Rendering a whole house: choosing the system and reading the quote
Cement versus acrylic render compared, why the substrate and scaffolding drive the price, and how to judge a renderer's work.
Rendering transforms a house. A tired brick facade becomes a smooth, modern exterior, and the change is dramatic enough that people often underestimate the work behind it. It's a whole-house job priced by the square metre of wall, and the system you choose shapes both the look and the cost.
The decisions that matter are made before a trowel touches the wall: which render system, what preparation the existing surface needs, and how you'll reach a second storey. Get those right and the finish lasts decades.
What the job involves
Rendering a whole house is priced per square metre of external wall. Traditional cement render is the cheapest system but needs painting afterwards, which is a cost to factor in. Acrylic render costs more per metre but comes coloured through, is more flexible, less prone to hairline cracking, and available in a wider range of textures — so the price gap narrows once you add the paint job cement needs.
The substrate underneath matters as much as the system on top. Render goes straight onto brick and blockwork, but painted brick needs extra preparation or a bonding coat, damaged mortar needs repair first, and lightweight cladding needs the right base system. Skip that prep and the render cracks or peels no matter how good the top coat is.
Height is the other big line item. A two-storey home needs scaffolding, which is a meaningful cost on its own, and detailing around window reveals, quoins, banding and parapets slows the job and adds to it.
How the cost works
A single-storey cement render ready for painting sits at the bottom of the range, a single-storey acrylic system with a coloured textured finish lands in the middle, and a full two-storey acrylic render including scaffolding reaches the top. The estimate on this page adjusts for wall area, render system and storeys, so read any figure as indicative for full-house work.
Total wall area is the core driver, but the system, the substrate condition and the scaffolding are what separate two quotes on the same house. When comparing, remember cement render needs painting afterwards — factor that in against coloured acrylic — and ask what surface preparation each quote includes, because prep over painted or damaged brick is exactly where a cheap number quietly cuts a corner.
Choosing the right renderer
Rendering is a finishing trade and generally unlicensed, though on some larger building work licensing can apply depending on your state — check if the rendering is part of a bigger permitted job. Otherwise, judge on the work: the best evidence is completed jobs a year or two old, because quality shows in how render has weathered, not how it looks on day one.
Ask which system is quoted — cement, acrylic or a premium textured finish — and get the surface preparation spelled out, especially over painted or damaged brickwork. A renderer who inspects the substrate and talks through prep before quoting understands that render is only as good as what's under it; one who quotes a flat metre rate sight unseen is guessing.
Mistakes to avoid
House rendering regrets usually come from skipped prep or forgetting that cement render still needs painting.
- Comparing cement render against acrylic without factoring in the paint job cement needs
- Accepting a quote that doesn't spell out surface preparation over painted or damaged brick
- Forgetting scaffolding is a real, separate cost on a two-storey render
- Judging a renderer on a fresh job instead of one that's weathered a year or two
- Rendering straight over crumbling mortar or unsuitable cladding, so it cracks later
- Overlooking that reveals, banding and parapets add detailing time and cost
Indicative range only, not a quote — see the full guide for worked scenarios and what moves the price.
Keep reading
Connecting homeowners with trusted local tradies. Made in Sydney.