Rendering
New render and render repairs, from sand and cement to through-coloured, silicone and lime systems, chosen to suit your walls and keep the weather out.
Render protects the outside of your home from the weather and gives it a fresh, clean finish. Done well, it keeps rain out for decades; done badly, it cracks, lets water in and traps it behind. We repair existing render and apply new render systems suited to your walls.
Choosing the right render
- Sand and cement: traditional, hard-wearing and painted once it has cured. Best on modern brick and block.
- Through-coloured render: the colour runs right through, so it never needs painting and small knocks do not show.
- Silicone thin-coat systems: applied over a reinforced base coat, flexible, breathable and water-repellent, so rain carries dirt away instead of soaking in.
- Lime render: for older, solid-walled buildings that need to breathe. Hard cement render on these walls traps moisture and causes damp inside.
Repairs
Hollow or cracked render lets water in behind it, and that water has nowhere to go. We tap the walls to find loose areas, cut them back to sound render and patch in a matching mix, or tell you when a full re-render will last longer than repeated repairs.
Done properly
New render must finish above the damp-proof course, with a bell-cast bead to throw water clear of the wall. Render taken down to the ground bridges the damp-proof course and is a common cause of rising damp. We will not render in frost, heavy rain or below 5°C, because render that freezes or washes out before it has set fails early. We arrange scaffolding, protect windows, paths and plants, and leave the site clean.
Permission
Rendering a house does not usually need planning permission, but it may if your home is listed, in a conservation area or covered by special local rules. We will tell you if we think it applies, but please check with your council before work starts.
Questions people ask
Which type of render should I choose?
It depends on the walls and the look you want. Modern brick and block suit sand and cement, through-coloured or silicone render. Older solid-walled buildings need a breathable lime render. We will recommend the right one for your home and explain why.
Can you render in winter?
Only on suitable days. Render must not be applied in frost, heavy rain or when it is colder than 5°C, because it needs to set properly. In winter we plan around the forecast and will not risk your finish to keep to a date.
Will new render need painting?
Sand and cement render is usually painted with a breathable masonry paint once it has cured. Through-coloured and silicone renders have the colour built in, so they never need painting.
Why does render crack, and can you repair it?
Render cracks when it is too hard for the wall, when the building moves slightly, or when water gets behind it and freezes. Small cracks can be repaired, but hollow areas need cutting back and patching so water cannot sit behind them. We will show you what we find.
Not sure what the problem is?
Send a photo and we'll tell you honestly — no charge, no pressure.