Rendering is still one of the most popular methods of finishing exterior walls, and offers a good alternative to the timber cladding. It should always match the type of substrate or local conditions, and every investor should be aware of them. Find out what different types of coloured renders are and how to choose the best external house rendering system for your needs.

Thick-coat renders

Thick-coat render coat is a mortar composed of sand, cement, calcium, and water. It usually from 2 to 3 cm thick and cannot be applied to two-layer walls due to its considerable weight. It is also less durable and requires more frequent refreshing than a thin-layer rendering materials.

Depending on your home’s style and walling, you might consider different types of render:

• cement render – is ideal for areas exposed to moisture and mechanical damage, but is difficult to process. We can apply cement renders on basement walls or building pedestals.
• cement-lime render – such external render is less resistant to moisture and mechanical damage, but easier to apply and represents very high water vapor permeability. It is inexpensive, popular, and additionally resistant to biological corrosion.
• lime render – is low resistance to damage. Most often it is used over old render.

Thin-coat renders

Thin-coat render is an ideal finish for two-layer external walls insulated with the light-wet method. Like thick-coat renders, you can render exterior walls on your own, although more convenient to use is ready-made mixtures. The thin-layer coat does not require painting, and its thickness is at least 10 mm. Such modern renders protect the solid walls and can vary depending on its type.

Acrylic render

It is easy to install and aesthetic because of the large selection. Its main benefits include flexibility, low absorption, and mechanical resistance. Unfortunately, although acrylic house render provides a moisture barrier, it is not resistant to the growth of fungi and mold. Acrylic renders are suitable for newly erected buildings and those undergoing external wall insulation system.

Mineral render

It is inexpensive and allows the wall to “breathe”. It comes as a dry mix, which need combining with water before house rendering. Its disadvantages include significant absorption, lower elasticity, and significantly less choice of colors. However, mineral renders are resistant to temperature fluctuations and UV radiation.

Silicone render

It is a durable polymer render just like acrylic ones, but it differs significantly from them. It is low-absorbent, resistant to dirt (self-cleaning properties), and available in various colors. In addition, modern silicone rendering is flexible and resistant to cracking – all you need is to protect silicone renders from fungi and algae.

Silicate render

Such type of render system is characterized by rich colors, resistance to microorganisms, low shrinkage, non-flammability, but is slightly more absorbent than acrylic and silicone products. Its disadvantages include a lack of dirt resistance. Silicate render comes as a solid mass and is an ideal partner for mineral wool insulation.

How much does house rendering cost?

The cost of acrylic or silicone rendering depends mainly on the area of the property. So a house of 90m2 might cost us in the region of £2,835 – £5,670. If we decide on a stone render finish, we will pay an even higher price.