Guide
Render types compared: sand and cement vs monocouche vs silicone
Updated
The system you pick moves the price per m2 less than you would think, and the maintenance bill more. Here is the honest comparison, at typical 2026 rates.
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How this calculator works
- Rates are typical 2026 UK supply-and-fit quotes: sand and cement £40–60 per m2, monocouche £45–70, silicone thin-coat £50–80. Market rates, not regulated prices: region, substrate condition and finish move them.
- House-type areas are typical net render areas (mid-terrace about 60 m2 because side walls are shared, bungalow 90, semi 110, detached 160). Measure yours for a tighter figure: wall length times height, minus large openings.
- Scaffold adds £600–£1,000, the typical 2026 cost for a two-storey house rendering job.
- Excluded: removing old or failed render (typically £20–40 per m2 on 2026 quotes), substrate repairs, and external wall insulation. Insulated render (EWI) is a different job entirely, typically £90–150 per m2 in 2026, see the render types guide.
- Re-rendering more than 50% of an individual wall's surface area counts as renovating a thermal element. Regulation 23 of the Building Regulations 2010 then requires the whole element to meet the Part L standard.
- That applies in so far as it is technically, functionally and economically feasible (guidance in Approved Document L). Budget for that conversation before stripping a solid wall.
- These are typical quote ranges, not a quotation. Renderers price on a look at the walls, always.
The four systems side by side
| System | Typical 2026 rate | Finish | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand and cement | £40–60 per m2 | Flat, painted after curing | Repaint every 5–10 years; most prone to cracking |
| Monocouche | £45–70 per m2 | Through-coloured, one-coat, scraped texture | No painting; occasional clean; colour weathers slowly |
| Silicone thin-coat | £50–80 per m2 | Through-coloured, flexible, water-repellent | Resists algae; periodic soft wash |
| Insulated render (EWI) | £90–150 per m2 (typical, quoted separately) | Insulation boards plus a silicone or mineral top coat | As the top coat |
Spray rendering cost, from the firms that publish it
Most renderers do not publish a price. Of those in our render price index that do, read on 12 October 2026:
Coloured Rendering South Wales lists spray-applied monocouche at approximately £35 to £55 per m2, and silicone at approximately £60 to £80 per m2. Plaster House lists sand and cement render at approximately £50 to £80 per m2.
Plasterer Dorset puts lime plastering at £30 to £45 per m2, material and labour. No firm we read publishes a lime render price for an external wall.
How to choose
- Tightest budget today: sand and cement, but price in the repaint cycle, it is the only system here that needs painting at all.
- Lowest maintenance: silicone thin-coat. The flexibility resists hairline cracking and the water-repellent surface stays cleaner for longer.
- The middle path: monocouche. Through-coloured so no painting, familiar to most renderers, and forgiving on typical masonry.
- Solid or cold walls: consider EWI rather than bare render, you are paying for scaffold and access anyway, and Part L may require insulation improvements once you strip more than half a wall.
Whole-life cost, not headline rate
Sand and cement at £40–60 per m2 looks cheapest, but two repaints over 15 years can close most of the gap to silicone at £50–80. Through-coloured systems win on the decade view; sand and cement wins when the budget is fixed and labour is local and cheap.
All figures are typical 2026 quotes, not fixed prices; your substrate and postcode set the real number.
Pricing silicone or K Rend in detail? The silicone render cost guide sets installer rates beside what the 25 kg bags cost at UK merchants.
Whichever system you pick, the area does the pricing. Get your range in the calculator, then let local quotes fight it out.