at 1/8" thick it would cover 80-95 sq. ft. figuring little or no waste which is dreaming. If it costs about a dollar a lb. (guessing) then your saying the labour will be .65-.75 per sq. ft. That is cheap for a smooth-wall plaster man worth hiring. Or were you thinking someone would put it on themselves??

Thanks Ray! I would bet anyone once they have tried to put their fist thru PlasterMax they would see the difference very quickly! Cheap is not always the best in fact am sure a lot of people who used the Chinese Drywall would have paid more for PlasterMax. Quality should be what all builders and homeowners strive for! I personally want what will last and not create problems down the road. Like Mike Holmes says, Do it right the first time!

Posted By Ray Gladstone on 15 Aug 2011 11:07 PM
Oh please, Robin. It's not through the roof, it's a few pennies more. If you just want cheap, get sheetrock. If you want something better, Plastermax is a good choice.

So if you have 15,000sf of area to cover the sheetrock would cost $13,350 and the plastermax would cost $24,750 for a diff. of $11,400.......a few pennies.???....that's NOT pocket change!!!

You guys are guessing at costs and making stuff up. Get some quotes from qualified installers, weigh the costs and benefits then make a decision. Let us know how you make out. Thanks.

Posted By Ray Gladstone on 17 Aug 2011 05:41 AM
You guys are guessing at costs and making stuff up. Get some quotes from qualified installers, weigh the costs and benefits then make a decision. Let us know how you make out. Thanks.

I KNOW what it costs for sheetrock in this area. I believe you quoted $1.65/sf for the plastermax? If this isn't correct price for that product....what is the correct price??
Again...I do like plastermax but it needs to be more in line with sheetrock pricing to be more competitive.

Read my post, rabbit. It says "I believe it costs..." If you want the real information, call the manufacturer or your local dealer, don't ask a bunch of dopes on an opinion forum. And by the way, it does not have to be in line with sheetrock costs to be competitive. Is granite in line with formica costs? Is a BMW in line with Suzuki costs?

Posted By ICFcoatings on 16 Aug 2011 05:31 PM
  I would bet anyone once they have tried to put their fist thru PlasterMax they would see the difference very quickly!

I'm betting that it would be pretty difficult for someone to put their fist through a piece of sheetrock when installed over a solid substrate like ICF.  You might make a dent in it, but that is easily filled with stuff you can get at any home improvement store.  To me, it is hard to justify ~twice the cost based on that argument.

I do know the costs as I am a national factory direct distributor. If you want to use cheap go rock! If you want the best............

thanks again Ray for pointing out the obvious (well to most people anyways)

Well......what's the price ICF??

Posted By robinnc on 18 Aug 2011 10:03 PM
Well......what's the price ICF??

Mine cost ~$2.50/sq ft.  That just the foam and ties.  Rebar and concrete is extra.

Edit:  I just realized this question was directed to ICFcoatings regarding the price of Plastermax.  Disregard my reply above which was the cost of my insulating concrete forms.

We have figured at 1/8" thick (code approved) PlasterMax is $0.81 sq foot
If you are looking at total installed and painted ( labor factored in) you are looking at $2.90 to $3.90 per sq foot.


Drywall with less abrasion resistance, low impact resistant, threat from mold/mildew, unhealthy air quality costs about $4.70 for the INSTALLED,and painted VHI board.

IS a GreenGuard products, and qualifies for LEED credits also
Again comparing granite to formica!

ICF....what is the average price for the installed plastermax with NO paint??.....When I quoted that 15,000sf.....I had a brain f@rt and didn't realize that the plastermax would only be used on the outside walls for the ICF.....NOT for the interior walls. I assume you would use the VHI board for the inside walls, then put plastermax over that? If you're spending 2-3/times as much as you would if you used drywall....it will NOT increase the value of the house!! No RE in the world is going to add those 10 of thousands of dollars to the resale side of the house! Maybe you're in an area where the houses start in the 2mil range and go up? Then it wouldn't really matter that much.

Posted By ICFcoatings on 19 Aug 2011 08:24 AM

Again comparing granite to formica!

Another thing you are not going to find in my house is granite counter tops.  I just don't believe the benefits outweigh the costs. 

My house will have mold resistant drywall in the basement, and regular drywall on the main floor.

I'm not cheap, I just like to spend my money wisely.  After all, I am building with ICF which is one of if not the most expensive wall materials you can build with.  It is also the strongest and one of the most efficient. 

so it is .81 per sq, ft. at 1/8" it covers about 80 sq. ft. So--let me find my calculator---it is $1.00 per pound--give or take--is that FOB your one factory or is that anywhere? Portland is .05 per lb. Good, sharp, sand or other aggregates are available locally. Your stuff is 8,000 psi. So what. one can make 8,000 psi with portland and the right sand selection and curing. Lets say you put on a portland mix 1/4" thick and you buy gold plated aggregates. The most you are going to get into it is maybe 10-15 cents per lb. Sell me another way because this does not stand up to the calculator test.

Mr. Guest and Robinnc, please read the earlier posts carefully. PlasterMax is an interior finish. You're comparing it to portland as if you plan to parge your living room walls. While not unheard of, it seems a little weird.

You guys ought to quit beating on this poor dead horse. PlasterMax ia a high abuse, highly durable, longer lasting interior finish. If you want cheap, go with sheetrock. If you want something better, PlasterMax is a good choice.

Funny stuff, indeed. I am old enough to remember when the thought of using sheetrock was "a little weird".
Anyone who would embark on a plastering job would know to put lime into it to make it workable.
Anyone ,except a novice, knows the difference between stucco and plaster. I never used the word stucco--which would , by it's definition mean an exterior setting.
I am just curious how the salesman(icfcoatings) justifies his sales pitch.
He chose to take the opportunity to get some free advertisement, I just asked for some clarification.
I admit that I am a "has been" when it comes to contracting (thank goodness) but I can assure you that when I was current I could not get a plaster contractor for $2.00 per sq. ft. for the labour. I admit I did not build trash houses but I did not know the prices had fallen so low that you could get plastering done so cheap.Has the product passed the E-119 on ICF without having a thermal barrier such as sheetrock first. (yes I said thermal barrier, sheetrock is not fire proof or fire resistant per se'. It is a thermal barrier.

The stuff is described as a "ceramic cement veneer plaster".I have no idea if it has lime in it. It comes in a bag. You mix it with water and spray or trowel it on. check it for yourself to get first hand information... www.gigacrete.com

Sorry to confuse you by saying one would know to put lime into a portland cement based plaster. I was not inferring that the grigacrete has lime in it. My questions are if it could possible pass the E-119 which is as much about thermal transfer (or more) as it is about fire resistance. If your substrate is EPS, this is a huge potential issue. Has Icfcoatings left the building??

Guest, PlasterMax meets or exceeds all of the requirements of US and International Building Codes. It has been blessed by Army Corps of Engineers and specified by NAVFAC for use over ICF on a new USMC F35 Joint Fighter training facility in SC. It has also been used on ICF schools in Kentucky. It is safe to use in your house.

Posted By ICFcoatings on 12 Aug 2011 04:53 PM
... PlasterMax is also a green product and qualifies for LEED points.

Certainteed's ProRoc M2tTech mold resistant drywall makes those same claims.  And at a significantly lower cost to the consumer.

http://www.certainteed.com/resource...et_Eng.pdf