What is Rendering? – The Ultimate House Rendering Guide
When it comes to ensuring a smooth finish and protection against the elements, a traditional house render is the popular choice and for a good reason. It not only adds a finishing touch to the aesthetic of your home but it also does a wonderful job of waterproofing the walls and even makes them more fire-resistant. So, let’s dive in and learn more about rendering: what is it, how it’s done, the different types of render and a lot more.
What is rendering?
Rendering is a technique used to protect your external and sometimes internal walls, while also achieving the desired wall texture for your dream home design plans.
Widely popular across Europe, as well as the UK, the house rendering process consists of applying a cement mixture to a wall. Usually, a professional renderer will use two or three coats of render to reduce the risk of surface cracks.
Exterior wall rendering
The main goal of exterior wall rendering is to protect the brickwork from damage and erosion due to the weather over time. This especially applies to the humid climate in the UK. It’s no surprise that the famous British weather can slowly eat away at your walls causing damp, cracks and mould.
The application of high-class, waterproof render can do wonders for the stability of your exterior walls. Re-rendering or replacing paint with render can keep moisture away and strengthen the structure of your walls, which makes it a popular choice amongst UK homeowners. With stylistic options such as an antique look, a smooth finish or a modernistic industrial appearance, a rendered house can be as beautiful as it is weatherproof.
Interior wall rendering
Even though nowadays render is widely thought of as a treatment for exterior walls, the application of interior render has been used for centuries. People back in the day, long before plasterboard was created, were using mud to render interior walls. Then cement and acrylic rendering mixtures were introduced. And with interior render, having the power to completely transform the look of your home, it should definitely be considered as an option when planning interior design renovations.
If you find yourself unhappy with the colour of your painted walls, for example, rendering your interior walls may be just what you need. From enhancing the vividness of the paint colours to giving a minimalistic natural concrete finish or a retro mudbrick appearance, the range of effects that a professional renderer can achieve have the capacity to make a real difference to the character of your home.
What is a render made of?
The ingredients used to make a render vary depending on what your desired final product looks like. However, the mix ratio for a traditional lime render will usually be something like this:
6 parts sand + 1 part cement + 1 part lime
It’s not all as simple as mixing the three ingredients above, though. Whether you are after a smooth or a textured finish, subtle changes to the mixture can have an effect on the look of the wall. Rendering specialists who are well-versed in the trade will know how to calibrate the amount and type of sand used (finer or coarser) for the different layers of a house render. There are also industry tricks, such as adding certain additives in the mixture to affect the time needed for the render to dry and to help with bonding.
Furthermore, the range of rendering products is ever-growing. From acrylic renders to high-class monocouche renders, there is a lot of choice on the market right now. Choosing the right render is a key element in getting the house renovation you always wanted.
Popular types of render
Traditionally, cement render is the most widely used option. It’s a trusted method and it does the job of insulating a house. However, it takes up to 28 days to complete, as each layer needs between 3 and 7 hours to dry. This makes it a more time-consuming solution.
Lime, or lime mortar render, is another traditional render type. It’s been used in many old buildings, so it’s a preferred choice for older constructions. It’s durable, breathable and less likely to crack than cement render. However, it is a slow drying solution, as well.
Acrylic render is one of the newer rendering options. Its quick drying time (as little as 24 – 48 hours) is the reason for its increasing popularity amongst professionals. An additional benefit is that it also has better waterproofing qualities.
Another modern solution is silicone render. It boasts better UV resistance, great breathability, high water and dirt resistance, as well as increased flexibility which reduces the risk of cracks.
Easy-to-apply, flexible and completely weatherproof, monocouche render has also become a highly-sought-after solution in recent years. One thing to love about monocouche is that there is no need to paint over it – it comes in various colours.
What are the benefits of rendering a house?
Rendering is a long-term solution. It’s much more durable than paint which makes it harder to remove and increases its life expectancy. So, why commit to rendering your house? Here are some of the key benefits of rendering:
- Offers excellent insulation
- Protects your walls from mould, damp and cracks
- Strengthens brickwork and increases its lifespan
- Large range of styles to choose from
To sum it up, rendering ensures your home is dry, warm, protected from adverse weather conditions and looks stunning all at the same time. What more could you ask for?
Answering your house rendering questions
We’ve already covered the basics of what rendering is and what the benefits of rendering are but there still are a few commonly asked questions we need to address to complete our comprehensive guide to house rendering. Here they are!
How often should you render a house?
Render can last between 20 and 40 years, so you won’t have to worry about rendering your house again for a very long time.
Do you need permission to render a house?
Generally speaking, if you are not planning to completely change the aesthetic of your house exterior, then you shouldn’t need formal permission to render your house.
Planning permission would be required if you live in a Conservation Area, or if the materials you will be using in the rendering process will make the appearance of your house differ dramatically from what it originally was designed to be.
Can you render a house in winter?
Rendering a house in winter is trickier due to the low temperatures and the risk of frosting. However, certain additives can be added to the rendering mixture to prevent it from freezing, so as long as the temperatures are above 5°C, you should still be able to have your house rendered.
Will rendering my house make it warmer?
Yes. Rendering provides a good level of insulation and strengthens your exterior walls. More than a quarter of the energy used to heat your house can be lost due to a lack of proper insulation to your external walls, which makes rendering a good investment in the long run.
Can render prevent damp?
Yes, rendering is a great solution to battle penetrating damp.
Can you render a wall yourself?
Technically, yes, it is possible to render a wall yourself. However, DIY rendering isn’t recommended as it could result in cracks and other imperfections. With render being difficult to remove once applied, fixing a mistake made due to lack of experience could prove to be more expensive than hiring a professional to render your house, in the first place.
Plastering and rendering – what is the difference?
Plastering and rendering are two very similar processes. Usually, the process of rendering is associated with exterior wall insulation while plastering is applied to interior walls. The difference between the two is in the materials used and application methods.
How much does rendering cost?
The cost varies depending on the materials, as well as the size of the house and what type of walls you have. At AB Drylining, we have a team of exterior rendering specialists who will be able to help you with an estimate, simply get in touch with us today.
