How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls?

How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls
There are six key steps to create a beautifully rendered brick wall:

  • Prepare the bricks
  • Mix the render
  • Apply the render
  • Tidy up the render
  • Cure the render
  • Paint

Can you render directly onto brick?

So – Can You Render Over Brick? – Can you render over brick ? The simple answer is yes, you can. But several factors come into play when it comes to rendering the outside of your home. These will be highlighted upon inspection either by you, or by a team of professionals, such as us here at Home Logic,

  1. We advise that you leave the actual process of rendering your walls to experts, due to the possible complexity of the job.
  2. Rendering over brick can be beneficial to your home both inside and out.
  3. You’ll be improving the appearance of the outside, whilst at the same time saving money on your bills from the inside.

This is due to the thermal improvements made by rendering your walls, inevitably creating a sealant that doesn’t allow any weather elements or pesky little rodents to attack your interior walls. However, the magnitude of the job can differ from our perspective.

Do you need planning permission to render over brick?

Do I need planning permission to weatherboard/render my house? You do not need to apply for planning permission for repairs, maintenance or minor improvements to your house such as painting. Rendering or weatherboarding your house does not require planning permission as long as the materials used are of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the house.

  • If your property is currently finished in timber weatherboard and you wish to replace the existing weatherboarding with one of a similar appearance such as a cement fibre board then planning permission would not be required.
  • However, if your property is finished in brick and you wish to render the property or weatherboard then planning permission would be required as the materials proposed are not similar in appearance to those already used in the construction of the house.

If your property is listed or you live in a Conservation Area, then planning permission and/or listed building consent would be required. Further guidance can be found on, : Do I need planning permission to weatherboard/render my house?

Can you render with just sand and cement?

Components of rendering mix – Most renders are typically made up of sand, water, cement, and lime. A standard ratio used in creating this mix is 6 parts sand, 1 part cement, and 1 part lime (6:1:1). There is no particular type of cement that should be used; any kind will do.

However, the sand used ought to have a fine texture and be free from impurities. The best type of sand to use is rendering or plastering sand. Coarse sand is usually used for the base layer, and sand that has a slightly fine texture as the top layer. Therefore, you can make use of building sand for the top or base layer.

Lime is used to increase the elasticity of the mix, and prevent it from cracking once it dries. The most appropriate kind of lime to be used for rendering is hydrated lime. Other things could also be added to the rendering mix, such as colour-altering pigments, or additives that aid bonding and drying.

Should I PVA brickwork before rendering?

Do I need to PVA bare brick to apply Lime Render in and around fireplace opening. Hi guys. As the title suggests. Do I need to PVA bare brick before applying NHL 3.5 render in and around a fireplace builders opening. Or just saturate with water before rendering with the lime.

  1. The builders opening will have an active multifuel stove fitted in due course.
  2. Thank you. Regards.
  3. Best Answer With regards to lime plastering you never pva.
  4. Good soaking of water will do 2019-06-14T09:32:38+01:00 Answered 14th Jun 2019 Liked by the question poster I’ve never pva bonded brickwork before rendering because pva will reduce suction so the render is more likely to sink & belly.

Just brush down the wall to to remove loose mortar & dust then hose down the wall if it’s external work then apply your scratch coat.2019-06-15T11:49:05+01:00 Answered 15th Jun 2019 Liked by the question poster It all depends on how live it is, I would say give it a pva and a sbr slurry mix just so you know it has the stick,And make sure you add hydrated lime to your render mix when doing the fire place 2019-06-13T18:45:02+01:00 Answered 13th Jun 2019 no pva,the wall should breathe, so damp down with water or sbr diluted if its really porus.

  1. Nhl lime is hydraulic lime not hydrated lime,
  2. Cheers 2019-06-15T11:50:15+01:00 Answered 15th Jun 2019 Liked by the question poster just clean the dust of & damp the wall down adding anything else will be a waste of time and money when using 3.5.N.H.L.
  3. Lime render, anything else will stop the wall breathing and create dampness having the opposite effect of what you want to achieve good luck Alex 2019-06-15T11:50:37+01:00 Answered 15th Jun 2019 Liked by the question poster Never use pva,brush dust off wall then dampen down to reduce suction.

Apply scratch coat,wait 48hrs brush down again and re-dampen then apply 2nd coat.2019-06-15T11:50:58+01:00 Answered 15th Jun 2019 Liked by the question poster I would personally wash wall down leave to dry and then Pva and render 2019-06-13T11:55:02+01:00 Answered 13th Jun 2019 : Do I need to PVA bare brick to apply Lime Render in and around fireplace opening.

