Venetian plaster cost

Updated November 2026

Venetian plaster prices at a glance

Venetian plaster is a premium finish, and its price reflects the materials and the hours of skilled hand work that go into it. National cost guides published in 2025 and 2026 put it at somewhere between £90 and £250 per square metre, with most jobs landing between £100 and £150. The table below brings the main figures together.

These are national guide figures, not Brighton quotes. MyJobQuote does not say whether its figures include VAT, while BestBuilders includes VAT at 20 per cent.

What affects the price

The area and the shape of the room

A single flat feature wall is the most affordable way to use Venetian plaster. Whole rooms cost more in total but often less per square metre, while chimney breasts, alcoves, curved walls and lots of corners all add time.

The finish and the colour

A soft, matt marmorino finish needs fewer stages than a deep, high-gloss polished finish. Dark and strongly coloured plasters also tend to cost more, which is why MyJobQuote’s range for coloured finishes starts where its standard range ends.

The condition of the walls

Venetian plaster is only a few millimetres thick, so it shows every bump underneath. If the walls are uneven or cracked they will need repairing or skimming first, which adds to the cost. Gypsum and plasterboard walls usually need a primer, according to manufacturers such as Stucco Italiano.

Kitchens and bathrooms

Wet areas need a protective sealing treatment, usually a wax, and sometimes a different product altogether. Stucco Italiano says protection is optional in most rooms but necessary on bathroom, kitchen and splashback walls. For showers and wet rooms, a waterproof lime finish such as tadelakt is often recommended instead, and Homebuilding and Renovating puts tadelakt at £180 per m² and upwards.

Venetian plaster against other finishes

To put the price in context, a standard skim costs around £15 to £25 per m² according to Fantastic Services, and microcement costs around £140 to £160 plus VAT per m² according to Homebuilding and Renovating. Venetian plaster sits between the two in most guides, and unlike paint it does not need redecorating every few years. Lime-based Venetian plasters can last for decades when they are applied and looked after properly.

If you are still deciding whether it is right for your home, our guide to what Venetian plaster is explains how it is made and applied, and our Venetian plaster service page shows how we work.