The Plastering Podcast Made by Plasterers, for Plasterers
Welcome to The Plasterers Podcast – The Mick & Dave Show, a UK plastering podcast hosted by two Master Plasterers with a lifetime of experience in the trade.
We’re Mick Hargreaves and Dave Winchester. Between us, we’ve spent decades working with a trowel in our hands, running jobs, teaching the next generation of plasterers and generally learning the trade the way most plasterers do — by getting stuck in.
Now we’ve got microphones.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Mick & Dave Show brings together plastering, construction, heritage skills, teaching, music, stories from the trade and plenty of laughs and banter.
There are no corporate scripts and no presenters pretending to know what working in the construction industry is like.
We’re plasterers talking to plasterers.
🎙️ What Is The Mick & Dave Show?
The podcast started with a simple idea.
Two plasterers. Two microphones. And not much of a clue what we were doing.
What began as a small podcast about the plastering trade has grown into a show listened to in the UK, USA and around the world.
We talk about the subjects that matter to people working in plastering and construction, including:
- Traditional and modern plastering
- Heritage plasterwork
- Fibrous plastering
- Lime plastering
- Decorative plasterwork
- Training and apprenticeships
- Becoming a plastering lecturer
- Life on the tools
- Master Plasterers and traditional craft skills
- The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers
- Interesting people from across the industry
- Music, nostalgia and our increasingly popular music quizzes
And occasionally we just talk a load of bollocks.
Which, strangely enough, people seem to enjoy.
🧱 Two Master Plasterers Behind the Microphones
Mick and Dave aren’t journalists talking about the plastering industry from the outside.
We’ve lived it.
Between us, we have decades of experience in plastering, construction and further education.
Dave Winchester APC, MPCG began his plastering apprenticeship in 1971 before eventually moving from the building site into education. He became Programme Leader for Plastering at Burnley College and has spent many years promoting plastering skills, education and the preservation of traditional plastering techniques.
Dave is also a Freeman of the City of London through the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers and received the Company’s Lifetime Contribution Award in 2015.
Mick Hargreaves APC is a Master Plasterer with more than 35 years’ experience across the plastering industry. His career has taken him from working on the tools to teaching and managing plastering courses before eventually returning to site work and running his own business.
Between them, Mick and Dave have experienced most sides of the plastering trade.
And they’ve got plenty of stories to prove it.
🎧 Plasterers Talking to Plasterers
One of the things we’re proudest of is the people we’ve managed to get behind a microphone.
The Mick & Dave Show isn’t about interviewing celebrities simply because they’re famous.
We’re interested in people who have a story to tell.
We’ve spoken with Master Plasterers, craftspeople, lecturers, manufacturers, heritage specialists and some remarkable characters from the plastering and construction industries.
Guests have joined us from across Britain and even from the other side of the world.
We’ve talked about everything from traditional timber laths and heritage plasterwork to fibrous plastering, education, running a business and what life is really like working in the trade.
The interviews are deliberately informal.
Put the kettle on, grab a brew and imagine three plasterers having a conversation down the pub.
That’s pretty much The Mick & Dave Show.
🎓 From Trowel to Teacher
One of our original podcast series was From Trowel to Teacher.
It follows the journey from spending a lifetime working in a vocational trade to suddenly finding yourself standing in front of a classroom full of students.
We discuss the reality of becoming a plastering lecturer — the interview, teacher training qualifications, those terrifying first lessons, classroom and workshop management, assessment and even surviving an Ofsted inspection.
If you’re an experienced plasterer or tradesperson thinking about moving from construction into teaching, this series gives you an insight into what the transition is really like.
Not the college brochure version.
The real version.
🏛️ Keeping Traditional Plastering Skills Alive
Modern plastering is an important part of the show, but so is the history of our craft.
Traditional plastering techniques have been passed from tradesman to apprentice for generations.
We regularly explore subjects including lime plastering, fibrous plasterwork, timber laths, decorative mouldings, heritage restoration and traditional plastering methods.
We also discuss the role organisations such as the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers play in recognising excellence and helping preserve the standards and traditions of the plastering craft.
These skills are part of our industry’s heritage.
If we don’t talk about them, teach them and pass them on, eventually they disappear.
🎸 Then There’s the Music…
Somewhere along the way we decided talking about plastering wasn’t enough.
So we started doing music quizzes.
They’ve become some of the most enjoyable episodes we make.
The Mick & Dave Music Quiz takes on everything from Classic Rock and Soul to American music, World Cup songs and music from the movies.
Usually there are 25 questions.
Usually Mick argues with the Quizmaster.
And usually somebody claims the questions are too difficult.
Play along in the van, workshop, at home or down the pub and see if you can beat us.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 A British Plastering Podcast with Listeners Around the World
Something we never expected when we started the podcast was how quickly people outside Britain would discover us.
The Mick & Dave Show now has listeners across the United Kingdom, United States and many other countries.
Our American listeners seem particularly fascinated by British plastering, traditional craftsmanship and — for reasons we still don’t entirely understand — our Lancashire accents.
That’s one of the great things about the podcast.
The tools, materials and terminology might sometimes be different, but craftspeople around the world have far more in common than you might think.
🎙️ Listen to The Mick & Dave Show
Whether you’re a plasterer, apprentice, lecturer, builder, heritage craftsperson or simply somebody interested in traditional construction skills, you’re welcome to join us.
Stick an episode on while you’re:
🚐 Driving to the next job
🧱 Working on site
🛠️ In the workshop
🏠 Relaxing at home
🍺 Or having a pint after work
Expect plastering, craftsmanship, guests, stories, music, nostalgia, laughs and plenty of Mick & Dave banter.
The Plasterers Podcast – The Mick & Dave Show.
The Voice of Plastering 