Silicone Render Cost

Silicone render is amongst the easiest external property coatings to apply, needing just one coat and requiring little-to-no maintenance owing to its hydrophobic properties. But, these advantages come at a price - silicone render is a premium product, making it one of the more expensive options on the market.

Despite the increased cost, silicone render is growing in popularity in the UK due to its durability, flexibility and crack resistance when compared to cement render. Available in a range of finishes, if applied correctly, silicone render can last for 30 years without intervention.

To find out more about the cost of silicone render, including labour, supply and hidden fees, keep reading.

We can also get your quotes from silicone render contractors in your area.

How Much is Silicone Rendering?

The average cost of silicone render can range from £45 to £55 per m² for supply costs only. The average cost of silicone render application on a 200m² semi-detached house is between £9,000 to £11,000, and a 300m² detached house can cost between £13,500 to £16,500.

The bigger your house, the higher your render price - and geographical considerations also play a part in raising or lowering your supply and labour charges, with cities commanding higher fees than towns. It’s important to bear this in mind when collecting quotes from tradesmen as you are likely to see a bigger spread in costs if you live in London.

Silicone Rendering Prices

Property Type	Service	Estimated Cost	Time Required
2-bed bungalow (100m2)	Silicone render application	£4,500 to £5,500	1 to 2 days
3-bed semi-detached (200m2)	Silicone render application	£9,000 to £11,000	1 to 2 days
4-bed detached (300m2)	Silicone render application	£13,500 to £16,500	2 to 3 days

Supply Costs

Silicone render cost per m² is between £45 to £55, with a 25kg supply costing £80. To lay this correctly, your contractor will need the following supplies:

Item	Cost
Basecoat (or scratch coat)	£3.50 per m2
Fibreglass mesh	£1.50 per m2
Topcoat	£5.50 per m2
Beading	£3 per m2

As contractors can take advantage of bulk buying discounts, it’s a good idea to ask if they can include supplies in their quote so that you can benefit from those savings, instead of buying items individually at their full price.

Additional Costs

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is likely to cost between £750 to £900 to fit a semi-detached house for painting or plastering access, with the cost rising to £900 to £1,150 for a detached property. This is for a 1-week hire period, and prices can fluctuate based on your location and the period of your hire.

Waste Disposal and Skip Hire

If you’re having your property’s old rendering removed, you will need a skip. Mini skips are around £90, while the largest skips can cost closer to £800.

Large skips are most suited to rendering projects, especially if your house is detached, or has rendering applied to all sides of the property. A 20-yard skip will cost between £300 to £600, with a 40-yard costing between £400 to £800.

Costs in London are expected to be between £50 to £350 higher than in other locations, such as the North of the UK, due to increased demand. You will need to ensure that your skip is suitable for the type of waste you will be producing, as incorrect labelling can lead to fines.

Permits

You’ll need to check with your local council to see if you need a permit for your skip hire if you plan to leave it on the roadside, which can range from £10 to £70 depending on your location. You can face fines of £1,000 if you don’t get a permit before having your skip delivered if you’re storing it on the roadside.

Labour Costs and Timescales

Silicone render application is not something to attempt as a DIY project - you need to hire rendering specialists to ensure the job is completed to a high standard to avoid the coating failing due to improper application, which will only end up costing you more in the long run to fix.

Rendering specialists cost in the region of £130 to £250 per day, with fees rising in line with the contractor’s skill level. However, with this added cost, you can glean discounts in other areas of your project, such as with supply costs.

Tradesmen have greater buying power in the construction industry, meaning they can take advantage of bulk buy prices - cheaper than what you can get when buying items individually in-store. This can also mean that some of the project management is taken care of as you don’t have to collect the items yourself.

Cost Factors for Silicone Rendering

Location and Ease of Access

Unfortunately, we’re beginning with a non-negotiable - the geographical area your property is located in. Costs for the same job in London will be higher than in the North of the UK, due to demand and supply prices.

