Wall Rendering in Coulsdon

Did you try rendering a wall but it doesn’t turn out the way you would have hoped for? Or perhaps you’ve been watching your wall render gradually deteriorate over time. Regard of your purpose, learning how to repair render cracks on wall is usually a great skill to have with your home maintenance in mind. However, whenever these crack are too large or difficult, we’d recommend you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the wall render repairing process. Let’s have a look!

No matter how solid a building material is, over time it’ll yield to the elements. When it comes to wall rendering it may be a case of too much sunshine or a costly mistake in the application process, but in truth, it cracks just because it cracks.

In order to repair render cracks, you’d have to start with a removal of damaged or cracked render. You’ll have to remove all the render or just a small section depending on the area you’re working on. If you’re able to clean all of the existing render as well as the paint over it all (both old and new), then removing a small section would work better as it makes it look neat and redone. Upon the removal of the existing render, the next important step would be to remove all loose material as well. Once done, you can then leave for up to 2 days to allow any trapped moisture to come out. Unfortunately, if the rains you’d have to wait till that dries too before you proceed.

Once dried, you can buy a pre-prepared render mix which already contains cement, lime and sand. Mix a 20kg bag with 4 litres of water (or check the product instructions and follow strictly), the mix to a fine consistency. Render is quick to dry, so you’d want to apply within 30 minutes of mixing. Make use of a trowel to apply the render on the affected spots and blend with the surrounding area.

If you’re considering rendering your house or property, then you’d most likely want to know whether or not applying for a planning permission will be needed. In several cases, planning permission will not be required for the maintenance, repair as well as replacement of the existing render on your building. These activities are covered by what’s called “Permitted Development Rights, which allows you to carry out some activities without having to apply for a planning permission but always subject to following some strict guidelines. For rendering, as long as the material (render) possesses an identical appearance to those existing on the house as well as same colour, then you will not require a planning permission. However, there are a number of projects that have been highlighted in which a planning permission would be required. These includes the following:

✓ Re-rendering in a colour that different from the original one used on the house or building.

✓ Rendering over brickwork which was not originally covered.

✓ Rendering over pebbledash

✓ Removing pebbledash and replacing it with render.

Another exception to the Permitted Development rights are for houses in conservation areas, national parks or areas of outstanding national beauty.

Although, you wouldn’t normally require to submit a planning application for approval before you apply render, but in truth it’s actually a bit of a grey area which isn’t totally clear and doesn’t allow for much freedom or creativity. And due to this fact, homeowners who wants an absolute peace of mind may opt to apply for planning permission just in case. It’s also worth noting that whether or not a planning permission is required, a huge rendering work will need to comply with building regulations which includes the need to insulate walls on the inside or outside as part of the work on several older properties .

Aside from the cold weather not being the most pleasant condition to work in, the winter weather can also cause a lot of problems for construction workers and even more so when you’re working with render. Poor weather conditions can generally cause a lot of harms on the final finish of a render. Below are some of the reasons why you should not consider rendering in a bad weather.

✓ Lime bloom. Render can be impacted by lime bloom as they are subjected to damp conditions and low temperatures while curing. This is due to the fact that cement are intolerant to slower drying conditions especially immediately affect its application.

✓ Top coats can be compromised. Coating are likely to get washed off before they’re even afforded the chance to set if drying conditions are low.

However, because its cold out there doesn’t necessarily imply that work must stop. It’s very possible to render during the winter months but to avoid potential pitfalls, we’ve got some tip that can be of great help. Let’s have a look!

✓ Check the weather forecast. Determine the drying and curing time and watch the forecast for the temperature dropping at night.

✓ Select the most suitable render. There are renders that are suitable for application in low temperatures to about 5℃ or even as low as 1℃. These types of render are fast setting which makes them perfect for the cold condition.

✓ Watch out for frost. Frost and render are enemies. Therefore, it won’t be wise to work with frosted materials, on frosted subtrates or apply below the recommended temperature that’s written on the product’s datasheet.

✓ Protect the finish. Make use of artificial enclosures around the scaffolding to battle adverse weather conditions.

Rendering is an external wall’s plastered finish which provides a smooth finish while also protecting the brickwork from the elements like rain, snow and the likes. The traditional rendering is normally applied in two or three coats which enables it to be more resistant to surface cracks. In modern times, the finishes are largely different from the grey pebble dash of post war housing. Today, we now have a plethora of specialist products to pick from such as through-coloured silicone renders as well as one coat renders. The types of renders include the following:

✓ Cement renders. These are the common option that are usually mixed on site and used in a number of applications, then painted when dried. There’s a need to paint this type of render regularly to keep them looking great.

✓ Polymer renders. These are pre mixed and mostly pre coloured (usually with through colouring).

✓ Through-coloured products. These rendered do not need to be painted as the pigment is already added in the manufacturing process to colour the whole render.

✓ Lime renders. These are superior to cement as they’re less likely to trap moisture in the brickwork and also more good looking. However, they’re generally more costly and more difficult to apply.

Overall, rendering on a house provides several benefits. Not only is it able to protect your brickwork against the elements like the rain and wind, but it can also make the building more efficient. Being fully aware that about 30 percent of the energy used in heating a home is lost via the external walls, making use of a product such as acrylic insulated render is a smart approach to improve your home’s energy efficiency without affecting your interior living space.