Rendering service
White set rendering in Sydney
Classical facade at dusk, rendered window surroundsA Finishing Touch job in Sydney
- Licensed rendererNSW licence 298643C
- Since 2012Rendering Sydney homes
- Owner on every jobFrom the quote to the clean-up
- Free quotesConfirmed in writing after a visit
- Best for
- Inside walls of brick or block homes and extensions that have been, or will be, cement rendered, where you want a hard, smooth surface to paint
- Suits
- Internal walls over sound sand and cement render. Mostly an interior finish. Walls only: we do not do ceiling work
- Before paint
- Let it dry, then check it is hard and not powdery before painting. The painting standard AS/NZS 2311 calls for a sealer or binder coat and two top coats on new set plaster.
- Building and Energy WA, Industry Bulletin 071: paint adhesion to white set plaster
- Upkeep
- Treat it like any painted plaster wall: wipe marks off gently, fix leaks quickly, and keep it away from constant damp, which softens set plaster.
The short answer
What it is and when you need it
White set is a set plaster, made with gypsum or lime, trowelled on as the final thin coat over cement render and worked with a steel trowel until it is hard and polished.
It is mostly an interior finish. The render underneath gives a straight, solid wall, and the white set gives it a surface fine enough to paint.
It is the traditional finish for the inside of a solid masonry house, and some new double-brick and block homes still use it where the owner or builder wants rendered walls instead of plasterboard lining. It is also used in extensions so new rooms match older rendered walls.
To tell whether you have it, knock on the wall. Plasterboard sounds hollow between the studs and shows a paper face where it is chipped. White set over render sounds solid, and a chip shows the grey render underneath.
01 / 08
Trowelled hard
How is white set applied?
Over a cured sand and cement render. The render is wetted down first so it draws evenly, then the set plaster goes on in thin coats and is trowelled until it is compacted and burnished. Western Australia's building regulator, drawing on Standards Australia's HB 161 Guide to plastering, expects a three-coat plaster system with a finish coat of about 3 mm.
Freshly plastered rooms then need air moving through them so the plaster can cure properly. A closed-up house with no ventilation slows that down.
Source: Building and Energy WA, Industry Bulletin 071: paint adhesion to white set plasterSponge-floated render
The fine sandy surface of most rendered walls
White set
Hard, smooth and fine enough to paint
Start to finish
How a white set job runs
- 01
Free quote
Ask for a quote and say whether the walls are rendered yet; we reply with a rough estimate.
- 02
Check the base
We look at the render, or the bare brick, for damp, cracks and straightness before confirming the price.
In the quoteRender too, if needed
- 03
Protect and prepare
Floors and joinery are covered, the render is repaired where needed and wetted down.
In the quoteFloors and joinery protected · Render checked and wetted
- 04
Plaster
The set coats go on and are trowelled hard and smooth, with corners and reveals formed as we go.
In the quoteSet coats trowelled hard · Corners and reveals
- 05
Dry, check, paint
The rooms are cleaned and ventilated; once the plaster is hard and dry, your painter seals and paints.
In the quoteClean-up
Planning white set?
Ask for a free quote: a rough figure first, then a visit to confirm the quote in writing.
Questions answered
What people ask about white set
Is white set an inside or outside finish?
Mostly inside. Set plaster does not cope with persistent damp: Western Australia's building regulator, writing on white set, says gypsum and lime plaster must not be subjected to it once set. Outside walls get rain, dew and splash from the ground, so a smooth look outside is usually done with a fine-finish render or an acrylic system instead.
Most of our white set is inside, but we do it outside too where the wall suits it. Tell us when you ask for a quote and we will say whether white set or a fine-finish render is the better choice for that wall.
Why does paint peel off white set?
Usually because of the plaster, not the paint. When regulators investigate peeling paint on white set, they often find a soft or powdery plaster surface, or a wall that stayed damp. A good white set is hard and burnished, and the painter checks it before sealing.
The recommended paint system for new set plaster in AS/NZS 2311 is one sealer or binder coat and two top coats. If your painter wants to skip the sealer, ask them which maker's product allows it.
How long before I can paint white set?
Give it a few days of good drying weather, longer if it is cold or humid, and check the surface is hard rather than powdery. Then it gets a sealer or binder and two top coats.
Can white set go on plasterboard or ceilings?
White set goes over render, not plasterboard. And we do not do ceiling work, so our white set is on walls only. If the job includes ceilings, those need a separate plasterer.
Do you do the render under the white set too?
Yes. We do sand and cement rendering, so on bare brick or block we can render first and white set over it.
3 more questions
Is white set rendering the same as white set plastering?
Yes. People use both names. Strictly, the rendering is the sand and cement base and the white set is the thin plaster finish over it, so a full job often includes both.
Are you plasterers?
Yes, solid plasterers. We hold a NSW contractor licence in the Wet Plasterer category, which is render and set plaster on masonry walls. Our plastering is on walls only; we do not do ceilings.
Can white set be patched?
Yes, small patches and cracks can be cut back and re-set, then sealed before painting. A patch shows less once the whole wall is repainted.
Sydney conditions
What changes this job in Sydney
Damp in older houses
Older Sydney brick houses can have rising damp and salt in the lower walls. The Heritage Council of NSW's salt damp guide describes salt crystallising in plaster and render on damp walls, and set plaster should not sit in persistent damp, so the damp source is fixed before new white set goes on.
Source: Heritage Council of NSW, Salt attack and rising damp technical guide
Bathrooms and laundries
Wet areas need waterproofing, which in NSW is licensed work for jobs over $5,000. We do not waterproof, so in a bathroom or laundry the waterproofer's work and ours have to be sequenced, and white set is not used where the wall will be wet.
Humid weather and new builds
New plaster needs ventilation to cure. In humid summer weather, or in a new house closed up for security, windows need to be opened or air moved through the rooms, and painting waits until the plaster is hard and dry.
Source: Building and Energy WA, Industry Bulletin 071: paint adhesion to white set plaster
Pricing
What changes the price
Our typical prices · White set over sound render
$30–$55
per m², including GST
- The wall area and the ceiling height
- Whether the walls are already rendered, and how straight and sound that render is
- The number of corners, reveals, arches and openings
- Whether the house is empty or lived in and furnished
- How the work fits around other trades on a new build
Reviews
What our clients say
Courteous, tidy, protected the area from debris, cleaned up after and a good job
“Very professional and so helpful! Good communication and a fair price! Arrived nice and early! The rendering was done very well and looks great. The boys were very careful and made no mess! I have no hesitation in recommending Ali and his workers! I am definitely a very happy customer! Job: rear of house rendering plus a variety of rendering repairs in various places! Thank you so much!”
★★★★★Gregory Williams · “We loved dealing with Ali and his team. They are all lovely and really good renderers. We wanted something a little different (a thickly applied splattered style) in some parts of the house,”bagged” in other areas and smooth render in other parts…all was no problem, and expertly done. All fairly priced too. We would definitely recommend Finishing Touch Rendering. Stephanie and David.”
★★★★★Stephanie Hammond ·
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Guides, other finishes and areas
Free quote
Get a free white set quote
Quotes are free. Quotes are free. A rough idea of wall lengths and ceiling height is enough for a rough estimate. We visit to check the render before the final quote.