What Are The Different Types Of Render? | Advanced Damp (2024)

Key Takeaways:

• Purpose and Benefits of Rendering: Rendering serves as a protective measure for exterior walls, safeguarding them against external damage. It not only blends new elements into existing structures for improved curb appeal but also adds decorative designs, enhancing the visual appeal of the home.
• Popular Render Types for Residential Homes: Acrylic and silicone renders emerge as popular choices for residential properties during rendering. These render types offer protective layers that prevent issues like damp penetration and cracking.
• Considerations for Optimal Results: Choosing the right rendering type is crucial for lasting protection and weather resistance. While modern renders offer improved durability, considerations such as potential cracking in conventional methods (like sand and cement rendering) must be taken into account.

Contractors and homeowners choose to do rendering for various reasons. However, the most important one is to protect the exterior walls of your house from harsh exterior damage.

You can go for house rendering when you want to blend the new parts of the property into an existing one improving the curb appeal. Most rendering experts will finish with two coats of paint to protect the render layer from damp penetrating or cracking.

Rendering improves your home walls by creating decorative designs, making them visually appealing. It offers an excellent finish to the surface of your home.

Before discussing what are the different types of render, let’s find out what it is?

What is Rendering?

Rendering is the process of covering the exterior surface of your house. There are many different types of render, including monocouche renders, silicone render, acrylic render, polymer-modified render, ordinary cement render, lime render, mineral render, and more… Acrylic and silicone renders are the most popular ones used for residential homes.

The process is carried out to protect the exposed brick and other construction materials from cracking and erosion. Apart from that, it helps prevent expensive repairs and maintenance down the line.

In addition, rendering is carried out to transform the aesthetic appearance of your house and enhance the property value.

Depending on your requirements and budget, you could choose among the different rendering options available, which are much superior to the conventional methods.

Is House Rendering Worth It?

Much like the plaster is applied to the walls in the interior of the house, the same way rendering is a type of coating for the house’s exterior.Ensure that you choose the right type of rendering according to your needs. Make sure it lasts as long as possible, giving your home proper weather protection.

If you fail to consider these before going for modern renders, you may end up spending more money on removing them or getting a costly repair. For instance, conventional sand and cement rendering have the ability to crack, and if water penetrates such cracks, it can lead to serious damp issues.

An ever-growing product range of different types of render is available these days, which is superior to the more traditional cement renders or lime render.

They are more popular with renovators who want to extend period houses and provide through-coloured renders and insulation.

What are The 7 Different Types of Render?

There are different rendering systems available in the market. You can choose the best house rendering system from the types discussed below that best suits your needs and demands.

Sand and Cement Render

A sealed or painted cement render can help a property from penetrating damp. Also known as concrete render, cement renders are generally mixed using Portland cement.

A standard mixing ratio of this render is 1 part of cement, 1 part of lime and 6 parts of sand.

It is readily available and quite common among builders. Cement rendering is usually much more potent and harder than lime render.

Also, cement-based rendering is cheaper than most other rendering materials. However, it takes a long time to dry, and if misapplied, it gets cracked easily and quickly. Also, it is labour intensive rendering system.

Where can you use cement rendering?

There are various rendering projects and several surfaces where cement rendering has been used that, include:

• Interior walls
• Exterior walls
• Fences
• Retaining walls

Benefits of rendering cement

• Produce a smoother, more aesthetically pleasing finish.
• Cement renders can be made in different colours, like pigmented or natural.
• Available in a different range of textures.
• Protects the building from sun damage and is weather resistant.
• It is one of the cheapest types of render.

Lime Render

The most breathable type of mineral renders available by far are the lime renders. It is one of the best rendering techniques for wooden framed or older buildings as it can contract and expand.

Lime rendering is usually used to coat low-quality porous brick walls, stone, and rubble in exposed locations.

Lime rendering is used as the undercoat to finish the surface. It is more durable and extremely weather resistant.

Lime renders contain three parts of sand and one part of lime. It is relatively affordable. However, you need to apply limewash regularly for maintenance.

Where can you use lime rendering?

• Clay brick-built buildings
• New builds using thermalite blocks
• Timber-framed buildings
• Strawbale constructed buildings
• Timber-framed buildings
• Solid stone with rubble-filled walls

Benefits of lime render

• Provides better acoustics, beautiful and decorative wall finish
• Easier to repair and gives your room to work on
• Offer stability to the building by absorbing and releasing moisture
• Has high water retention properties helping to cure cement material quickly

Acrylic Rendering

This type of rendering is similar to cement render but involves an additional acrylic to the product. Acrylic is a type of plastic that adds flexibility to the render. It is appropriate for several external and internal renovation projects.

Acrylic renders are offered in various colours and textures.

Where can you use acrylic render?

