2 June 2026

Smooth plaster, decorative plaster or spray plaster? A guide per room

Paint-ready, wallpaper-ready, decorative plaster or spack: what the choices mean for looks, price and maintenance.

The first choice is the finishing level of smooth work: wallpaper-ready or paint-ready. Wallpaper-ready is flat enough for wallpaper or fibreglass liner and sits at the bottom of the price band; paint-ready is the tightest class — meant to be painted directly, where raking light betrays every unevenness — and sits at the top. For smooth wall plastering expect € 10 to € 30 per m²; always state which level you want in your request, it saves discussion at handover.

Spray plaster (spack) is the fast, budget-friendly route: € 5 to € 12 per m², with a fine grain structure instead of a mirror-smooth surface. It is the standard finish in much new construction and ideal for ceilings — small imperfections disappear into the texture. In an empty home the spraying goes fastest; in a lived-in space, covering and moving furniture is added work.

Decorative plaster is chosen for the texture itself: from fine grain work indoors to spachtelputz on the facade. Indoors it is a matter of taste at roughly the same band as smooth work; outdoors it is the standard — facade rendering costs € 45 to € 110 per m², and the chosen texture and colour partly determine the facade's maintenance rhythm.

Unsure per room? Have the plasterer assess the surface in the same appointment as the quote: the state of the wall often decides which finish is realistic without major preparation. The current bands per finish are in the price index.