External rendering is a process that is specially used for decoration and protection of buildings. Apart from the role of protecting buildings against environmental impacts, external house rendering provides sound and thermal protection to the interiors of the house.
The use of external rendering is a wonderful way of providing a facelift to a home especially for those houses that have unattractive exterior designs, are in poor conditions or have outer walls consisting of mixed unmatched materials. There are many options for external house rendering, and they vary from one option to another. Knowing the different options of external house rendering helps one choose the best choice.
The standard rendering for most houses has been the use of cement renders however in the recent past there has been an emergence of interest in clay and lime renders. These materials were used in the olden days but their use reduced as many people learnt of the use of cement. However, these methods are slowly re-emerging back into the construction industry.
As a house owner, many things need to be put into consideration when choosing the external rendering process. It is a smart idea always to use a specialised engineer because external house rendering is one of those processes that require skilled and experienced engineers who have had extensive practice on the job. For the few who are unsure of which external rendering choice to work with it is a good idea to try out on the garden wall first to avoid ruining the actual house walls in the trial process.
For those people planning to render old house walls, it is important first to ensure that any moulds or moss on the wall is cleaned with a recommended bleach to ensure even application of the render to the wall. The weather is also an important aspect to put into consideration since the whole process is external, it is of great importance to ensure that the job is started only when there is a forecast of sunshine in the next few days. For those areas with frost at night covering the walls is recommended.
Lime render
As mentioned earlier lime is one of the rendering options that are slowing gaining interest among house owners. This is because first lime external rendering is a flexible application process. Lime rendering is best on timber framed building or old stone walls. Lime absorbs water keeping the timber dry and thus protecting it from damage. It can be done in a vast array of colours allowing lime external rendering to fit well no matter the surrounding. It is also a long-lasting render and eco-friendly with minimum maintenance costs.
Pebble dash
Pebbledash is the other commonly used external rendering option. It covers most of the early 20 century UK houses. It was primarily invented to help provide homeowners with a cheap, low maintenance and fairly waterproof rendering option over brickworks of the time. This type of rendering usually lasts 20 to 40 years, and it is the reason it is a commonly used option.
Modern acrylic render
Modern acrylic eternal renders are used as finishing coats to provide houses with the desired finish in a variety of colours. Their greatest advantage is they at times do not need base renders and can thus be applied directly onto the brickwork
This article was written by Rebecca Fearn with useful information from Rendacoat. Rebecca is a Yorkshire lass who dreams of outdoor living in sunnier climbs.
March 26, 2017