Tuesday 31 October 2017

Render Your Exteriors, Not Just Plain Finishes

Plain finishes for interior and exterior walls are receding into the background. Rendering exteriors is the way to go these days in Australia.

There are several options in exterior wall cladding. The primary consideration is how old the property is and the condition as well as material of existing substrate. One can then choose the appropriate material for external wall cladding in the color and finish required. A minor but no less consideration is that the colors must harmonize with those of houses in the neighborhood.

Rendering exteriors does make them appear far more attractive than a simple paint finish. One way is to use lime and cement with the appropriate tint and material texture along with additives to make the exterior render waterproor and also dust resistant as well as easy to clean. 
 
 
 Getting it done by experts is important because the stucco or render can be just plain admixture of lime or cement or it can be a sophisticated one with binders, fillers, reinforcing fibers and additives like acrylic, silicone and polymers for greater strength, durability, weather resistance and moisture ingress protection. Lime, clay and cement are the popular base materials, each with specific advantages as well as drawbacks. A house owner and the contractor can decide after examining the present state of the exteriors of the house.  The looks can be further enhanced by the addition of pebbles or gravel or colored stones and similar inclusions. The surface can then be prepared to be flat or it can be flicked onto the walls or applied using a machine for speedy execution of work.

While traditional materials are good enough, modern polymer based renders like spraystone with acrylic bound cement are the preferred material due to inherent better qualities and looks. These renders can be applied to achieve sandstone or granite effects.

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