Rendering questions, answered

It is priced by the square metre and depends on the system, the condition of the walls and access. Our guide-price tool gives an indicative range in about a minute, and the survey turns that into a fixed written quote.

A typical three-bedroom semi is usually one to two weeks on site including scaffold, preparation, application and finishing. Weather, wall condition and the system chosen all move that.

Yes. Every job carries our workmanship guarantee, and where a full manufacturer-specified system is installed you also get the system warranty on top.

Usually not on a standard house, but you will if the property is listed, in a conservation area, or if rendering would significantly change its appearance. We flag it at survey.

Spring through autumn is ideal. Render should not be applied in frost or in very hot direct sun, so winter work needs protection and settled conditions.

For anything above single storey, yes — it is safer and produces a better finish than working off ladders or towers. Scaffold is included and itemised in the quote.

Sometimes, if the existing coat is completely sound and well-bonded. We hammer-test it first. Anything hollow has to come off, because covering failure just hides it.

Through-coloured systems need no painting at all. Sand and cement should cure for around 28 days before masonry paint goes anywhere near it.

Yes — full public liability cover, and we can send the certificate before we start. We are happy to provide RAMS for commercial and contractor work.

For most domestic jobs we take a deposit to cover materials and scaffold, with the balance on completion. Terms are set out clearly in the written quote.

We work UK-wide, with teams across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If we are not the right firm for your location we will tell you rather than waste your time.

Usually, yes. We colour and texture match as closely as we can, though weathered render never matches a fresh batch exactly — we will be honest about how visible a patch will be.

A correctly installed silicone system carries a typical 25-year warranty and commonly performs well beyond that. Because the colour is integral rather than painted on, it ages by weathering evenly rather than by peeling.

No. The pigment is mixed through the topcoat. Painting it would actually reduce the breathability and self-cleaning behaviour you paid for.

Monocouche is a thick single-coat mineral render; silicone is a thin-coat polymer system over a separate basecoat. Monocouche is more rigid and more traditional in appearance; silicone is more flexible and more resistant to dirt.

It can hairline-crack if the substrate moves or if bead and mesh detailing was skipped at stress points. Correct movement joints and mesh at openings prevent almost all of it.

Neither is universally better. Acrylic is tougher and holds colour slightly better; silicone is more breathable and self-cleaning. Substrate type usually decides it.

We generally advise against it. Solid walls need to breathe, and acrylic's lower vapour permeability can trap moisture. Silicone or lime is the better route there.

Allow three to seven days between coats and a further 28 days to fully cure before painting. Rushing the paint traps moisture and causes blistering.

Yes. Unlike through-coloured systems it has no integral colour, so it needs masonry paint — and repainting roughly every five to eight years.

Because solid walls manage moisture by letting it evaporate. Cement blocks that route, driving damp inward and often causing timber decay and spalled stone. Lime keeps the wall breathing.

Far longer than cement. Allow seven to fourteen days between coats and several months for full carbonation. It must be protected from frost and direct sun throughout.

K Rend is a brand that makes several render types, including silicone thin-coat and scraped textured systems. So most K Rend is silicone render, but not all silicone render is K Rend.

No. K Rend silicone and scraped finishes are through-coloured, so no decoration is needed.

No, not as maintenance. It can be overpainted later if you want a colour change, but it does not require decoration to stay weatherproof.

Effectively yes — most systems offer 400+ shades plus RAL matching. Very dark colours absorb more heat and can put extra thermal stress on the wall, so we advise on those case by case.

On a typical uninsulated solid-wall semi it commonly cuts wall heat loss substantially and makes the biggest single difference to comfort. Actual savings depend on the existing construction, heating system and how you use the house.

The walls become 70-200mm thicker, so reveals get deeper and the eaves usually need extending. Done properly it looks intentional; done cheaply it looks like a box.

Tap it with your knuckle or a small hammer. Solid render sounds dull and dense; blown render sounds hollow and drummy. Bulging and hairline map-cracking are other signs.

