Rendering is a hard-wearing cover that is applied to the outside of a building to protect it from the elements. Rendering has a long history, and many various types of materials have been used to cover structures over the years. Thankfully, mud and dung are no longer widely used, but wood and lime, as well as modern plaster renders, are still widely used. Today’s plaster renders are robust and long-lasting, providing a smooth, modern finish that lasts for years before needing to be replaced.
Rendering your structure has the added benefit of making your home much more energy efficient. Around 30% of heat is lost through normal external walls, but this can be drastically reduced by applying a layer of render to the outside. As a result, good rendering will help you save both the environment and money.
It’s critical to understand what current rendering entails. The phrase itself conjures up ideas of the dismal grey pebble-dash popular in the 1950s and 1970s, but that’s a long way from the products available today. Modern renders give a building a sleek, sharp appearance in a variety of eye-catching and contemporary styles. Traditional plaster renders with silicone and acrylic added to them have more durability, flexibility, and, in most cases, a maintenance-free lifespan. Smooth or rough surfaces can be painted to match or injected with a custom colour before being applied.
Today’s newly rendered house has strong, striking lines that are highlighted in appealing modern colours and tones. Modern rendering materials will not only protect your structure from potential wind and rain damage, but they will also help you save money on your heating expenses while also improving the appearance of your home. A good render will increase the value of your home, as well as its prestige and saleability.
There are a variety of render options to choose from, regardless of the style of your home or your budget. There is a render to meet your demands, whether you want smooth or textured, traditional or modern.
In the last century, cement render has been utilised more than any other type of render. It’s an excellent, inexpensive, and long-lasting alternative, but it does require frequent painting to maintain its appearance. Cement renderings are typically mixed on-site and require multiple layers of variable coarseness to apply. Although it is a very durable type of render, it is fragile and susceptible to cracking if the underlying structure settles or moves.
Lime Render has been preserving ancient British houses for generations, and it has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as a new generation of eco-conscious consumers discovers its use and practicality.
Despite the fact that it requires more skill in application and so costs more, it is often a significantly superior product to cement-based renderings. It is a natural product, unlike cement-based renders, and, like lime plaster, allows moisture to pass through, allowing the building beneath to breathe. It is a popular choice for many renovation and conservation projects since it helps prevent damp and mildew from accumulating within. Concrete renders have caused a great deal of damage to older houses in recent decades, and it is only recently that this has been fully appreciated. The non-permeable render traps moisture in walls and fittings causing significant damp problems and occasionally even structural damage.
Lime render has the added benefit of being quite flexible, so it will bend and stretch with the structure if it moves or settles in any manner. Unlike concrete renderings, it does not break and instead expands and contracts in response to natural shifts in the structure of the building.
The addition of plastic acrylic to this sort of render makes it stronger and more flexible than standard cement-based renders. They’re easy to apply because they’re made up of fine acrylic hairs that lay in alternating orientations to create a highly flexible mat layer. If the building shifts or settles, the elasticity protects them from cracking.
They can be used on a variety of surfaces, including previously painted walls, concrete and wood, and brick. They are available in a number of finishes and textures, providing for a variety of modern aesthetics.
K-Rend is a British firm that has done a lot to promote the usage of silicone in current renderings. They’re undoubtedly the most popular rendering products on the market right now in the United Kingdom. Silicone is highly water-repellent and self-cleaning, making it almost maintenance-free.
K-Rend produces a wide range of products for all types of properties. They’re available in a variety of colours and finishes, and they’re highly durable and long-lasting.
