Is cladding cheaper than render?

Cladding and render are the two main ways to change the exterior look of a house. Which is cheaper comes down to the material and the timescale you measure over. Here is the comparison.

Comparing the upfront cost

On the headline price per square metre, the answer is genuinely "it depends". A standard render — sand-and-cement scratch coat with a topcoat, or a thin-coat polymer/silicone render — usually costs around £40–£70/m² fitted, with premium silicone or through-coloured renders at the upper end. uPVC cladding overlaps with that range, so the two are broadly comparable. Move up to composite or fibre-cement cladding at £70–£120/m², or timber at £60–£150+/m², and cladding costs clearly more than a plain render. So the lowest-cost overall finish is usually basic render or uPVC cladding; the most expensive is premium timber.

Indicative UK fitted rates for guidance. Sources: Checkatrade and MyJobQuote cost guides.

Lifetime cost, not just upfront

The fairer comparison runs over the life of the finish, not just the day it is installed. Render can crack, blow (detach from the wall) or stain over time, and may need patch repairs and eventual recoating or repainting — a recurring cost. Low-maintenance cladding like composite, fibre-cement and uPVC needs little more than a wash, so its running cost is low even if it costs more upfront. Timber cladding may need periodic oiling unless left to silver naturally. So a cladding that looks dearer than render on day one can be cheaper over twenty or thirty years once maintenance is counted — particularly fibre-cement and composite, which are close to fit-and-forget.

What tips the balance either way

Several practical factors decide which is better value for a given house. Wall condition: a ventilated cladding system tolerates a slightly imperfect wall behind it, while render needs a sound, stable substrate to bond to. Insulation: both can be combined with external wall insulation, but render is the traditional finish over insulation boards, which can make a rendered insulation system simpler to detail. Look: cladding gives a timber or panel appearance; render gives a smooth or textured masonry look — this is often the deciding factor rather than cost. Scaffolding applies to both, so it does not favour one over the other. Planning: changing the external appearance of a house can need planning permission, especially in conservation areas or on flats, and that applies to both finishes.

So which should you choose?

If the priority is the lowest upfront cost, basic render or uPVC cladding are the front-runners and sit at a similar price. If you want a natural timber or contemporary panel look, cladding is the route and you accept a higher price than plain render. If you want the lowest lifetime cost and least maintenance, fibre-cement or composite cladding are strong, because they avoid the recoating and crack-repair cycle that render can bring, even though they cost more to install. And if you are insulating the wall at the same time, the choice between a rendered insulation system and a clad insulation system is as much about appearance and detailing as raw cost.

The honest summary is that "cladding versus render" is not a single price comparison but a spread-against-a-spread. The least expensive cladding undercuts render; the dearest cladding is several times the price. Get like-for-like quotes for both on your actual wall area, ask what each includes (battens, membrane and trims for cladding; mesh, beads and topcoat for render), and factor in how much maintenance you are willing to do over the years.

How the two behave over time

The upfront price is only half the comparison; how each finish ages decides the real cost. Render is a continuous coating bonded to the wall, so its main failure modes are cracking, crazing and blowing — areas detaching from the wall — along with staining and the gradual fading of coloured or painted finishes. Hairline cracks can let water in, and once render starts to blow it usually needs cutting out and patching, with the repair often visible until the whole wall is recoated. Modern silicone and through-coloured renders are more crack-resistant and self-cleaning than old sand-and-cement, but they still sit on the wall as a single skin that has to be maintained as one.

Cladding behaves differently because it is a system of separate boards on a ventilated cavity. A damaged board can often be replaced individually without redoing the whole wall, and the cavity keeps water away from the structure behind. Timber cladding needs the most attention — periodic oiling if you want to keep its colour — while composite, fibre-cement and uPVC are close to fit-and-forget. So even where cladding costs more to install than render, its repairability and low maintenance can make it cheaper to own. The right choice depends on which finish suits the house and how much ongoing upkeep you are prepared to take on.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Checkatrade — rendering cost guide
• MyJobQuote — house cladding cost
• HomeOwners Alliance — cladding advice

Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific property. They are guidance, not a quotation.