If the failure is localised and the rest is well bonded, patching is the sensible option. Once more than roughly a third of an elevation is hollow, a full re-render usually works out better value.

Usually not on their own — fine shrinkage cracking is common and cosmetic. It matters because it lets water in behind the render, which then causes the serious failure.

Shrinkage during curing, an over-strong mix, thermal movement, missing movement joints, substrate movement, or genuine structural movement. The pattern tells you which.

Sometimes, if it is completely sound and well-keyed, using a levelling basecoat. But if any of it is blown, covering it just traps the failure — removal is the safer route.

Very. It is a mechanical strip that produces significant dust and debris. We sheet the working area, protect windows, doors and planting, and clear waste as we go.

Pebbledash (dry dash) throws dry chippings onto a wet coat, so the stones sit proud. Roughcast (wet dash) mixes aggregate into the render first, giving a more integrated, slightly softer texture.

Yes, widely — especially in Scotland, Ireland and exposed coastal areas where its weather resistance is a genuine advantage.

A fine cement-based render flicked onto the wall with a hand-cranked machine in several passes, producing an open honeycomb texture.

Yes, and it commonly is. Masonry paint takes well to it, though the texture uses noticeably more paint per square metre than a smooth wall.

We strongly advise against it on thin-coat silicone, acrylic and monocouche. High pressure erodes the finish and forces water behind it. Soft washing is the safe method.

Typically two to four years before noticeable regrowth, depending on shading, aspect and nearby vegetation. Annual maintenance treatments extend that considerably.

You can, but it removes the self-cleaning and through-colour benefits you paid for and commits you to a repainting cycle. We usually advise cleaning instead.

A breathable coating — silicone-based or mineral silicate. Avoid heavy plastic-based masonry paints, especially on solid walls, as they trap moisture.

On large areas it is generally better, because the machine maintains a more consistent thickness than a hand float can. Detailing is still hand-finished.

Per square metre on a large job, usually yes — fewer labour hours and less scaffold time. On a small house the plant setup cost outweighs the saving.

1.5mm for a near-smooth contemporary look, 2mm as the versatile all-rounder, 3mm where you want pronounced texture or need to disguise an uneven substrate.

Yes. Deeper textures hold slightly more dirt and organic growth, particularly on shaded elevations. Silicone binders offset most of that.

Yes, typically 15-25% more than a comparable textured finish, because levelling the basecoat and working the topcoat consistently takes considerably more labour.

It doesn't crack more, but any cracking is far more visible than on a textured surface. Mesh reinforcement and proper movement joints are essential.

Yes — they are real brick, just cut thin. Once fitted with matching corner slips and properly pointed, they are very difficult to distinguish from solid brickwork at normal viewing distance.

Yes, that is one of their main uses. Purpose-made carrier systems fix over EWI boards and take the slips mechanically as well as adhesively.

No — it manages the consequences. The damp-proof course or the source of water has to be dealt with separately. The render then holds back residual moisture and salts while the wall dries.

Allow a minimum of several weeks for the wall to dry, longer after flooding. Decorating too early traps moisture and the finish fails.

Type A is a bonded barrier that keeps water out entirely. Type C accepts ingress, then drains and pumps it away behind a membrane. Type C is more forgiving of structural imperfections.

Most can, but the right system depends on water pressure, structural condition and intended use. A survey establishes which approach is appropriate.

Water enters through failed flaunching, cracked render, open pointing or defective flashings, then runs down inside the flue and shows as staining on a chimney breast, often on the floor below.

Repointing suits a stack in reasonable condition. Rendering is better where brickwork has spalled or is badly weathered, as it gives a continuous weatherproof skin.

Almost always water entering the unprotected top of the wall, then freezing. A properly overhanging coping with a drip is the single most important detail.

Yes, wherever possible. Rendering one face only lets water in through the other and trap it behind the rendered side.

Yes. We work as a specialist subcontractor on new-build and refurbishment schemes, with RAMS, CSCS-carded operatives and full insurance documentation supplied before we start.

Yes. We phase works around occupancy on schools, retail and residential blocks, and agree access, working hours and site security arrangements in advance.