Can I render a wall myself?

Download Article Download Article If you want to change the look and texture of a wall but don’t want to paint it, you can render it instead. Wall rendering is the process of adhering a mixture of wet cement and sand to a wall with a trowel. Rendering gives the wall a solid cement look and can be used to cover up the existing wall material.

  1. 1 Chip away any old render and paint. Use a cold chisel that is just sharp enough to scrape, chip away any bumps, dripping render, paint, or mortar that’s stuck to the wall. Sometimes the old render may flake off and you’ll want to scrape it all away before applying the new render. Continue to chip away at the wall until the stone or brickwork is free of bumps.
  2. 2 Scrub down the wall with a stiff bristled broom. Work the broom over the surface of the wall, making sure to displace any dirt or debris that may be on it. Work away any organic material, like moss or mold, that may be growing on the wall. Continue to work the broom back and forth against the wall until it’s clean. You can also add some soap to help break up the material. Advertisement
  3. 3 Spray the wall down with a hose. Use a garden hose and spray down the surface of your wall. This will prevent the water in your rendering mortar from drying out. This is especially important when rendering highly porous materials like sandstone.
  4. 4 Lay down drop cloths around the wall. Drop cloths will prevent dripping render from falling and hardening onto the ground near the wall. Tape the drop cloths to the ground with tape so that it doesn’t move around as you work. Laying down drop cloths will prevent you from having to chip away dripping render later.
    • If you don’t have drop cloths you can use tarps, cardboard, or garbage bags.
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  1. 1 Purchase the render mortar. You can purchase render mortar online or at a hardware store. Select a render mortar with a color that you want to apply to the wall. The instructions on the back of the packaging will tell you exactly how much water you should mix with the water.
    • Render colors include gray, off-white, green, blue, and yellow. You can also customize your render by mixing the colors.
  2. 2 Pour water into a bucket or wheelbarrow. Pour the appropriate amount of water into a bucket or wheelbarrow. For 20kg (44 lbs) of render mortar, you’ll typically need somewhere around 8 liters (2 gallons) of water.
  3. 3 Pour the mortar into the bucket and mix it together. Put the bucket or wheelbarrow on a flat surface before carefully pouring the render mortar into the water. Use a hoe or shovel to mix the render mortar and water together at first, and then switch to a paddle mixer attached to a power drill.
    • Rent a mixing drill or mechanical concrete mixer from a hardware store to quickly and more efficiently mix the render mortar.
    • Remember to wash off your tools after mixing the mortar so that the render doesn’t harden on them.
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  1. 1 Smear the render onto the wall with a trowel. Put the render mortar onto a trowel and press it firmly into the wall. Spread the render up, towards the top of the wall, and try to spread it in one solid motion. Continue to apply the first coat of render to the wall while keeping the coats of render as even as possible.
    • The first coat of render should around 5mm thick.
    • Keep the bucket of render as close to the wall as you can so that if the render drips, it will go on the drop cloths.
  2. 2 Use a straight edge to level out the render. Use a straight edge from a plank of wood and scrape it over the surface of the render to even it out. Go from the bottom to the top of the wall until the render lies level with the wall’s surface.
    • Use an aluminum bar or a 2×4 foot (60.96×121.92 cm) plank of wood as your flat edge.
  3. 3 Scratch the surface of the render with a scratching comb. A scratching comb is a comb-like tool with spikes on the end of a handle. You can purchase a scratching comb from a hardware store or online. Go from the left to the right on your wall and create even depressions into the wall. Continue to do this until the entire wall is scratched with the comb.
    • The scratching comb will create depressions in the wall that will help the second coat of render adhere.
  4. 4 Let the first layer of render dry for two hours. The first layer or render should start to harden and adhere to the wall within 30 minutes. Check the dryness after this time, but expect it to take about two hours to dry completely. This layer must adhere to the wall before you can begin to lay the second coat.
  5. 5 Apply the second coat of render to the wall. The second layer of render should be 10mm thick. Lay down the second layer of render in the same way that you applied the first layer, by spreading it from bottom to top with a trowel.
  6. 6 Let the render dry for 30 minutes and even it out again. Let the render stiffen up and use a flat edge or a float to level out the second layer of render. This step is called floating and will help you flatten any raised areas and fill in any depressions that may have been left in the second layer of render.
  7. 7 Sponge down the render for a smooth finish. If you want to give your render a smooth finish, wipe down the surface of the render with a damp sponge. Clean and squeeze out the sponge as it gets dirty to avoid leaving scratches in your wall. Go over the entirety of the wall until the render has an even finish.
    • Use a soft bristled brush instead of a sponge to give the render a brushed finish.
    • You can do this while the render is still wet.
  8. 8 Let the wall dry for 24 hours and then moisten it with water. Let the wall dry for a 24 hour period, then mist it down with room temperature water from a spray bottle once a day. Adding moisture to the render will prevent it from drying out and cracking. After five days, your rendered wall should be completely cured and complete.
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Add New Question

