Do you price internal plastering and external render separately?

Yes. They are different rates and external render needs scaffold, so we keep them as separate sections in the estimate for clarity.

How do you handle making good on a refurbishment?

We measure the areas of patching and making good and price them on their own rate, because patching into existing plaster is slower than a clean new wall.

Can you price thin-coat render systems on insulation?

We can. We price the specified system with its base coat, mesh and beads, and allow for the scaffold and the insulation carrier where it is part of your package.

Trade Estimating

Plastering and rendering estimates measured wall by wall

We measure ceilings, walls and external render by the square metre from your drawings and hand back a branded plastering estimate ready to send.

In short

A plastering and rendering estimate prices plasterboard, skim, float and set, dry lining and external render by the square metre.

We measure wall and ceiling areas off your drawings, deduct openings and apply current UK plastering rates.

You get a clear, itemised estimate branded as your own, split between internal plastering and external rendering.

Who it's for

Plasterers, dry lining and rendering subcontractors, and main contractors pricing the finishes package.

Plastering lives or dies by the square metre measure, so we work net wall and ceiling areas straight off the drawings and deduct the openings. The difference between a skim over plasterboard, a two-coat float and set onto blockwork, and a dry lined and skimmed wall is real labour and material, so we identify the build-up room by room rather than applying one rate to the whole house.

Ceilings and the prep work are the lines that get squeezed. Overboarding an old ceiling, taping and jointing dry lining, beading every external corner and reveal, and bonding out before skim all add time that a flat wall rate ignores. We price the beads, the scrim and the prep so the rate matches what the plasterer actually does on site rather than an optimistic finish-only figure.

External render is a different animal again. Sand and cement render, monocouche through-colour and modern thin-coat systems on insulation each have their own labour, mesh, beads and base coats, and they all need scaffold. We price the system in the specification, allow for the beads and stop beads, and flag the access, because rendering a two-storey elevation from a scaffold is a long way from skimming a hallway.

What the estimate includes

Ceiling areas measured and priced for board and skim

Wall plastering by the square metre with openings deducted

Plasterboard, dry lining and tape and joint where specified

Skim, or float and set, identified by background

Angle beads, stop beads and scrim to corners and joints

External render system with base coat, mesh and beads

Bonding, prep and making good to existing surfaces

Scaffold allowance for external rendering

What drives the cost

The numbers that move the price on a plastering and rendering job, and the detail we measure to get them right.

Internal area and ceiling heights

The net wall and ceiling area sets the base price, and high ceilings or tall stairwells push up access and labour beyond a standard room rate.

Plaster system and background

Skim over board, two-coat float and set onto block, and dry lining are different rates. The background you are plastering onto changes the build-up and the time.

Beads, prep and making good

Every corner and reveal needs a bead, joints need scrim, and patching into existing plaster is fiddly. The amount of prep and making good is a real cost on a refurbishment.

External render system

Sand and cement, monocouche and thin-coat systems on insulation all carry different materials, mesh and labour, and through-coloured systems remove the need to paint but cost more to apply.

Scaffold and access for render

External render needs full scaffold to every elevation, so the building height and the number of elevations drive a large access cost on top of the render itself.

Drying time and protection

Render needs the right weather and time to cure, and internal plaster needs protecting once on. Programme constraints and protection can add cost on a tight job.

Common pitfalls we help you avoid

Applying one wall rate when the job mixes skim, float and set and dry lining.
Forgetting the ceilings and the beads, which carry a lot of labour.
Under-pricing making good on a refurbishment where the existing plaster is poor.
Leaving scaffold out of an external rendering price.
Ignoring the curing time and weather window on external render.

How it works

Send us the floor plans and elevations

Upload your drawings and tell us the plaster build-up internally and the render system externally.

We measure and price

We measure wall and ceiling areas, deduct openings, count the beads and apply current UK plastering and rendering rates.

You get a branded estimate

We return an itemised estimate under your own name, split between internal plastering and external rendering.

Frequently Asked Questions

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