What Are the Monthly Running Costs of a Plaster and Cornice Business?
The quiet line in a plaster and cornice cost table is transport. Board is long, heavy and fragile; every delivery writes both fuel and a breakage share. 🏗️
Short answer: a mid-sized business runs at ₺38K to ₺110K a month.
In order: the cost lines, fixed-versus-variable, three inflating lines, break-even and who this suits.
Monthly cost breakdown
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- Fixed costs
- Variable costs
- The invisible cost: breakage and damp
Item by item.
Fixed costs
Warehouse and shop rent ₺10-30K, staff (1-2 people) ₺20-58K, vehicle fixed costs ₺5-12K, accounting and insurance ₺3-6K. Until the tradesperson network settles, this weight is carried without income. 📊
Variable costs
Fuel and delivery ₺5-14K, electricity and heating ₺2-6K, packaging and consumables ₺1-3K. As site activity rises, fuel grows fast.
The invisible cost: breakage and damp
Board left upright warps and bagged plaster on a damp floor sets hard. This loss appears on no invoice but repeats every month and reaches a surprising annual total.
Fixed side or variable side?
Warehouse and vehicle weighted.
The weight of the fixed side
Rent and staff run the same every month; the first year’s cash plan has to be built on that reality.
Three lines that inflate the cost
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- 1. Wrong stacking
- 2. One-by-one delivery
- 3. Working open to negotiation
All three show up in the yard and on the road.
1. Wrong stacking
Upright board bends over time and becomes unsellable; horizontal racking prevents that loss almost entirely at a small one-off cost.
2. One-by-one delivery
Separate runs to the same site burn fuel and hours; a daily route plan cuts this line markedly and doesn’t keep the tradesperson waiting.
3. Working open to negotiation
Separate haggling with every tradesperson pulls the margin down a little on each sale. A written tiered list stops that continuous leak.
When do you break even?
Decorative products lower the threshold.
The logic of the calculation
With ₺55K in monthly fixed costs and a 28% gross margin, break-even revenue is roughly ₺196K. Cornice models and application at a 40% margin bring it to ₺138K. Margin mechanics in the plaster and cornice margin article. 🧭
Who does this cost structure suit?
Those who can build a tradesperson network.
How were these numbers built?
Behind every band sit anonymised business records, published supplier prices and sector studies. Because business structures differ, one figure would mislead. The whole method is on our methodology page. 📐
📝 From the Field
One business haggled separately with every tradesperson, giving the same board cheaper to some and dearer to others. Once word spread, everyone wanted the lowest price. He built a three-tier written list based on volume and stopped making exceptions. A few took offence in the first month; by the third all had returned, and the average margin had risen four points. In this branch a written list is stronger than negotiation. 🏗️
📖 Key Terms
Horizontal stacking: storing board flat on level ground. Tiered list: a written price structure varying with purchase volume. Route plan: grouping deliveries by area. Break-even revenue: the minimum monthly sales covering costs.
⚡ Quick Summary
Monthly running cost ₺38-110K. 📊 The invisible line: breakage and damp. Three inflating lines: wrong stacking, one-by-one delivery, working open to negotiation. Break-even: fixed cost ÷ gross margin.
🎯 Next Step
Let’s build your tradesperson price list and break-even table: quote form · free digital audit. 🤝
Frequently Asked Questions
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Buying rhythm and delivery routes can be flexed. Dry storage is not where you cut; saving there is direct stock loss, and the rent you kept comes back as spoiled material.
Customers don’t come to the shop; you go to them, and that takes field discipline. For selling to end users, ironmongery; for earning from labour, locks and steel doors. See every branch compared on the hardware sector page.
A few objections come in the short term, but transparency builds trust over time. Knowing everyone is subject to the same rule also ends the fatigue of constant haggling.
Board is long and heavy, so delivery is expected; hiring a haulier eats the margin each time. With steady work your own vehicle pays for itself quickly.
The warehouse works here, not the window; a dry space with vehicle access and affordable rent is enough. High-street rent doesn’t convert into sales in this branch.
Source: Finishes and Interiors Sector