A house rendering is exposed to many factors that can change its appearance. Over time, algae mosses and lichens can start to grow on external walls. As it spreads, they will discolor the render surface and leave rendered buildings looking old. That is why it is so important to choose a suitable facade material. Render a house can also be an excellent opportunity to change and refresh the appearance of the entire house.
Why is the facade of a building important?
House rendering is exposed to the adverse effects of various external factors, so they are easily prone to contamination and damage. Even when we use premium external insulation systems, there is no guarantee of “lifetime” protection against dirt, dust, algae, or fungi. Therefore, it would be better to clean the render faster than we pick up new ones.
A common reason for re-render is an aesthetic issue, such as discoloring the render surface, which may leave rendered buildings looking old after a few years. For this reason, we recommend you evaluate an external wall insulation system’s condition frequently.
If the appearance of the facade is changed, there is necessary to renovate it. It may be a couple of years or a couple of teen years after a new render, depending on external factors and the quality of the materials.
How often should existing render finish be replaced?
It depends on several factors. The most important is the location of the building. It matters whether it is a building located on a busy street or a house in the countryside exposed to pollution from the fields. Equally important are customer requirements.
You should also remember that the coating protection agents used in the top layer of the facade wash out progressively, so its content decreases over the years. We assume that the content of coating protection agents in the covering layers of insulation systems is sufficient for up to 10 years, so we recommend re-rendering at least once before the end of 10 years.
Does the type of render matter when rendering a house?
Of course, it does, because some renders get dirty faster, others get less dirty, while some types of render are water repellent – we mean silicone render. But, for example, mineral render (cement-lime render) quickly gets dirty when it is not painted with a render paint because it offers low water absorption and may corrode in unfavorable conditions.
Acrylic render can also lose a new look. The most durable and resistant is silicone render. Manufacturers also offer silicone-silicate type of render (a mixture of silicone and silicate renders properties) and mosaic render installed on the pedestal parts of a building.
A rendered house texture is also not without significance. The most common structure is the one with a thickness of 1.5 millimeters, but structure thickness can reach up to 4 millimeters. The thicker is texture, the more porous the surface is, and it retains more dirt – which creates conditions for the efflorescence of several types of microorganisms. The finer the structure, the more favorable it is for the facade.
It seems that the best solution would be a perfectly smooth render walls. Unfortunately, these are very thin and delicate structures that do not withstand stress. They often crack and develop visible scratches. The optimal thickness is 1.5 millimeters.
Should the first step be to clean acrylic or cement render?
If our rendering or timber cladding is not damaged or heavily contaminated, the first stage should be just washing it. That is a simple activity that anyone can also make on their own without hiring specialized companies. Just rinse a silicon or cement based render with an ordinary garden hose or wash a solid walls with a pressure washer.
Is it possible to improve the energy efficiency of a building when external rendering?
The first insulations of buildings, 10-15 years ago, were made with 5 cm thick Styrofoam, which is insufficient today. In the past, it was also popular to insulation in a layered insulation wall. Due to the inaccuracy of such insulation placement, it does not meet modern requirements. Therefore, it is worth considering whether to increase the thickness of the thermal insulation layer, adapting the building to current requirements.
