After a rather harsh winter as far as weather is concerned, your home may be looking a bit more haggard than usual. Should your house be in dire need of a facelift, and let’s face it, a lot are, you may want to consider applying a new coat of rendering to the outside walls in order to spruce the place up a bit. Rendering can also be used to hide the unsightly appearance of mismatched materials protruding from your house.
While it would save you a lot of time to simply call in a professional to render your home for you, you may be the DIY type who absolutely loves the feel of taking on a brand new intensive project every once in a while. The beauty of rendering is that it requires absolutely no planning permission whatsoever (unless your home is a listing building that is) so you can get it done as and when you deem it necessary.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a guide for how to render your own home. Be warned, though, it can cost between 2/3 grand to apply two coats of exterior paint to the average home – so be sure you price up the job before you attempt to start it yourself!
PREP YOUR WALLS
Before you make a start on the rendering, you will have to survey the walls first and foremost. Any problems with structure and you can be sure that the render will not work – if your wall behind your render is crumbling, then what’s the point?
STRIP DOWN TO THE ESSENTIALS
You will need to have access to bare wall here, so any drainage that can be removed must be to make sure the whole house is coated. Windows and vents are another factor that must be extended so you can provide a clean edge when it comes to the render.
CONSIDER INSULATING
If you are using wall insulation for the exterior of your home before you decide to coat the render, either use slabs or firm boards. The insulation you use will be entirely dependent on what kind of wall your home has.
STRONG FOUNDATIONS
To completely solidify your foundations, apply a later of fabric mesh on top of the insulation. This should be bedded into the first coat you use for the render. This will protect you against any cracks that could occur to your exterior.
LAYER ON LAYER
After your first coat with the mesh has been applied, it is important to add a few more thinner coats, referred to as primer’s and topcoat’s. There are different types of render you can use that have varying levels of performance, available in several different materials including phenolic foam, which is the most expensive but best performing.
ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Typically, if you’re using a thin coat for your render they will be specifically designed to be self-coloured so they won’t need painting – although if you have used one that does need painting, then be sure to use weatherproof external paint. After you have finished, typically after a month, you can put back all your external piping and anything else you need.
Even after our handy guide, you still can’t make heads nor tails of performing your own rendering, don’t worry about it, we’ve got you covered for that too! Click here to view a professional House Rendering service and get your home to tip-top condition.
