Half done bathroom - HELP NEEDED!!!

hi all, i had t+g in my bathroom which was removed to reveal the wall behind was in awful shape (literally crumbling down!). Ive since had it rendered and plasterboard was put on the walls where they were in good shape. Its also got plasterboard suspended ceiling. what do I do next? obviously i cant just paint it, and im concerned about it getting damp and going mouldy. ive had someone out to give me a quote to skim it, but that was £180, my bathroom is only 2x3 metres so i thought that was a bit steep. is there a cheaper diy option? thanks all.

you say the guy quoted £180 for a room 3m x 2m gives a total area of 30sq m including ceiling if you removed a typical door and 1200 x 1200 window leaves 26.88sqm cost per sq m £6.69 I have just looked in an old Hutchins price schedule 1994 as my current ones are at work and the going rate for skim was £6.75 psm plus fitting beads etc, and are labour only cost. then the guy has to cover insurance vehicle running costs and any other overheads, I have two subbies who work for me on occasion and they are nearer £300 per day but they don't half get the yardage.or meterage as it is now days. so personally I do not feel this guy is robbing you. just trying to make a living out of his trade he has trained for. probably for 30 bob a week as an apprentice.

thanks for the reply, i am a first time home owner so havnt really come across these types of problems before. can anyone tell me if i should pva the walls and ceiling next or should i use a primer? ive heard conflicting advice on this one, so am at a loss as to what to do next.
thanks again!

If you are planning skimming it your self. and the board has been fitted the right way round usually grey side facing you, you should not need to pva it . however if you was planning to tile straight onto the boards then yes pva first about !/2 hour prior to tiling the next step as i understand it to be, is you are ready to skim the already boarded out room. also if you are going to have a go at skimming it do not forget to apply scrim tape to the joints or they will crack. you will also need to do the join where the walls meet the ceiling.

thanks for that. can you please tell me what to do about the ceiling? im concerned about it getting damp too as its only a small bathroom and although there is a window thats constantly open, there is no fan. sorry to sound thick! thanks for your help!

Unless you are planning to use the bathroom as a steam room then I would not worry. A good skim coat over the plasterboard followed by a couple of coats of good quality kitchen and bathroom paint sould do the trick.

If the window is mainly left open then any moisture should evaporate quite quickly.