• Painted walls
• Render on existing walls
• Brick
• Polystyrene
• Concrete
• Cement

Benefits of acrylic render

• Minimal application and dries faster
• Offer silky smooth finish
• Hard to crack as compared to cement render
• Permit the underneath building materials to breathe, keeping them dry and safe
• It fills up cracks quickly
• Long-lasting and more durable
• Offers protection against water damage and ultraviolet rays

Monocouche Render

An agent known as monocouche is used, which is a dry powdered render having a coloured pigment. It offers breathability to the material. Monocouche render is one of the most popular house rendering systems in the UK.

A wide range of monocouche render is available, including K Rend, Parex, and Weber, the most commonly used.

It is often compared to sand and cement renders though it contains cement in different terms of characteristics and texture. Monocouche offered a chalky finish and scraped it to create a rusted effect.

Monocouche renders a prevalent choice among property owners looking for a flat, crisp finish.

Where can you use monocouche render?

• Brick substrates
• Polystyrene
• Concrete
• Cement
• Existing render

Benefits of monocouche render

• Easy and convenient to use
• It doesn’t require applying any paint coats
• Long-lasting up to 10 years
• The original colour will remain strong
• Weather-resistant
• Act as thermal insulation
• Flexibility

Monocouche render is energy efficient as the thin layer of the render finish act as the insulating film helping you to save money on heating bills.

Silicone Render

Commonly referred to as thin coat renders, silicone renders are crack-resistant. They are applied in a very thin coat on a reinforced base coat. Silicone render is relatively high quality and premium but comparatively more expensive than monocouche rendering.

It is identified as being easier to apply as compared to others. Thin coat silicone is manufactured by companies like K rend, Parex, and Weber.

Benefits of silicone render

• Highly durable
• It less likely to crack
• Silicone rendering is hydrophobic, helping the surface to remain clean
• Easiest render to apply
• Permits water vapour through the surface of the silicone
• Minimized condensation formation within the property
• Requires only one coat
• Less maintenance cost
• Breathable
• Self-coloured

Clay Render

Also known as earthen/earth render, clay rendering is a cement-free alternative that predates conventional house rendering techniques. It is made from just water and clay. Often sand, animal dung or straw was added to provide strength.

Clay render is applied to old-fashioned constructions. Due to its less protective finish and appearance, it is unlikely to be an option for contemporary houses unless you are intentionally trying to create a retro-style home.

Besides, clay is considered a natural material offering the added benefit of keeping the inside of the house cool during summer.

Benefits of clay rendering

• Easy to apply
• Clay-rendered surfaces are dirt-repellent or self-cleaning
• It gives a smooth finish to the structure
• Protects the surface from elements
• Allow the walls to breath
• Used in render application training to gain skill

Polymer Rendering

Polymer render is a cement render application that effectively bonds to all surfaces. The polymer added to the render is quite adhesive, so it is typically suggested that acrylic rendering or cement rendering may not be effective.

This type of rendering is recommended for wet areas of a building, such as a laundry or a bathroom, as additional waterproofing is not required with polymer render.

It is highly suited to external walls thanks to its weather-resistance nature.

Where can you use polymer rendering?

• Painted walls
• Plaster
• Polystyrene
• Concrete
• Clay bricks
• Cement blocks

Polymer rendering is ideal for several rendering projects: house exteriors, external walls, laundries, kitchens, and bathrooms.

Benefits of polymer rendering

• Polymer render doesn’t crack easily
• It is water-resistant
• Polymer render is weather-resistant
• It sticks better on walls
• Lightweight
• Ideal for external wall insulation
• Reduces wear and tear on your property

Factors Affecting your Choices for Renders

Various factors affect your choice when selecting the best one for your exterior finish. Some of the factors that help you choose the type of render you want for your house are:

Property Age

It will affect the ascetical setting, construction methods, and the substrate along with your budget for the preparation, ongoing maintenance and repair.

Existing Substrate

It involves that will be under rendering of your choice. It is imperative while using a render as the material has to adhere to this surface and manoeuvre with it.

Your desired finish effect and colour

This factor is the most important one. You must make sure that your building is finished in a way according to your taste.

The material depends on what makes you attractive and keeping with your surroundings. You don’t want to fall out with the neighbours.

Conclusion

Homes are rendered as it is impossible to accomplish a weatherproof and suitably attractive finish with brick or stonework. Render is also used when your house’s external walls have been damaged due to rain, winds, or excessive sunlight.

Rendering is the most suitable and affordable way with low labour costs to make it weatherproof. Rendering helps to increase the curb appeal of your home. It makes your property more durable and reliable.

A home with rendered walls saves on costs for energy, and the climate of your house can be contained efficiently. To get free advice on the types of render to use for your home, contact our rendering team.