Polystyrene cladding cost in Sydney (2026)

Polystyrene cladding is foam panels fixed over a frame or wall, then meshed, base-coated and rendered as one system. For the work itself, see our polystyrene cladding page.

What does polystyrene cladding cost per square metre?

This is the closest published figure we could find. It is national, not Sydney-only, includes GST, and covers the panels supplied, fixed and rendered. The source gives a range without a typical figure.

Most polystyrene jobs are upper-storey additions and extensions, so scaffolding is usually part of the cost.

What changes the price of polystyrene cladding?

• Wall area and height, and the scaffolding needed.
• The frame or wall the panels go over, and how straight it is.
• Panel thickness and the system named in the approval.
• Windows, doors, corners, sills and movement joints to detail.
• Fixings. Near the coast or the harbour, one system requires upgraded stainless steel screws (see below).
• The texture and topcoat colour.

What Sydney rules change a polystyrene cladding job?

• Approval comes first. Under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008, cladding can only be exempt development on a one or two storey house, and never when it is external combustible cladding. In practice, every EPS job needs a complying development certificate or a development application, and that approval, not the quote, decides when work can start. Allow for its cost and time.
• Near salt water. Within 1 km of breaking surf, or within 100 m of salt water such as the harbour, Middle Harbour, Pittwater or the Parramatta River, Unitex's BaseBoard manual requires Class 4 or 316 stainless steel fixing screws instead of the standard ones.
• Boundaries. The same manual limits the system to walls at least 900 mm from a side or rear boundary and 1.8 m from another building on the same lot. On a tight inner-city lot, check the distance before anything else.

How long before the finish goes on?

Longer than most people expect. Dulux's high-polymer base coat for EPS needs 7 to 10 days before the texture system goes over it (Dulux AcraTex RenderWall Plus). Plan the scaffolding hire around the whole system, not just the panel fixing.

What should a polystyrene cladding quote spell out?

• The system by name, from panel to topcoat, and that it matches the approval.
• Panel thickness, mesh and fixings, including any upgraded coastal fixings.
• Detailing at windows, doors, sills and joints.
• Scaffolding, and how long it is needed for.
• What it doesn't include, such as the approval itself or framing work by the builder.

How do we quote polystyrene cladding?

1. Ask for a free quote, with the plans or the approval for the addition if you have them.
2. We reply with a rough figure.
3. We visit to measure and check the frame.
4. You get the final quote in writing, naming the system and what is included.