For plasterers
Quoting for plasterers
Plastering is quoted by the square metre of board hung and set, the metre of cornice, and the patch. A new extension is a measured job from the plans; a sagging ceiling or a hole where the old heater was is a site visit and a fixed price. Quote Desk keeps both kinds of rate on one list and sends the quote while you are still looking up at the ceiling.
Quote from Lime Kiln Plastering
Sagging lounge-room ceiling
| Remove old ceiling, 21 m² | $378.00 |
| Ceiling board, hang and set, 21 m² | $924.00 |
| Cove cornice, 19 m | $266.00 |
| Trestle hire, 2 days | $180.00 |
| Total | $1,748.00 |
Sent from the driveway. Accepted that night.
What gets in the way for plasterers
Ready for paint is not painted
Plasterers finish to ready for paint; customers often picture a painted wall. One sentence in the note, painting by others, saves an argument on the day you pack up.
Patches priced like a room
A fist-sized hole needs a set coat, a second coat and a sand, often over more than one visit. The customer sees a small hole and expects a small price. A fixed per-patch line, with the visits named in the note, explains the number.
Old ceilings and what is above them
A ceiling that comes down brings dust, old insulation and whatever else is up there. Quote the re-sheet as fixed lines and say in the note that work stops if something turns up that is not yours to remove.
Cornice or square set
The finish where wall meets ceiling changes the labour. Lines for cornice by the metre and square set by the metre let the customer choose with both prices in front of them.
A worked example
Plasterer work, with Quote Desk
Consider a fictional sole trader with a labourer, Lime Kiln Plastering. Price list: plasterboard supply, hang and set for walls $38 per square metre, the same for ceilings $44 per square metre, cove cornice $14 a metre, square set $32 a metre, patch repair up to 300 millimetres $160 each, remove and dispose of old ceiling $18 per square metre, trestle hire $90 a day.
A customer forwards a photo of a sagging lounge-room ceiling. The plasterer measures it at 4.2 by 5 metres, which is 21 square metres, with 19 metres of cornice around the edge. Quote this: remove old ceiling x21, ceiling board x21, cornice x19, trestles x2. The note says the price includes GST; the ceiling is finished ready for paint, with painting by others; furniture is out of the room before the start; light fittings come down and go back up with the owner's electrician; if anything suspect turns up in the ceiling space, work stops and the owner hears about it first; three visits over a week. Total $1,748. Sent from the driveway, and accepted that night once the customer has talked it over.
The same customer mentions the hole where the old wall heater was. Patch repair x1, $160, sent before he leaves and accepted in a minute.
Talk of the Trade
Plasterers on Talk of the Trade
Talk of the Trade ranks plasterers by how many Google reviews they have. Figures as of October 2026.
See the plasterers on Talk of the Trade. Being listed there has nothing to do with using Quote Desk: no listing is sold and no rank changes.
Questions from plasterers
Can I quote walls and ceilings at different rates?
Yes, as two items on your list. A room is then a walls line and a ceilings line, each with its own square metres.
How do I quote a patch I have not seen?
Ask for a photo with something in it for scale, quote your per-patch price, and say in the note that a bigger hole than the photo shows is quoted again. The customer can accept the patch before you arrive.
Can I quote an extension from the builder's plans?
Yes. Measure the board from the plans, put the square metres on the wall and ceiling lines, and say in the note which plans and which revision you priced from.
How many plasterers are on Talk of the Trade?
As of October 2026 the directory has 77 ranked lists of plasterers, with 488 businesses listed in New South Wales, 431 in Victoria and 348 in Queensland. Quote Desk has no connection to those listings.
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