Why Add Render To A Building?

Why add render to the walls of a building? In short, there are two main reasons, and they are equally important although different. The first reason is to protect the structure of the building from the elements. Many older buildings were built using local materials and these might be brick, stone, flint, or one of several others.

As they age, a lot of buildings begin to look distressed and the cement holding the parts together can wear and fall off. Cracks can occur as a result of ground movement. Those can let in water when it rains, and the result is dampness inside the home. Anything you can do to prevent that from continuing has to be welcomed, and adding a render to the outside of the walls is one way of achieving it.

The other reason for adding a render is purely for aesthetics. If you have an old home that is looking tired, one of the quickest and cheapest ways to make it look brand new again is to add a render.

So what is render?

Well it can be made of several materials, and one of the older ones is lime render. Older buildings were constructed using a solid brick wall, or using other materials, but only had a single wall, unlike the cavity walls which began to be used in the 1930’s. Adding a lime render to the walls not only protected them against the elements but also allowed the walls to breathe so that any damp would dry out. If you go to Southern Spain or Portugal, you see whole villages with buildings covered in white lime render.

A cement render in Cheltenham is often used and is another type of render that is basically just sand and cement. This is also breathable, but it is subject to cracking if the basic structure of the building shifts as a result of ground movement. This is why there are other mixes of render which incorporate plastics, such as acrylic, which enables the render to give and take a bit if there is any movement, so is not nearly so subject to cracking.

However, an acrylic render is not permeable in the same way as other renders, so must not be used in situations where the wall needs to be able to breathe. Furthermore, an acrylic render is not as durable as some others so shouldn’t be used in areas of high rainfall and bad weather, although that is not too much of a problem in Cheltenham.

Another render that is much better suited to bad weather is a silicone render. This is flexible in the same way as acrylic render but can deal with the weather. It is often recommended for use in areas such as coastal towns and cities where the salt air can affect other renders. It is sometimes provided with an alkaline content which will discourage algae from forming.

Monocouche render is another type and is so called after the French meaning "single layer". It can indeed be applied as a single layer on walls which are well built and neatly finished but depending on the situation may need to be applied as two layers.

Renders can be applied using a trowel or they can be applied with a spray. Rendering using a spray is obviously far quicker and saves on labour costs. Many renders now come with through-colouring and in a choice of many different colours which have the very big advantage that they are not going to need repainting every few years. In order to ascertain the best options for your individual home and geographical situation, you really need to discuss them with a specialist render company.

If you are considering applying a cement render in Cheltenham to your home, you would do well to talk to UK Spray Rendering. The company has no less than eleven branches through England and Wales and is uniquely qualified to offer the right advice about the suitability of any particular render for your home.