Render

[NelAntarctic]

Can someone talk to me about render?

I'm planning a house renovation and we've been advised to insulate the external walls (old pennant stone) then render on the top). I've looked at a straightforward white render, but I've also seen a render that's slightly bumped and looks older IYSWIM. I really like this as we are hoping for a 'cottage' look overall.

I've googled a few times and I just come up with something overly textured and lumpy.

Having lived in a house with white render for over 16 years I would say don't do it at all if your current bricks are good enough to be on show.

It looks lovely first of all and then it is just a lifetime of hassle.

It gets dirty really quickly and moss can build up on it.

If you have even the hint of a drip anywhere from guttering etc it ends up as a long black or rusty mark. It also cracks in random places and has to be patched up.

And I have flat render but a friend who has the textured one says it takes about three times as much paint than a flat surface when it comes to repainting.

If we were looking to move now I wouldn't even look at ones with render.

Sorry meant to add, can the extra insulation go on the inside of the house?

Not sure but I think you are talking about Tyrolean render. They apply it with a machine and can make it varying levels of bumpiness I think. It does absolutely drink up paint, 3 times the amount is about right..we had it last year on extension as the rest of the house had it.

@NoraEphronsNeck Thank you. That's definitely something to consider. We cannot insulate on the inside - the walls are extremely thick and in the original building that we won't be really touching (apart from cosmetically), the rooms are rather small so any insulation on the inside will make them even smaller.

Thanks @FoolsAssassin - I've had a google - that's not the one. I'll try and find a pic....

Something like this....

I really wouldn’t. If you’ve got really thick walls you’ll probably find it’s fairly warm in winter and cool in summer

And this...

Our current house is rendered and the one we are moving to is as well. We have never had a problem with it at all. There is one crack now but seven been here over a decade and the people before us were here for about 8 years and we’ve never done anything yet.

I’d avoid render if I possibly could. The cracking from movement makes for a constant round of patching and painting that never looks great, and constantly opens up again. When you have a crack, rain can get on and then get trapped, seeping through the walls until it appears internally. It’s a money and time-sucking PITA.

Also worth considering whether this would change the humidity within the property. Older walls were usually built to be breathable. The render will seal them, and this may lead to damp and mould internally. Has the surveyor considered that? What would be the solution?

Becareful and make sure to get expert information because there's certain render that allows the bricks to breathe ect and it helps prevent damp ect and there's other types that have a type of chemical in them that seals the render, but it then can lead to bubbling ect in the render, I'm no expert but that's some of the basics I've read about.

If you must render then use breatheable lime plaster (and breathable paint too) to avoid damp issues. This may well also give you a slightly bumpy look.

Lime render, not lime plaster...

It looks like a daub lime plaster to me:

www.alamy.com/stock-photo-white-background-lime-plaster-wall-with-scratches-and-irregularities-73658786.html

I have an old rendered house. It's a pain.

here

I inherited a rendered tall workers cottage that is rendered. I love my house but will move in a couple of years partly because of the render. It's a solid brick house, 160 years old, with bricks like sponge, so can't be taken off because it'll just suck in the rain. The building moves, so as previous posters say, there's constant cracking, and it discolours really quickly. You're constantly scared of the render blowing - the last time it did I lost the top half of a gable end, which literally just fell off the wall in the middle of the night. Every time I want to repaint, I need to spend 1k on scaffolding, because the house is high, and that's before I spend on paint and labour. Next time I'm going for brick or stone!

I didn't realise that render was such a pain. We're hoping to have part stone, part render, but am a bit worried now.