Question Can I render a wall that’s been painted without removing it? Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987. Construction Professional Expert Answer

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  • Pick
  • Stiff bristled broom
  • Hose
  • Water
  • Drop cloths
  • Render mortar
  • Trowel
  • Bucket
  • Shovel or hoe
  • Mixing drill or concrete mixer (optional)
  • Scratching comb
  • Sponge

Article Summary X Before rendering a wall, chip away the old render using a cold chisel, and spray the wall with a garden hose to prevent the rendering mortar from drying out as you apply it. Next, mix the mortar and water in a bucket or wheelbarrow and smear it onto the wall using a trowel.

Then, scratch the wall with a scratching comb to create depressions that will help the second coat of render adhere. After 2 hours, apply the second coat and let it dry for 24 hours. Finally, spray the wall with room temperature water to prevent the render from drying out and cracking. For more advice from our General Contracting reviewer, including how to tell when the render is completely mixed, keep reading.

Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 401,634 times.

Can you put new render over old?

Step-by-step guide – Additional coats of render can only be applied safely when the existing work is sound and has satisfactory adhesion over the whole area involved. Further rendering coats should not be applied over soft, friable material, or where the existing render is greater than 15mm thickness.

  1. How thick should render be on external wall?

    Traditional renders should be applied in 2 coats. The first coat should not exceed 15mm thickness and the second coat should be 5-7mm.

    Can I render over painted brickwork?

    Rendering Over Already Painted Walls: How To Do It – Rendering is already an expensive home improvement job, however, if your exterior brickwork has already been painted, the costs of rendering will increase once again. This is because the surface that the render is being applied to may be too smooth and shiny for the mix to adhere to correctly.

    • Without the right type of preparation, the render may simply slide off over time.
    • It is recommended that painted homes are prepped for installation using a process called “meshing” before the render itself is applied.
    • This involves drilling into the brick, and fixing thin mesh sheets over the entire wall.

    This provides a rough surface for the render to adhere to. This will also mean that more layers of render may be required to cover the mesh adequately, and to achieve the desired results. Clearly this process will add significantly to the cost of the job, and may result in a poor quality finish.

    • Another method involves using a first coat of adhesive, and embedding a fibreglass mesh directly into the coat.
    • Once dry, fixings are used to ensure it stays put; this creates a surface that is rough enough to accept the render, although the adhesive must be chosen for the purpose of sticking to smooth painted walls.

    Some professionals do suggest that preparing the walls to obtain enough grip may be suitable. This involves removing as much of the paint as possible with a pressure washer, and then using a hand grinder to “key” the walls over as much of the surface as possible. How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls By deciding to simply paint over the existing walls with a hydrophobic and long lasting house paint, you are getting the best of both worlds – a home that looks great, and a finish that you can trust to do its job, and go the distance in terms of long-term property protection

    Do I need mesh for rendering?

    Innovative glass fibre reinforcement mesh is now an integral part of modern render systems, with the days of chicken wire or stainless-steel mesh long gone. Mesh should always be used when rendering to reinforce and strengthen against cracking. The incredible strength and flexibility of modern glass fibre works together with the latest flexible, breathable renders giving long term protection against cracking caused by movement.

    What to put on a wall before rendering?

    Rendering walls refer to placing a layer of cement or another material such as silicone and monocouche, over brick, stone, or concrete.

    What are basic rendering techniques?

    RENDERING TECHNIQUES – LEARNING GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

    Rendering is the process of creating the effects of light, shade and light source to achieve contrast in drawings. rendering improves the quality of line drawings. while line drawing indicate more of the shape than the form of an object drawn, rendering improves the quality of the drawing so as to give it a photo- realistic quality. The basic types of rendering techniques are hatching, crosshatching, scribbling and stippling. Among the principles to consider when rendering are the location of the light source, highlights, core shadows, halftones, reflected light and cast shadow. HATCHING

      Series of closely spaced parallel lines of regular or irregular marks in an area to create tones its main idea is that the quantity, thickness and spacing of the lines will affect the tonal values of the overall image, and emphasize forms and not just shape.

    How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls CROSS HATCHING

      Where layers of parallel linear lines are drawn overlapping or in changing directions. They may drawn vertically and horizontally or diagonally at an angle.

