How To Render Your Walls
Prepare The Wall
Preparing
the wall has to be done ahead of anything else. You’ll need to remove any
render that had been added previously, as well as any dust, dirt and debris.
The most effective way to do this is to add a cleaning solution to the exterior
wall which can help remove any mould or debris and use a hose to make sure the
wall is completely clean.
Make
sure sure to leave the walls to dry before starting, which may take a few days.
It’s best to check the weather forecast too, as any rain would cause problems
and could prevent the render from successfully adhering to the wall.
Mixing the Render
Add
render mix into a bucket and mix according to the instructions on the relevant
packaging. It’s commonly around 20kg of render mixed with 8 litres of water.
After mixing with water, the material should form a paste-like substance. After
using a shovel or power drill to fully mix the render, make sure to wash your
tools otherwise the render may dry and harden.
First Coat
Add the mixed render to the trowel and press it onto the wall, moving it upwards and keeping the coat as even as possible on the wall. The first coat of render should be around 5mm in thickness. After ensuring the surface is even, use a scratching comb to create horizontal lines onto the surface, which provide a surface for the second layer of render to adhere to. Then, leave the render for two hours so that it’s able to harden and dry.
Second Coat
After the first coat is completely dry, you can then move onto applying the second coat to your exterior wall. The method is the same, though the thickness will be double that of the first coat (10mm). After leaving the second coat to dry for around half an hour, you can then even out the coat to ensure it’s all even.
Maintenance
Use a
slightly wet sponge and gently scrub the wall to make sure that the surface is
smooth. After this, leave the wall for 24 hours so that it can dry out. Then,
each day for the next week, spray the wall gently with lukewarm water to
prevent the render from drying out and causing cracks.
Different Types of Render
There
are multiple different renders with their own purposes, here’s different types
of finish for your render.
- Lime Render: Often used on older homes,
lime render is flexible and breathable enough to help prevent damp
problems.
- Cement Render: The most common choice for most
external walls, cement render is fairly cheap to buy but can take two or
three coats. You’ll also need to make sure to repaint it quite frequently
to keep a refreshed look.
- Polymer Render: Polymers or other plastics are added
to these renders to help stop cracking from occurring.
- Monocouche Render: Only one coat is required
- Acrylic Render: Used as a top coat over existing finishes, silicone can be added to add a bit of longevity, as well as taking away the need to cleaning.
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