What’s more, if your property doesn’t have off-road parking or a driveway, you will most likely need to order a permit for your skip hire to store it on the roadside during your project. Permits can range from £10 to £70, and you can face fines of £1,000 if you don’t have one and you choose to store your skip on the road.

If your property overhangs a public pavement or road or is particularly tall, your prices are likely to increase as the ease of access for the contractor is reduced. Additional scaffolding hire and the potential for temporary closure of public rights of way can impact your costs, making the job even more expensive.

These costs can vary depending on your county, so it’s best to check with your local council for your rates and then budget accordingly.

Condition of Substrate

It’s possible that your substrate may have become damaged during the removal of old rendering - especially pebbledash, as the rough detachment style can lead to masonry being negatively impacted. You will need to pay for the restoration of any such defect, which can range from £100 to £350 for small patch repairs.

Building Regulations Related to Silicone Rendering

While you may consider the addition of silicone render as an aesthetic change to your property, there are building regulations to bear in mind. Alterations to a property’s exterior can have impacts on fire safety, structural stability and insulation, all of which fall under building regulations jurisdiction, so while silicone render application is likely to fall under permitted development, you may still need to have an assessment to confirm the proposed changes.

This is especially true if you are planning on removing old rendering and replacing it with silicone render as it may impact your home’s insulation. Your rendering specialist will need to consider both the U-value (thermal transmittance) and the reciprocal R-value (minimum thermal resistance) to calculate the need for additional insulation as a result of the change.

These guidelines are true for standard properties - but if your home is listed, you won’t be able to change the external appearance from its original state. Similarly, if you live in a conservation area, you will be prevented from making external changes as the aesthetic characteristics are protected under the law.

Before you start work on renovating your property’s exterior, you should check with your local planning authority or conservation officer to make sure you adhere to any relevant guidelines in your area.

Types of Silicone Rendering Finishes

Silicone rendering is often seen with a smooth, sleek finish, giving properties a contemporary look and feel. Depending on your choice of silicone render finish, your application price may vary - the more ornate and detailed the application, the higher the labour charges and therefore your overall project cost.

There are several silicone render colours to choose from, ranging from neutrals to more bold shades. When choosing your silicone render colour, you need to be aware of any restrictive covenants in your area that may prevent you from colouring your house in a hue that’s different to the houses around you.

The more off-the-shelf the colour is, the lower your cost will be when comparing prices with bespoke shades. If you’re looking to keep well within budget, opt for a pre-mixed colour instead of having something individually made for you.

Alternative Types of Silicone Rendering

You may not have your mind completely made up on what sort of external coating you want on your property - and in this section, we’ll walk you through a few of the alternatives to silicone rendering for you to consider.

Render Over Existing Render

A common choice to keep costs down is to simply render over the existing render. This is only possible in situations where the original rendering is in good condition and shows no sign of failure.

If you apply new rendering without assessing the existing structure, you run the risk of having both the new and old layers of render falling off, leading to health and safety issues, as well as added costs for repair. If you have minor issues such as cracks, your contractor will need to repair these before starting work on your polymer render, with small patch repairs usually costing between £100 to £350, depending on your render type.

This method is far more time-efficient than a full removal of old render and can help trim down labour charges as well as hire charges for additional equipment. Render applications can start at £3,000 for small properties and rise to £6,000 and above for larger homes, and even more for premium materials.

If quick turnarounds aren’t necessary, you can choose more traditional renders - such as cement or sand - that have longer drying and curing times, but lower supply costs instead of silicone render. Cement render is the cheapest at £10 per m², while lime render costs around £20 per m² - when you start adding plastics into the mix, the price rises, with polymer render costing around £30 per m², the same as acrylic.

Clad Over Existing Render

Again, if your underlying rendering is in good condition, you can ask your contractor to install cladding over your rendering. Cladding installation can cost around £3,800 and will take anywhere from two to three days, making it more time-efficient than removal of the existing render - especially true if you have pebbledash rendering, which commands long labour periods due to the trickiness of the removal.

