Plastering cost in Swindon 2026: price list by job
The 2026 Swindon price list for plastering: £230 a day for labour, 18 m² skimmed or 12 m² rendered per day, one 25 kg bag of multi-finish per 10 m² — with each common job costed.
Updated 1 October 2026
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Plastering in Swindon in 2026 prices at £230 a day for labour, with a plasterer skimming about 18 m² a day, rendering about 12 m² a day, and one 25 kg bag of multi-finish covering 10 m². Those three constants turn any room into a price: a small bedroom is two days and £460 in labour, a living room four days and £920. Most people ask for "a price per room", and to be fair, rooms are what you see — but same-sized rooms hide different surfaces, and a per-room quote prices the label instead of the work. The list below prices the work instead, job by job, straight from those constants.
The 2026 Swindon price list by job
Every row below is the estimator arithmetic on a named job, at the 2026 Swindon labour rate of £230 a day: days = area ÷ coverage rate, labour = days × £230, and bags = area ÷ 10 for multi-finish. Materials are quoted separately, which is standard — the bag counts tell you what to expect on that line of the quote. Ceilings count: the areas include the ceiling at length × width, because a skim quote covers all the plaster in the room.
| Job (L × W × H) | Area | Days | Labour at £230/day | Multi-finish bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom skim over plasterboard (2.4 × 3.0 × 2.4 m) | 33 m² | 2 | £460 | 4 × 25 kg |
| Large bedroom skim over plasterboard (4.0 × 3.5 × 2.4 m) | 50 m² | 3 | £690 | 5 × 25 kg |
| Living room skim over plasterboard (5.0 × 4.0 × 2.4 m) | 63 m² | 4 | £920 | 7 × 25 kg |
| Same small bedroom on bare brick (adds bonding coat) | 33 m² | 2 | £460 + bonding | 13 bags bonding + 4 finish |
| Rear elevation render, wall only (8.0 × 3.0 m) | 24 m² | 2 | £460 | sand-cement, quoted separately |
What moves a Swindon quote up or down
The constants are fixed; the area and the surface are not. Bare brick is the biggest single mover because bonding coat covers only 2.7 m² per 25 kg bag — the small bedroom jumps from 4 bags to 13 plus a slower start. Artex adds preparation or boarding before any finish goes on, and occupied, furnished rooms skim slower than emptied ones. The table is the checklist to run through a quote line by line.
| Factor | Typical effect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bare brick or stripped walls | Adds a bonding coat | Bonding covers 2.7 m² per 25 kg bag — 13 bags on the 33 m² bedroom |
| Artexed surfaces | Extra prep or boarding | Texture must be flattened, boarded or treated before skimming |
| Higher ceilings | Area rises, not the rate | Walls are 2 × (L + W) × H — height multiplies directly |
| Furnished, occupied rooms | Slower coverage | Moving and cutting in around the room trims the daily m² |
| External render access | Adds scaffold | Render above ground level needs safe access before the 12 m²/day rate applies |
Skim or render: the per-day maths
The two coverage rates give you a per-square-metre anchor: skimming at 18 m² a day works out at about £12.78 per m² of labour (£230 ÷ 18), and rendering at 12 m² a day at about £19.17 (£230 ÷ 12). Render costs more per square metre because it is slower and heavier work, not because the day rate differs. Which finish a wall needs is a separate question — what skimming involves, reskimming versus dry lining and external rendering in Swindon each cover that in depth, and lime versus gypsum plaster matters on older Swindon walls.
From price list to a firm quote
Two steps turn this list into a number you can hold a plasterer to. First, run your own rooms through the instant estimator — same constants, your dimensions, no guesswork. Second, ask each plasterer to price the stated surface, not "the room": area, surface condition, and whether bonding or boarding is included. This page is the quick price list; our full cost guide works the whole method line by line, and choosing a Swindon plasterer covers who to let through the door. Scope note: this list is for whole-room and whole-wall work in ordinary habitable rooms — damp, ceilings over about 3 m and ornate cornice work need a survey before any price on this page means anything.
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Plastering cost in Swindon 2026: price list by job: quick questions
What does a plasterer charge per day in Swindon?
The Swindon day rate our estimator uses is £230 for labour. Skilled day rates across the SN postcodes generally sit between £180 and £260, and the day-rate basis is the honest one because wall area, not room count, sets the amount of work.
How much to skim a small bedroom in 2026?
About £460 in labour: 33 m² of wall and ceiling at 18 m² a day is two days at £230. Add four 25 kg bags of multi-finish plus sundries — materials are quoted separately from labour.
What is the per-square-metre rate for plastering?
Skimming works out at about £12.78 per m² of labour (£230 ÷ 18 m² a day). Rendering, at 12 m² a day, is about £19.17 per m². Both figures are labour only, before materials.
Do plastering quotes include materials?
Not usually. Labour is quoted by the day and materials are itemised separately — expect roughly one 25 kg bag of multi-finish per 10 m², plus bonding coat at 2.7 m² per bag on bare brick.
Why does the 2026 price list differ from my written quote?
The list prices standard conditions; a written quote reflects your actual walls — area, ceiling height, surface condition and bonding needs. Differences are expected; unexplained gaps of whole days are what you challenge.