When you're looking at getting a property rendered, you'll be looking into all of the individual properties of each type of render. If you get stuck, give WeDoRender a call today to discuss the render options available to you.
When it comes to choosing a render material, homeowners should be sure to take every detail into careful consideration. One of the most important factors to consider is the breathability of the render. For example, silicone rendering is one of the most popular rendering materials. But is it breathable?
Some render materials, namely acrylic renders and cement renders, completely seal off the wall from the outside, breathable renders do not do this. This allows water vapour to escape through the surface. Another way to describe this is to say 'vapour permeable'.
Explore: What Is Silicone Render
Silicone render is considered to be a very breathable render system. It is often chosen for the property. Silicone rendering will provide a smooth silicone finish that can be coloured without the use of paint and helps to protect your home without trapping any moisture behind it.
This puts its popularity way above other rendering methods like conventional cement mix or acrylic renders, as they both boast such benefits as a pretty appearance, but are not as good at protecting the property.
However, it is important to note that not every brand produces the exact same type of silicone render. Each brand out there will have its own bespoke process for making and formulating silicone renders, and some silicone renders will be more breathable than others.
It is also useful to know that silicone render that has been painted over may not be as breathable as expected. If your home has a silicone render that has been painted over with an acrylic-based paint, this may prevent the silicone render from being as breathable as usual.
This is important, especially in moist climates like the UK. It allows the substrate (the material the wall is made from) to be able to dry when needed. When moisture enters the walls, breathable render like silicone renders allow the vapour to leave. This prevents the moisture from building up between or in the bricks or substrate.
Alternatively, with acrylic render or cement render, the substrate would be left damp. Moisture and damp in the wall can cause a number of issues. They can lead to issues such as penetrating damp, which damages the interior of the property, and can also lead to the development of mould and mildew. These fungal and bacterial growths are dangerous and can cause a number of health concerns if left unchecked. In some cases, moisture in the walls can also lead to structural concerns that can cost thousands to repair.
In short, a render material that is not breathable will likely need to be replaced sooner. There will be more issues throughout the lifespan of the render finish, from cracking, damp, staining, and even mould and mildew. Even if the application is properly carried out, a non-breathable render will always come with additional costs and have a shorter average lifespan - especially in homes subject to heavy rain and adverse weather!
Check out: Does Silicone Render Crack
Silicone render is made from a mixture of water, silicone resin, and other ingredients in order to create a render that boasts superior properties to other renders. Which additional ingredients are included depends on the specific formula used by each brand. The primary ingredient, though, silicone resin, can be guaranteed in every batch. It is then chemically bound to other ingredients to create the desired render.
In terms of chemical formula, this is often represented as [-Si(R)(R')(O)-], wherein (Si-O) is the silicone resin within the silicone render and the (R) and (R') are additional ingredients. These additional ingredients are what provide the render with properties such as its breathability, as well as with flexibility, and water repellency which allows it to prevent mould growth. It is also these additional components that provide the render with self-cleaning properties that make it incredibly attractive to homeowners.
The exact ingredients and the ratio at which they are used differ depending on the brand, so the formula is not universal. However, it is this chemical formula of the render that we can thank, primarily, for the breathable nature of silicone render.
In addition to this, silicone render is a 'thin coat render'. It is applied over a basecoat and the coat is only a few millimetres thick. These thin coats in addition to the use of the rubbery polymer and additional ingredients in the render allow the material to boast superior properties that other renders simply do not have. Other alternatives like acrylic renders and cement renders require many layers and therefore are thicker inherently. This also means that applying silicone render is much faster, taking just a few hours whereas applying acrylic render or other alternatives takes much longer.
It is hard to determine which render material is the 'most breathable'. It is easy to say that it is not acrylic render, concrete render, or sand and cement render, but there are a number of render materials that do boast breathability, with silicone rendering being just one example.
Silicone renders are of course suitably breathable, as discussed above. As are mineral renders, lime render, and monocouche render. However, determining which render is the most breathable external wall insulation system is difficult. The breathability of each render material will depend on how well the rendering process was done, the substrate of the property, and whether a thick or thin coat was used - and therefore is hard to determine.
Generally speaking, though, if breathability is important to you, then a silicone render is a good idea. Silicone rendering is considered quite advanced and has plenty to offer. Update your existing render to silicone render if you're struggling with moisture or cracks and you'll see the difference in no time at all.
Discover: Can You Apply Silicone Render Over Existing Render
If you want a new render on your home, and you'd like a breathable render, or you want to replace your existing render with a new, thin coat render or breathable render, then contact the professional renderers at WeDoRender today for a rundown of rendering alternatives and render costs. The highly recommended plastering company will run you through the costs involved and take into account several factors to determine which render finish is best to provide you with lifetime value. That way you can arrange for them to apply silicone render or whichever best suits you as soon as possible!
Generally speaking, silicone render is a breathable material. As mentioned above, the breathability of silicone renders is not the same every time, but every batch of silicone render will have breathable qualities. But that doesn't mean that every home with silicone render is going to benefit from that breathability.
The common culprit for preventing silicone render's breathability is paint. Despite the material being naturally breathable, as soon as you apply paint to silicone render you run the risk of ruining this trait. There are lots of paints out there designed for exterior use that are not breathable, and as a result, they will form a kind of barrier. This barrier on the silicone render will stop water vapour from getting out of the substrate of the wall, leading to damp issues. In the long run, this could make your silicone render crack and could ruin the silicone finish.
The best way to tackle this is to only use silicone-based paint or mineral paint on silicone-based render. Your silicone render will thank you! By ensuring you use the right paint on your silicone render you can keep the breathability and help to protect your home from moisture damage.