    How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls SCRIBBLING

      Circular scribbling is the most common type of scribbling.Scribbling is a quick way of filling in drawing.This technique is ost commonly seen in sketches due to its speed and lack of detail.

    How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls STIPPLING

      It is the technique of using dots to shade an area. The closer the dots are and the more populated an area of the image is, the darker it looks.This technique takes the most time and looks best from far away.

    How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls Zarina Yaakob

    RENDERING TECHNIQUES – LEARNING GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

    Does rendering a house add value?

    In the same way as rendering protects against damp, the barrier it provides improves the insulation of your home and therefore its energy efficiency. So, does rendering a house add value? Absolutely it can, both financially for the homeowner and for potential buyers.

    Does rendering insulate a house?

    3. Thermal retention – With render typically lasting between 20 to 40 years, many houses will have render that was originally applied in the 2000s, 1990s or even the 1980s. Building materials have advanced significantly since then, meaning that render can now offer much more in the way of thermal efficiency.

    Do I need Waterproofer In render?

    Like all exterior surfaces, ensuring render is waterproof is crucial for keeping it looking attractive and for keeping your home dry. We are often asked about whether render is waterproof & if not, how do you go about waterproofing render? That is why we have put together this handy guide that contains everything you need to know in one place before you decide what is best for you.

    Is it easy to DIY render?

    Can you do it yourself? – Technically, you can render your exterior walls on your own. DIY rendering can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive in the long run, especially if you don’t have the training or equipment necessary to do a good job. While you may spend more off the bat, hiring a professional contractor saves you from costly mistakes.

    Does render need a scratch coat?

    If your looking to carry out any external rendering always aim for a dry day, most plasterers will tell you the best conditions for rendering is a over cast day. The heat from the sun can cause the render to dry out too quickly and if it rains hard it can be a wash out so choose your days wisely.

    1. Rendering is much like plastering where as you need to apply two coats if your using sand and cement.
    2. The first coat is a scratch coat where thats laid on and then scratched to create key for the next coat.
    3. Once thats dried usually about 24-48hours you can apply the top coat, after laying on its important to use a derby or a straight edge to rule the wall flat.

    When the wall starts to pull in you can use a float to smooth the wall followed by a sponge, a little water can help especially if you’ve added lime to the mix. After creating a smooth finish it can be painted or can have other finishes applied on to such as Tyrolean or rough cast.

    1. Some renders don’t need to have two coats applied, modern monocouche renders are done in two passes and come in a bag pre coloured so all you need to do is add clean water and mix.
    2. After the two passes have been applied and ruled flat you need to wait before its time to use the scratcher, when scratching back you need to aim to remove the top 2mm to create the final finish.

    Remember after you’ve scratched back brush the wall with a soft clean brush to remove any dust. Plastering and rendering is all about patience and learning what the products can do, take your time and remember all good plasterers have perfected there skills over many years as the saying goes “practice makes perfect”.

    Do you need to point bricks before rendering?

    No you do not need to point prior to rendering any holes or cracks will help to key the render to the structure.

    Can you render straight onto concrete blocks?

    Rendering onto our Concrete Blocks We recommend the use of traditional renders wherever possible due to their proven history and success. For proprietary two coat renders the manufacturer’s literature should be consulted for base coat and final coat recommended thicknesses, but these are generally similar to those for traditional renders.

    • Proprietary single coat renders may also be used on aggregate block backgrounds.
    • These have often worked well but on several occasions single coat proprietary renders have failed and caused horizontal and vertical cracking through the blocks.
    • The cause of the failures is most likely due to the strength of the render being too high for the background and can result in cracking through the block.

    We therefore urge particular caution if rendering onto 3.6N strength blocks.

    It is important that the correct strength render is chosen for a given background and the render supplier would need to verify this prior to commencement of rendering.We therefore recommend that the render manufacturer is contacted to establish:a. Whether there is any history of problems with their product on masonry, andb. Their exact preparation and application guidance recommendations, and

    c. That the product strength is no greater than the background blocks which are to be rendered and that they can supply a lower-strength product if necessary. : Rendering onto our Concrete Blocks

    Should I SBR brickwork before rendering?

