Skim coat is priced per metre of wall, laminate per metre of floor, skirting per running metre, doors and sockets per piece. Below we look at why one rate per square metre of flat is misleading, how to work out the scope yourself, what order to book the jobs in and what gets added to the bill separately. We won’t give you a ready figure per m², on purpose.
Why price per m² of flat is a poor measure
The area on your notarial deed is floor area. Most finishing work happens on walls and ceilings, which that number doesn’t show. Take an ordinary 3 by 4 metre room with a 2.6 m ceiling. That’s 12 m² of floor. Walls, before you subtract the window and door, come to about 36 m², plus 12 m² of ceiling. So the area you skim and paint is several times what the deed says.
It gets worse. Two 50 m² flats can need very different amounts of work:
- one has a long hallway and lots of corners, the other an open living room with a kitchen, so the metres of wall and skirting differ;
- one has four interior doors, the other two;
- one owner wants a pendant light in every room and LED strip in the kitchen, the other is happy with bare lampholders;
- in one flat the developer’s walls are straight, in the other they need proper levelling before the skim coat.
An average per m² of flat throws all of this into one bucket. Land above the average and you feel cheated, though nobody cheated you. Land below it and someone probably left something out and will add it as the job goes on.
How tradespeople price finishing: m², pieces, running metres
Every job has its own unit. Below are indicative ranges from the HandyMan24 price list (Warsaw) for the jobs that usually come up in a developer-standard flat. Rates in other cities may differ, and the final price is the one a tradesperson puts in their bid.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Gypsum skim coating | 55–90 zł/m² |
| Walls and ceilings, one colour (2 coats) | 30–50 zł/m² |
| Floor panel installation | 50–90 zł/m² |
| Skirting board installation | 25–45 zł/mb |
| Interior door installation with frame | 400–700 zł/szt |
| New electrical point | 150–250 zł/pkt |
| Light installation (lamp, chandelier) | 80–550 zł/pkt |
| Post-renovation cleaning | 12–20 zł/m² |
Indicative prices. Ranges for a typical scope. Fixings included, materials separate. Minimum order 300 zł.
For example, a gypsum skim coat runs from 55 to 90 zł/m² of wall, painting in one colour with two coats from 30 to 45 zł/m², laminate from 70 to 90 zł/m² of floor and skirting boards from 30 to 45 zł/mb. Interior doors are priced per piece: from 700 to 1100 zł to fit one. An extra electrical point is from 120 to 180 zł/pkt. Current figures are always in the table above.
Your own estimate is built from the same pieces. Back to the 3 by 4 m room. Say that after the window and door you’re left with about 32 m² of wall and 12 m² of ceiling to skim and paint, 12 m² of laminate and roughly 13 running metres of skirting. Multiply each number by the range in the table and you get an indicative bracket for one room. Do the same for the other rooms. You’ll end up with a range, not a single number, which is how it should be.
Tiles are a separate story. We don’t show tiling prices in the list, since they depend on the tile size, the layout and the substrate. A tiler gives his price in the bid after seeing the photos.
In what order to finish a developer-standard flat
The wrong order costs more than a bad rate. If the electrician turns up after the painting, he chases cable channels into a fresh wall and the painter comes back a second time. An order that avoids redoing anything:
- Electrics and wet areas. Extra points, moved sockets, chases for cables. Then the bathroom and kitchen: waterproofing, tiles, the frame for a wall-hung toilet.
- Walls and ceilings. Levelling, skim coat, primer, paint. Dust from sanding the skim coat gets everywhere, so this goes before the floor.
- Floors. Laminate or vinyl goes on a dry, clean base once there is no wet work left on the walls.
- Doors and skirting. Frames and leaves go in on the finished floor, so the height fits without trimming. Skirting comes last, against finished walls.
- Lights and fittings. Lamps, sockets, switches and LED strips go on painted walls and ceilings.
Electrical work belongs to someone with SEP qualifications, and the circuit breaker in the fuse box goes off before anyone starts. Same with water: shut the valve before touching any connection. Electrics and plumbing are not the place for having a go yourself.
For what a well-prepared wall looks like, see our article on gypsum skim coating, and for the floor itself, the one on laying laminate.
What gets added to the bill separately
The ranges in the table cover labour. A few things are always counted separately, and it pays to budget for them from the start:
- Materials. Filler, paint, laminate, underlay, skirting, doors, sockets and switches. Whether you buy them or the tradesperson does, they are paid for separately. Small fixings such as plugs and screws are usually part of the labour price.
- Carrying out and removing rubble. Skim coat, tiles and laminate packaging leave a lot of bags behind. Taking them out and away is its own item.
- Carrying materials in. Laminate and bags of filler up to a third floor with no lift is work too.
- Post-renovation cleaning. Skim coat dust gets into every gap. The price list has a separate item for it, charged per metre.
- Fixing the developer’s work. Crooked walls or a sloppy screed only show up once work starts, and they change the scope.
To be straight about what the platform doesn’t offer: There is no turnkey finishing by one company with a site manager and a single estimate for everything. You order each job separately, each one can go to a different tradesperson, and you set the order. There is also no screeding, machine plastering, pipe routing inside walls or interior design. In a developer-standard flat the screed and plaster are usually already done, and if they need redoing, that’s a job for a different kind of contractor.
How to collect quotes for finishing
The more precisely you describe the scope, the closer the bids will be. Before you publish the order, prepare:
- photos of each room from a distance and of the walls up close, in daylight;
- the developer’s floor plan with dimensions and ceiling heights;
- a list: how many doors, how many extra electrical points, how many lights, what kind of floor;
- who buys the materials: you, or the tradesperson.
Describe the job in the app and tradespeople send their own prices for each job separately. You compare price, rating and reviews, and pick one person for each job. The price comes in the bid, before you choose anyone. You pay him directly, and he issues the invoice. Whoever did the work answers for it: he redoes his own fitting, but the developer’s crooked walls and other people’s mistakes are not on him.
The app takes orders from anywhere in Poland. If you live in the capital, have a look at the page on apartment finishing in Warsaw or go straight to renovation quotes in Warsaw.
Common questions
How much does apartment finishing cost per m2?
We won’t give a single rate, because tradespeople don’t use one. Skim coat and paint are priced per metre of wall, laminate per metre of floor, skirting per running metre, doors per piece. Work out the scope room by room and multiply by the ranges in the table: that gives you a real bracket for your flat.
Can one contractor do all the finishing in a new-build flat?
The platform has no turnkey finishing by one company with one estimate. You order each job separately. The same tradesperson can take several jobs if he bids on them, but you set the order and the dates.
Where do you start finishing a developer-standard flat?
With electrics and wet areas, meaning the bathroom and kitchen. Then walls and ceilings, then floors, doors with skirting, and lights and fittings at the end. That order saves you from redoing work.
Are materials included in the prices in the table?
No. The ranges cover labour. Materials, rubble removal and carrying materials in are counted separately. Small fixings are usually in the labour price, but check it in the bid.
Do the table prices apply in my city?
They are indicative ranges from the HandyMan24 price list for Warsaw. Rates in other cities may differ. The app takes orders from anywhere in Poland.
Got a floor plan and a few photos? Describe your finishing work in the app and tradespeople will send a price for each job. You choose who does it.
Are you a tradesperson who does skim coats, floors or doors? Join HandyMan24 and bid on jobs near you. You work for yourself and choose your own business setup.
