Meaning & use
replaster
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Meaning
verbtransitivetechnical
To cover a wall or ceiling with a new layer of plaster, usually after the old surface has been removed or damaged.
Grammar: Takes an object: replaster the wall. You can also say 'replaster a room' meaning to do the walls in that room.
Patterns
- replaster something
- replaster a wall/ceiling/room
We had to replaster the whole living room after the leak.
The old plaster was crumbling, so they decided to replaster the walls.
It took the workers three days to replaster the ceiling.
Word forms
| third person singular | replasters |
|---|---|
| past tense | replastered |
| past participle | replastered |
| -ing form | replastering |
Common combinations
- replaster a wall
- They hired a specialist to replaster the damaged wall.
- replaster a ceiling
- The water damage was so bad that we had to replaster the ceiling.
- replaster a room
- The renovation involved replastering the entire room.
- need replastering
- The hallway walls need replastering before we can paint them.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- plaster noun
- A soft mixture that hardens, used for covering walls and ceilings.
- plasterer noun
- A person whose job is to apply plaster to walls.
- plastering noun
- The act or skill of applying plaster.
Commonly confused: replaster or plaster?
replaster vs plaster
'Plaster' as a verb means to cover with plaster for the first time; 'replaster' means to do it again.
Practice
The ceiling was cracked and falling down, so the builders had to _____ it.
Choose one answer.
After 'had to', we use the base form of the verb: 'replaster'. 'Plaster' would mean doing it for the first time, but here the ceiling already had plaster that was damaged. 'Replastered' and 'replastering' are not used after 'had to' in this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “replaster”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.