A plasterer at Bouwsector België plasters about 100 m² per day on average. How much it will be on your job depends on the substrate, the layer thickness, whether it is a wall or a ceiling, and how many corners and openings there are. For your schedule, what matters next is mainly the drying time, because with gypsum plaster that takes longer than the plastering itself.
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What determines how many m² a plasterer does per day and per hour?
That 100 m² is an average across ordinary jobs. A fixed number of m² per hour therefore does not exist: covering up, corner beads and joints around window frames and doors are not measured per m². A large, empty wall in a new-build home goes faster than an old stairwell with pipes and frames. These are the factors that set the pace on the day itself.
There is also a limit in the material itself. In the technical data sheet for MP 75 gypsum plaster, Knauf gives a working time of roughly 3 to 3.5 hours, from mixing to finishing. A plasterer therefore works in sections that he can get flat and smooth within that time, and does not start a whole house in one go.
The temperature limit comes from the same source: at least +5 °C, for at least 48 hours after application. In winter, you therefore need to plan plastering around the cold.
How many days will plastering your job take?
With the average of 100 m² per day you can make a first estimate. The table assumes one plasterer and counts only the plastering, not the drying time. You can quickly work out the m² of your own walls with the m² calculator.
An indication based on the average, not a promise. If old layers have to come off, or there are many external corners or a high stairwell, it takes longer. The schedule for your job is in the quote, after the site visit. For the cost of a whole house like this we have prepared a worked example for a complete home.
Isn’t a plasterer who does more m² per day better?
Not automatically. It is an understandable thought: more m² per day means fewer days and so less disruption. But the time a plasterer spends on a wall goes mostly into getting it flat and finishing it smooth, and that is where you see the difference later in raking light.
Besides, fast plastering saves only a few days, while the drying time can last weeks. Finishing the plastering a day earlier does not let you paint sooner if the layer is still wet. A high pace at the start therefore rarely makes the job much shorter.
So do not compare on m² per day, but on what you get in black and white up front: the price, what is included, and when the wall is ready for painting or wallpapering. And if you are quoted a price per hour or per day, set what a plasterer costs per hour or per day alongside a fixed price per m².
How long from the first plastering day to a painted wall?
After plastering come drying, priming and painting. It is mainly the drying that determines how long the whole route takes, and so often also how long a renovation takes. The drying time depends on how thick the layer is.
- Gypsum plaster, ready for paint. According to Knauf, sufficiently dry after about four weeks under good conditions.
- Skim coat or film layer. For a complete home, 3 to 5 days for application and drying, faster in summer.
- Primer. According to the product sheet, Sigmafix Universal can be recoated after about 6 hours, at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity.
- Fleece and painting. Papering a complete home with fleece and painting it takes us 3 days.
That is why on new builds we often work with skim coat and fleece. The layer dries in days instead of weeks, and fleece bridges the shrinkage cracks that a new home develops in its first years. After all, how long plaster needs to dry ultimately determines when you can paint.
How do we schedule the plastering in your home?
The work is done by our own plasterers, not subcontractors. One of them is Bram, who has worked with us for 7 years. We have 32 on permanent contracts, as part of a team of 97 tradespeople that also includes 40 wallpaper hangers and 25 painters. That lets us schedule the plastering, the drying and the next step one after the other ourselves.
When you apply, tell us which walls and ceilings are involved, roughly how many m², and whether old layers have to come off. The free quote you receive within 24 hours then already contains a first schedule, with the drying time included. At the site visit we measure up and look at the substrate, so that the schedule matches what really needs to be done.
Prices exclude VAT. For renovating a home over 10 years old, 6% VAT usually applies; otherwise it is 21%.
Ready to plan? Then you can hire a tradesman for your plastering with a single request.
By the Bouwsector België team, 97 in-house tradespeople · reviewed by