Lime Render for Irish Houses

Lime render costs €60–€90 per m² in Ireland. It's the right render for old stone and brick walls, because it lets them breathe: cement-based render traps damp in a solid wall and cracks as it moves.

Which houses need it, how it goes on, and what to ask the contractor.

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Free, no obligation. One local contractor prices it, not five.

€60–€90per m², supplied and applied
9%of Irish homes were built before 1919
Slowerthin coats, each left to firm up
Breathabledamp can dry out of the wall

Old walls need to breathe

A house built of stone or soft brick, as most were before about 1919, has no cavity. Damp that gets into the wall dries out through the face. Lime render lets it. A hard cement render seals the face, so the damp stays in the wall, and the render cracks as the wall moves. 9% of Irish homes, 154,290 of them, were built before 1919.

Lime is slower. It goes on in thinner coats, each left to firm up, and it has to be kept damp and protected from sun, wind and frost while it carbonates. It's skilled work: ask the contractor about lime jobs they've done.

If an old house has a cement render that's cracked or holding damp, taking it off can damage a soft wall, so it's a job for someone who knows old buildings. On a protected structure, talk to the council's conservation officer first.

What lime render costs

Supplied and applied, per square metre of wall, and for whole houses.

Job	Typical price	What moves the price
Lime render	€60–€90 per m²	For old stone and brick walls that must breathe. Skilled, slower work
Sand and cement render, painted	€35–€60 per m²	Two coats by hand, then masonry paint. Cheapest to apply, needs repainting
Repairs: a plasterer by the day	€200–€300 a day	€350–€500 a day with a labourer. Patches are priced after a look
Scaffold	€1,000–€3,000	Usually in the price. Height, access and how long it stays up

A guide for typical Irish houses. Your price is fixed by the contractor after they've seen the walls. Nothing is booked until you say yes.

More on rendering

Every job is priced by the contractor after a look at the walls.

€35–€60per m²Sand and cement renderThe traditional two coats, then masonry paint.Sand and cement →€55–€80per m²Silicone renderThin, through-coloured and water-repellent. Never painted.Silicone render →€200–€300a day for a plastererRender repairCracks, hollow patches and stains, and when to re-render instead.Repairs →€1,500–€4,000to re-dash a semiRendering over pebble dashCover it, paint it or remove it: which suits your walls.Pebble dash →€35–€60per m², sand and cementRendering a wallGarden, boundary and gable walls: both faces and a capping.Rendering a wall →€8,000SEAI grant, detachedInsulate and renderExternal wall insulation finished in render, with the grant.External insulation →

Rendering in every county

One contractor per county. Pick yours for local prices, the weather and the council.

Every guide, calculator and county page

Jump straight to any specification guide, our interactive calculator, the technical glossary or your county page.

Questions we get asked

How much is lime render per m²?

€60–€90 per m² in Ireland, supplied and applied.

Why use lime render instead of cement?

Old solid walls need to let damp out. Lime lets them breathe and moves with the wall; cement seals the face, traps damp and cracks.

Can lime render go on a modern block house?

It can, but there's little reason to: a modern cavity or block wall is built for cement-based renders, which are cheaper and quicker.

How long does lime render take?

Longer than cement: thinner coats, each left to firm up, and no work in frost. Allow extra days on site.

Do I need permission for a protected structure?

Yes, talk to the council first: works that affect the character of a protected structure need permission.

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