Rendering the exterior walls of your home is an excellent way to give it a new lease of life and impress potential buyers. If you want to use render to spruce up your property, you must consider the average rendering cost per m2 in the UK.
In a Hurry? Find top-rated plasterers in your area by clicking the button below:
What is Rendering?
When you render a property, you add layers of a substance called ‘render’ to the property’s external walls. Render is traditionally a mixture of sand, cement, and other aggregates. Today, however, there are a variety of other types of render, which we’ll talk about in a moment.
In many ways, rendering is similar to plastering, and if you don’t want to do it yourself, you should hire a professional plasterer. The biggest difference between rendering and plastering is that you use plaster for internal walls and render for external walls. As such, the materials that go into render — and their ratios — differ since the finished render has to stand up to extreme weather.
Traditional cement render includes more cement and coarser sand than typical plaster. Having those elements in the mixture is what makes render more weatherproof. However, cement render is far from the only option.
Types of Render
There is a range of different types of render you can specify for your property. This useful guide from Homebuilding & Renovating provides an in-depth rundown of the three most common options:
- Cement Render — This is the standard or traditional form of render. The render’s mixture is similar to plaster but with more cement and coarser sand. You must apply this render in two or three coats to provide good weatherproofing and protection. Cement render can crack if the underlying property moves and requires regular painting to keep it looking its best.
- Acrylic/Silicone Render — Acrylic or silicone-based renders are often used in addition to cement render. You can apply them as a thin finish coat on top of two layers of traditional render. The acrylic or silicone seals the bottom layers and contains fibres to stop cracking. Such renders can also introduce colour and texture without having to be painted.
- Monocouche Render — The name ‘Monocouche’ comes from the French language, meaning either ‘single-layer’ or ‘single bed’. As the name suggests, you can apply just one coat of this render. Pre-mixed Monocouche render comes in bags. You can use it once you’ve added water. The mixture includes white cement and is often coloured, so you don’t have to paint it after application.
Why Render Your Property?
There are a few reasons why rendering the exterior of your home or property can be a good way to go. The first is purely aesthetic reasons. Rendering your external walls can hide tired brickwork or other surfaces which don’t show off your home in the best light. You can brighten up your property with either paint or a pre-coloured render.
Adding render to your walls also helps to protect and weatherproof them, as render helps to guard brickwork against damage or damp ingress. Whilst render isn’t insulation, you can use it as part of an external wall insulation (EWI) system. Such systems help improve the thermal efficiency of your exterior walls.
You can learn more about rendering benefits by checking out this rundown from Rendit.
Rendering Cost per m2 in the UK — 2023 Average Prices
You can render your property yourself, but it’s time and labour-intensive, so we recommend hiring a professional.
As you’d expect, the main determining factor for the cost of rendering is which type you opt for:
- You can expect to pay somewhere between £20 and £45 per square metre for cement render
- Monocouche render generally comes in at between £35 to £70 per m2.
- Acrylic/silicone render ranges between £45 and £75 per m2 but must be used in addition to cement render.
When it comes to labour, you’ll pay more if you live in London or the South East (no surprises there).
As with any rendering job, additional charges may include scaffolding, painting or other necessary finishing work.
Don’t fancy doing this job yourself? Find top-rated plasterers in your area by clicking the button below:
Rendering Cost per m2 in the UK — Final Thoughts
Rendering is a great way to boost your property’s curb appeal and protect it from the unpredictable British weather.
Given the time and effort involved in doing this job properly, we highly recommend hiring a professional to complete the work.