What gotelé removal really depends on

Why is there no single price per square metre?

A square metre of gotelé in one flat can be a very different job from a square metre in the flat next door. In one, the texture softens and lifts away; in the other, it is sealed under layers of plastic paint and has to be skimmed over. One wall may be sound underneath; another may crumble as soon as the surface is disturbed. Floor area tells you how big the job is, not how hard it is.

That is why we give a first estimate from photos and floor area, then confirm the method and the scope after testing the walls. Quoting a flat rate without seeing the walls means either building in a margin for the worst case or discovering extras halfway through. Neither is good for you.

What difference does the method make?

The method is the biggest single factor. Stripping is labour-intensive and wet, and almost always needs some filling and sanding afterwards. Skimming over the texture involves sealing, building up a new flat surface and sanding, but avoids the risk of tearing the plaster behind. Neither is automatically cheaper; it depends on how the texture and the wall behave.

Our article on whether to remove gotelé or cover it explains the trade-offs, and our gotelé removal page describes how we choose the method for each room after a test.

How do walls, ceilings and height change the scope?

Ceilings take more effort per square metre than walls, because the work is overhead and the light shows every flaw. Including them changes the scope considerably, but leaving a textured ceiling above smooth walls is rarely satisfying. Tall ceilings, double-height spaces and stairwells need scaffolding or platforms, which adds set-up time.

The condition of the walls matters as much as their area. Walls with many cracks, old repairs, damaged corners or a wavy surface need more preparation. Rooms with many openings, built-in cupboards or complicated corners need more careful edge work than a simple rectangular room.

Do furniture and occupancy affect the work?

Yes. An empty property can be protected once and worked through efficiently. A furnished, occupied home means moving and wrapping furniture room by room, sealing each room separately, keeping routes clear and cleaning at the end of every day. That is perfectly feasible, but it takes more time.

Access counts too: an upper-floor apartment without a lift, restricted parking for unloading or community rules on working hours all influence how the job is organised. Our guide on removing gotelé in a lived-in home describes what happens day to day.

What extras usually join the job?

Once the walls are smooth, most owners paint, and many also lacquer doors, change skirting boards, add a suspended ceiling with lighting or replace floors. Each of these is a separate line in the quote. Combining them in one job is usually more efficient than doing them separately, because protection, furniture moving and cleaning happen once.

For a detailed explanation of cost factors across all types of interior work, see our sister site presupuestoreforma.eu. For your own home, the fastest route is to send us photos and the approximate floor area so we can tell you which of these factors apply.

How should you compare two quotes?

Put the quotes side by side and check that they describe the same job. Does each one state the method for each room, stripping or skimming? Are ceilings included in both, or only in one? Is protection of floors and furniture listed? Are crack repairs, corner beads and priming mentioned, or only “remove gotelé and paint”? Is the final clean included, and who takes away the waste?

Often the cheaper quote simply covers less. It may assume that the texture strips easily, leave out ceilings, or include only a single coat of paint without primer. None of that is necessarily dishonest, but it means the figures are not comparable. Asking each contractor to fill the gaps gives you a fair comparison and tells you a great deal about how carefully they have looked at your walls.