Does your home look a little worse for wear, or are you having trouble battling damp and moisture problems? You might need a new render. This can be a daunting project for many homeowners, with many people anticipating high costs and a long process - but that's not always the case. In some situations, old render can simply be rendered over!
Silicone render is becoming an increasingly popular option when it comes to home render. A lot of homeowners find themselves drawn to it, and wonder whether it can be applied safely over their existing render.
At WeDoRender, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of rendering and rendering techniques. With that in mind, here's all you need to know about applying silicone render over existing renderings.
The first step in figuring out whether you can apply silicone render over existing work is understanding the existing rendering. You need to understand what type of material has been used to create the existing render surfaces. Once you've figured that out, you will need to make a note of why it needs to be replaced or repaired. Is there damp damage? Has it simply aged? This is important in helping to determine what kind of rendering is best suited to the property.
You should also have a vague understanding of what render actually does for your property. This will allow you to make an educated decision when it comes to which render materials are on offer.
If you're not sure whether your old render even needs replacing or repairing, but you'd simply like to upgrade to silicone render because of the properties it boasts, then all you need to know is how compatible your current render is. So long as you've not got any peeling, cracking, or staining, this information should be plenty.
Take a look: What Is Silicone Render
Once you have a comprehensive understanding of the situation as it stands, you can continue to determine whether or not you can apply silicone render to your rendered walls. This will depend on several factors, namely:
Silicone render, generally speaking, can be applied over existing renderings. For most of the common render materials, it can be applied pretty easily. It is compatible with cement render, acrylic render, and lime render - so long as the render is in good condition. However, with lime render, you may need to apply a base coat or do an extra preparatory step. Lime rendering is incredibly porous and this can make it hard for the silicone render to adhere.
So long as these renders are in good condition and are cleaned completely and thoroughly before the project begins, they should be suitable as a base for silicone renderings. You can apply your new render fairly easily (or hire a team of professionals from WeDoRender to do it for you!).
However, if there is a lot of damage to the rendering, particularly water-related damage, it will need to be removed completely. Rendering on top of water damaged render will only further the damage.
For those who do not already have silicone render, you may wonder what exactly the benefits of adding silicone render on top of your more traditional render are. There are a few:
Before you can start applying any render anywhere, you must first prepare the surface. This means cleaning the existing render and letting it dry completely. It needs to be free of dust, dirt, and debris, and any cracks or damage should be filled and sanded down. In some cases, you may also need to apply primer to the render.
The silicone render should have the manufacturer's instructions on it. Follow these in order to create a smooth and consistent mixture of silicone render.
Using a trowel, apply the silicone render to the surface from the bottom up. Be sure to spread it evenly and use a straight edge for a level finish. Remember that silicone render works best when applied in thin coats.
You should use a sponge or plastic float in order to create a uniform texture across the render, and then leave the render to dry completely before attempting to paint or do anything else to it.
Discover: Can You Paint Silicone Render
When covering existing acrylic render or cement render with silicone render there will often be a few challenges. These challenges can be handled, but it is best to be aware of them before you start messing around with render layers and your render system.
If you come across too many challenges when trying to apply a new render over an existing render, it is advisable to contact professionals like the WeDoRender team to help you improve the appearance of your home.
If your old render has worn away in places or perhaps wasn't applied that well you may find that the surface of your acrylic render, lime render, or whatever other existing renders is uneven. To fix this you can use a base coat before you apply the silicone render to create a level surface.
Many older types of render, especially concrete or cement render are prone to cracks. If you spot cracks in your existing render you cannot just paint layers over them. You must fill the cracks with filler before applying your new render and ensure you have left the filler to dry completely.
Discover more: Does Silicone Render Crack
Silicone render is a through coloured render, but you may well have colour on your existing layers of render that you want to match. This can be easier said than done. If you are struggling to get your new render to match your painted render or coloured acrylic render, then you can use a tinted primer, or find a colour matched silicone render.
In traditional renders, the render is applied in successive layers where they get thinner each time. This means that top coat renders may be quite weak and it may be hard to determine the strength of the layers of render behind them.
Each layer of new render you add to a property is an additional weight and these can lead to issues when it comes to the bond strength between the layers of render. It can also create issues between the walls and the render.
