Top 4 things you need to know before you render a brick house

Render is a type of cladding used on houses up and down the country. It comes in a range of materials and can be applied for a few different reasons, but is it actually worth it?

What types of render are there?

There are different materials used for render, each with their own special characteristics and appearance, and they are:

Silicone render

Silicone render is ideal for modern homes, and is the most modern material. It is great at staying clean and dirt-free, helping to improve the appearance of brick homes.

Acrylic render

Acrylic render is one of the most popular materials, and it has the benefit of coming in many colours. This means that it doesn’t require painting, making it an easy render to have applied to external walls. It is best suited to pre-rendered properties.

Polymer render

Polymer render is a material best suited to modern homes. It has additional polymers within it compared to other render materials, allowing it to be more flexible than cement render and lime render.

Cement render

Cement render is one of the most commonly used renders, and it is best suited to 20th-century homes. It requires much more cleaning and repairing than other cladding materials, but can also be one of the cheaper options.

Others include tyrolean render, monocouche render, coloured render & lime rendering.

Benefits of rendering exterior walls

So why do people render brick houses? We asked We Do Render for some help with this one and this is what they said:

Brick creates solid walls, so what is the purpose of house rendering? Well, there are a few benefits to rendering your entire house which are what attract most people to getting their property rendered. Adding a rendered facade to your home can:

Boost appearance

Many brick homes have worn, mismatching brick work that isn’t the most aesthetically appealing. Those looking to improve a property for themselves or to add value ready for selling may choose to add wall covering to the exposed brick walls in order to change the appearance. Adding a lime wash or lime plaster has been shown to drastically change the look and style of the home.

Protect against rising damp

Damp proofing is a big benefit of rendering a home. If a property suffers from penetrating damp, owners can damp proof the home by adding rendering. Regardless of what type of render is used on a property, it will be able to protect the home from damp issues to some extent.

Typically speaking, brick is not very weather resistant and can be quite easily affected by things like damp issues, so by damp proofing the exterior walls, how owners can help to reduce the risk of structural damage. Applying render is a relatively simple way to protect the integrity of the building.

External wall insulation

Rendering is a great way to make a property more energy efficient, especially old properties with solid brick walls. The render will work as an additional layer to add insulation, helping to manage the property’s temperature.

Rendering also provides the opportunity to enhance the property’s thermal performance even further by adding external insulation to the home. Whilst the property is already having work done, it makes sense to also make other changes to enhance the building. External insulation is a great way to improve the property’s energy efficiency and as a consequence can add to the value of the property. It is expensive, and will cost more money than just rendering, but would be worth it in the long run.

Downsides of house rendering

There are sufficient benefits to rendering a property, but there are also some downsides to rendering an existing house. Regardless of whether your property is rendered with cement based render or lime render, there will be some downsides to having it done. They are:

Render can crack

Whilst your render finish might look great to start with, you will likely find over time that render (especially cement renders) will crack. This can be really annoying and can really impact the appearance of the render finish.

Cracks in render can be caused by anything from the weather to rising damp, and will need attention relatively soon after forming. Repairing cracks in house render is not too hard of a job, but it can be tiresome to have to fix the wall covering on such a regular basis.

Mould and algae

Some render finishes will be prone to developing mould and algae, especially during the cooler, damper months. The mould and algae will grow on the render surface, ultimately ruining the appearance of the solid wall and making the property look less than appealing. Cement render is especially prone to this and will require a regular cleaning to remove said mould. I covered in a previous article how mould is a toxin in your property.

Flaking paint and discolouration

Typically, lime render, cement renders and polymer renders are painted once applied. This paint, as it is left in the open for a long time, can flake and discolour. This can lead to the property’s appearance worsening, and can be expensive and tiring to fix.

Rendering is expensive

Whether you are adding to existing render, rendering a new extension project or rendering a property for the first time, it is a pricey process. It will take several days, especially if you intend to get the entire property rendered.

Overall, is rendering a brick house worth it?

Rendering a brick house can help to enhance the energy efficiency of the property, and protect from penetrating damp (especially if lime render is used), but it can be costly, and may take a lot of maintenance. There are other cladding materials that are lower maintenance such as timber cladding, but for those who like the appearance of render, it may well be worth the money. Just ensure that you get the right render material for the property and that you have the time and resources to properly maintain the render finish.