White set plastering cost in Sydney (2026)

White set is the thin, hard plaster coat that goes over sand and cement render on inside walls, giving a smooth surface to paint. For the work itself, see our white set page.

What does white set cost per square metre?

These are the closest published figures we could find. They are national, not Sydney-only, and include GST. The source gives a range without a typical figure.

The first line is the job when the walls are already rendered and sound. The second is closer to the whole job on bare brick or block: a render coat, then the set coat. For Sydney, the same guide puts plasterers' rates at $70–$100 an hour or $600–$850 a day.

What changes the price room by room?

• Wall area and ceiling height. Taller walls need trestles or a platform and take longer.
• The render underneath. If it is straight and sound, the set coat goes straight on. If it is hollow, cracked or out of line, that is fixed first.
• Corners, reveals, arches and openings. Each one has to be formed cleanly, and a room full of them costs more per square metre than a plain one.
• Empty or lived in. Furniture, floors and fittings have to be moved or protected in a lived-in home.
• Other trades. On a new build or renovation, the set coat fits between the electrician, the waterproofer and the painter.

We do walls only, not ceilings.

What does white set need before it is painted?

Time to dry and harden. The painting standard AS/NZS 2311, as quoted by Building and Energy WA's bulletin on white set plaster, calls for a sealer or binder coat and two top coats on new set plaster. The plaster should be hard and not powdery before the sealer goes on. In humid weather, or in a new house closed up for security, open the windows or move air through the rooms so it can dry.

Is white set right for every room?

Not for wet areas. Bathrooms and laundries need waterproofing, which in NSW is licensed work for jobs over $5,000 (NSW Government: waterproofing work), and set plaster shouldn't sit where the wall will be wet. In older brick houses, rising damp in the lower walls has to be fixed first: the Heritage Council of NSW's salt damp guide describes salt crystallising in plaster and render on damp walls.

What should a white set quote spell out?

• The rooms and walls included, measured on site.
• The state of the render, and what repairs are included.
• Whether the price includes rendering bare brick first, or only the set coat.
• Protection and clean-up in a lived-in home.
• The licence. Residential wet plastering work over $5,000, including GST, needs a NSW contractor licence (NSW Government: wet plastering work).

How do we quote white set?

1. Ask for a free quote, with a rough idea of the wall lengths and ceiling height.
2. We reply with a rough figure from the photos.
3. We visit to check the render and measure.
4. You get the final quote in writing, with what is included.