What is house rendering?

There are three main types of render that are commonly used in Australia:

Cement

Simple and effective, this common mix of sand and clay can be easily applied and given a smooth or textured finish. While cement is one of the more affordable render options, it’s also more susceptible to drying and cracking over time.

Acrylic

Pre-mixed acrylic render has a more paint-like consistency, and may be used as a render on its own or as a topcoat over cement to help add extra strength and protection.

Acrylic render comes in a variety of colours and textures, saving you the time and expense of painting or finishing afterwards. It tends to crack less than cement, though it’s typically more expensive.

Polymer Modified Cement 

Adding polymers to a cement render can help it better stick to difficult surfaces and reduce cracking. While polymer modified cement may come in different colour and texture options, it also tends to have a higher price tag.

The biggest difference between rendering and plastering is that your home’s internal walls will typically be plastered, while its external walls will be rendered.  

Plaster tends to offer a smoother finish, but it’s much less durable than render. Render tends to be more expensive and time consuming to apply, and it may not offer the stylish finish you want in an interior space.

According to Australian tradie website HiPages, it can cost anywhere between $10,000  and $20,000 to render a house based on national averages, though paying a professional to render the average sized house could set you back anywhere from $12,000 to $32,000, or more for a larger home.

For professional rendering, expect to pay anywhere from:

• $30–$50 per square metre for basic cement render
• $30–$80 per square for acrylic or polymer render

These prices are for rendering a single-storey home and include labour costs. Larger homes and more complex projects may cost more. 

If you’re looking at buying a cheaper “fixer-upper” house that needs some renovation work, you may want to include the potential cost of rendering into your calculations. Sometimes it’s possible to over-capitalise on your renovation, spending (or borrowing) more than the value you’re adding to the house.

In some cases, you may be able to take out finance options to help pay for your renovation. This could include taking out a personal loan for home improvements, or accessing your home equity. Though a renovation loan may not be available to all customers, such as first home buyers.

Remember that if you’re undertaking a major renovation, you may also need to consider how this could affect your home insurance.

While it may be possible to render your own house, though if you’re not confident or experienced, you run the risk of making mistakes that could leave you with a substandard finish. And even if you engage a professional’s services, you could end up going over budget or overcapitalising if you’re not careful.

The time it takes to render a house depends on the size of the project as well as the type of render used. 

According to HiPages:

• Cement render can take 1 to 2 days per wall or around 1 week for the average house
• Acrylic render can take 2 to 3 days per wall or up to 2 weeks for a whole house
• Acrylic render can take longer to apply than cement render, but it is much faster to cure and dry, so your walls will be ready to touch and to paint sooner.
• Cement render takes around 28 days to cure
• Acrylic render cures in just 48 hours
• Acrylic render can be expected to last far longer before it needs to be redone.

You may also need to allow a few more days to a week to paint a dried and cured render. Alternatively, you could use a pre-pigmented rendering solution in the colour you want.