The material you choose for your cladding - timber, UPVC or aluminium - will give you lower or higher costs, with timber being the cheapest and aluminium being the most expensive option.

Paint Over Existing Render

It is possible to paint over your existing render if your contractor deems the full removal of your existing render unnecessary. To assess this, your contractor will need to examine the original rendering for any damages or signs of structural decay and fix these problems if they are minor enough to be resolved with a repair.

Any dents or missing spots of render will become glaringly obvious once masonry paint is applied, so this repair step mustn’t be skipped to get a uniform finish. Painting over existing render works better for some surfaces than others, and won’t cover up any unwanted textures - like pebbledash - so it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons if you want to achieve a sleek look, rather than just updating the colour.

Prices for masonry paint vary, but you can find 5-litre tubs for around £15, giving you a cost range of between £10 to £25 per m² - which equates to £800 to £2,000 for supply costs only for a two-bed semi-detached house. You will then need to add on equipment costs, such as scaffolding, as well as factoring in your labourer’s day rate.

Different Types of Render

Here are some other types of render you may be interested in:

• Cement render
• Polymer render
• Lime render
• Acrylic render

Removing Existing Rendering: Considerations and Costs

Unless your current rendering is in good condition, the chances are you will need it to be removed before you can apply your new silicone rendering. If there is substantial damage to the original layer - large cracks, loss of surface area, and signs of structural damage - then your contractor will advise that a full removal and re-application is the way forward.

Most commonly seen in the rendering market is the removal of pebbledash render as it is considered an antiquated style. This can cost anywhere between £2,100 to £7,800 and upwards, depending on your house size.

Starting with a blank canvas is the best practice, although it is the more expensive option when faced with the choice between simply rendering over the existing render or embarking on the labour-intensive task of removing it. Your contractor will need to pay special attention to the condition of your substrate, as any damages or defects will need to be taken care of before they can install your silicone render.

If you’re in any doubt, speak to your contractor about what’s best in your circumstances, with your budget in mind.

Hiring Contractors Checklist for Silicone Rendering

Choosing your contractor is arguably the most important part of your project - let’s take a look at the key considerations to ensure you’re getting a qualified trader.

Qualifications, Licences And Insurance

Whatever the speciality, your contractor will need liability insurance - if for whatever reason they don’t have this and try to tell you that it’s not needed, do not engage with them as this is a risky practice and can lead to hefty payouts in the event of any accidents.

While there are no set qualifications needed for external rendering, general experience in plastering and rendering, as well as experience in handling hazardous materials can indicate an experienced contractor.

Read Reviews

While a contractor’s website can look professional at a glance, the real test lies in their customer reviews. Make sure you read the reviews from independent websites, such as Reviews.io and Trustpilot, to get an unfiltered opinion.

Take special note of any comments on the trader’s work ethic - including their communication skills, timekeeping and cleanliness - as well as if the reviewer would recommend their services. If there’s a collection of one-star reviews with repeated comments, it’s best to steer clear of that provider and find someone more suited.

Gather Multiple Quotes

With our last point in mind, it’s a good idea to gather several quotes. This will give you various prices and options, allowing you to compare offerings and pick the best contractor for your project.

Ensure all quotes are in written format, and are itemised, so you have something to fall back on if there are any payment discrepancies and what is and isn’t included during the project.

Hidden Costs

Be sure to ask any questions before signing on with a contractor - if skip hire is included, if any parking permits are needed, and who deals with the project’s waste - as doing so before the job starts will give you greater peace of mind when the time comes to start the project.

FAQs

Sources

https://greenoakcompany.co.uk/how-much-is-silicone-rendering-per-m2
https://ralphplastering.co.uk/is-silicone-render-any-good
https://www.fmb.org.uk/resource/house-render-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-start.html