    Advice – rendering brick wall JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Tuesday 28th May 2013 Hi PH’ers, Disclaimer before you read any further – I am a rubbish man. I’ve spent most my adult life mucking about, studying and working in IT, so my practical skills are. lacking. So, the wall at the front of our house started blowing. I thought it would just be a case of removing the render and redoing it, but after chipping away it became clear that the bricks were rotten, and just crumbled to the touch: How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls So first I removed all the rotten bricks, to leave only the solid sections: How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls Then bought some standard bricks, ready mixed cement and re-laid the skin that was rotten. This bit was pretty easy, and after curing overnight the bricks were level and solid. My Dad then did the first render: How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls So here lies the problem – I was left to finish it off yesterday, and cocked it up completely. Rendering is bloody difficult! I just couldn’t get the cement to stick, or get it smooth. Very frustrating. I’m using ready mixed cement, keeping the mix as dry as possible, have given the wall a watered down PVA coat and have a nice selection of my Grandad’s plastering tools. Wrong mix for rendering – needs to be quite sloppy preferably with a drop of plasticiser in it. Tuesday 28th May 2013 PS. I would have “scratched” the first coat more as well. Tuesday 28th May 2013 Why have the bricks crumbled in the first place? That’s the first thing I’d be working out. My guess would be because of the render trapping water in the brick? Tuesday 28th May 2013 Hack off the first coat of render and start again. SBR the brickwork first, not pva. You need either a corner bead,or a piece of timber wedged up to corner where the finish of the first coat will be. Plastering sand, cement and waterproofer with SBR added.

    Apply first coat and use a long straight edge. Small (1ft) batten with several nails to use for scratching. Apply second coat the following day, timber edge moved to finished position. Straighten with long straight edge and wait to float. Finish with a firm sponge. I’d suggest get a pro but highly unlikely anyone would be interested.

    See if any YouTube vids to help you. For an IT geek that’s a very good start though! Tuesday 28th May 2013 Simpo Two said: For an IT geek that’s a very good start though! His Dad did that bit Tuesday 28th May 2013 OP, from what you’ve said in your post the main error that sticks out is that you said you’d kept the mix as dry as possible. A render mix should be almost like a stiff whipped cream consistency when you’ve mixed it. Builders sand + cement + plasticiser will give you this.

    1. This will stick to what you have there so long as you’re not trying to lump on inches and inches of depth with the top coat.
    2. The advice above about using a straight edge down the corner is good if you want a nice neat sharp corner and finishing off with a damp/wet sponge after the coat has set (but before it dries completely) is a good idea too.

    The hardest part of that job is the mixing of the mortar by hand with a spade! JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Tuesday 28th May 2013 dickymint said: His Dad did that bit JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Tuesday 28th May 2013 Thanks for the advice all – I’ll have another crack this weekend weather pending. I’ll get some SBR bond, make the mix wetter like a cementy merangue, use the timber for the edging and finish with a stiff sponge. Pics of my glorious recovery to follow! JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Tuesday 28th May 2013 paulrockliffe said: Why have the bricks crumbled in the first place? That’s the first thing I’d be working out. My guess would be because of the render trapping water in the brick? Before we moved in, the Inspection Chamber / stop cock thingy sprung a leak, and was badly repaired twice. 51mes 1,436 posts 184 months Tuesday 28th May 2013 B&Q do a readymade render as a kit with everything already mixed – just add water. Probably more expensive than making it up yourself – but worked first time for me, one hint was to not lay it on too thickly at first do it in 2 coats. I also covered the render with some poly sheeting to protect it from the elements and allow it to dry naturally. Simes. Tuesday 28th May 2013 only used a washed render sand. Scratch coat 3×1 mix with water proofer added leave a few days till you apply finish coat using a weaker 4×1 mix Tuesday 28th May 2013 You could also use some lime as it does the same as plasticiser, wear gloves though Tuesday 28th May 2013 top bodging much respect JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Sunday 2nd June 2013 Look what I have created. I have made smooth wall. I HAVE MADE SMOOTH WALL! How To Do Rendering On Brick Walls Thanks for the help Pistonheads, you save me manpoints yet again Sunday 2nd June 2013 Looks like you’ve been bustin-ass JF! Good to see you got a result, now get yourself a beer! Be good to get more updates from people. Sunday 2nd June 2013 Im impressed. Well done OP Monday 3rd June 2013 I wanna see a closeup of the corner JFReturns Original Poster 3,597 posts 155 months Monday 3rd June 2013 Spudler said: Looks like you’ve been bustin-ass JF! Good to see you got a result, now get yourself a beer! Be good to get more updates from people. cossy400 said: Im impressed. Well done OP Thank you chaps! Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What’s New | My Stuff Posting Rules

    Should you render brick?

    Does rendering add value to a home? – Rendering is considered one of the most cost-effective ways to add value to the exterior of a home. However, this varies from case to case. A professional quality finish can boost kerb appeal, but a lower quality DIY render may not make a return on the original rendering cost.