, reviews and posts

You can't answer the phone with a hawk and trowel in your hands. An AI receptionist can take the job, rough size, postcode and a callback number, and text you a summary: see AI receptionist cost UK and record a greeting with the voicemail greeting generator. A smooth finished wall photographs well: post it with the social post generator, ask for a Google review on the last day, and reply with the review reply generator.

Starter kits for plasterers

How we picked

One best free start and one best-value paid pick per job, from provider pricing pages in our tools data. No paid placements.

Sources

• Tool pricing pages linked from each tool page (checked 14 to 17 October 2026).
• Cancellation: GOV.UK. Prices and care: CRA 2015 s49, s51. Dust: HSE. Asbestos: HSE. Pay: GOV.UK.

FAQ

What is the best app for plasterers?

For quotes and invoices, YourTradebase (£29 a month + VAT) or Powered Now (£28 excl. VAT for one user) suit most sole traders. If most of your work is CIS, QuickBooks handles the deductions and returns.

Can AI price a plastering job?

It can lay out the quote and the wording, but it doesn't know your rates, local prices or the state of the walls. Work out your day rate and materials first, then let AI write it up.

How should a plasterer charge for extra work?

Agree it before you do it: a photo, what you found, the price and the customer's yes in writing. If the price isn't agreed, the customer only has to pay a reasonable one.

Do plasterers pay CIS?

If you work for a contractor in construction, CIS deductions apply to your labour. Check the rate and the April 2026 changes in our CIS guides.

How much must I pay a plastering labourer?

At least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026 for workers aged 21 and over, unless they're genuinely self-employed.