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The trick to a long-lasting render finish is attentive aftercare. Here at EWI store, we always like to see how great our renders look once installed, however we understand that it doesn’t just stop there. Customers want to be able to maintain the fresh, brand new facade that they have spent their time and money on, and actually taking good care of your render finish will ensure its longevity and could prevent problems from occurring down the line.
So, we’ve put together a render maintenance and aftercare guide for all of our EWI Pro renders. This may also be useful for those who are looking into choosing a render and are deciding on which ones would suit their tastes best.
In any render aftercare, always check for cracks. Any cracks that are wider than the width of a credit card should be investigated further and repaired by a professional tradesman. Typically, cracks might appear around windows and doors. It is somewhat unlikely that you will experience cracking when using our renders, as our monocouche is reinforced with fibreglass mesh to increase its flexibility and strength, and our thin coat renders are all very flexible. Nevertheless, if this occurs then you should seek advice from a professional tradesman or give us a call for further advice.
Furthermore, to ensure the long lifespan of any type of render we advise that as part of your render aftercare you keep any plant life below the level of the render. Plants, trees and climbing plants may look nice, but these can cause staining to light-coloured renders and could increase the amount of render maintenance required.
Monocouche Scratch Render Aftercare and Maintenance
It’s important to take good care of your render finish if you want it to last its full lifetime. We recommend that for our monocouche scratch render, your render aftercare should involve giving it a gentle pressure wash or hand wash every 6-12 months (or just when it’s looking a bit grubby). This should alleviate the need to use harsh cleaning chemicals further down the line (which could break down the render). This will also eliminate any build-up of dirt, giving you a sparkling and pleasing finish!
When cleaning your monocouche scratch render, it is imperative that your render has been allowed to set for at least 28 days. You shouldn’t even really need to clean your render at this stage, and therefore we advise that you refrain from any serious render maintenance during this time period. This is because the monocouche render takes around 28 days (or more) to reach optimum strength. So, if you are a bit over eager and you give it a big old power wash before it’s fully cured, then you could do some real damage and end up spending more money trying to get it fixed.
Once you’ve passed this 28+ day period, if you’re keen to give your render a wash down then we suggest that you first hose down the render to remove any surface dirt. When hosing down your render, we recommend you use a fan tip rather than a direct needlepoint spray as this would be too harsh and could weaken the render. After this, using a brush, apply hot soapy water to any areas that are particularly affected by dirt. Make sure that you rinse off the detergent as you go.
If your monocouche render is showing signs of mould growth, then the best thing to do is to apply the EWI-360 Fungicidal Wash. The active ingredient in our Fungicidal Wash is Benzalkanium Chloride, a proven biocide.This is really effective aftercare treatment as it removes mould and organic growth. You can apply this with a sponge, cloth or knapsack spray, then leave it to dry for 24 hours.
Silicone/Silicone Silicate Render Aftercare and Maintenance
Because Silicone render is hydrophobic, it should resist organic growth really effectively, which means that it requires very little maintenance over the course of its lifetime. For Silicone render, it’s best to just clean it as and when needed, as it’s unlikely that the render will show much dirt. However, lighter colours are more likely to be susceptible to showing dirt, and if this is the case then the best method for cleaning the render is to use soapy water and a sponge, or a low-pressure jet wash. Do not use any acid cleaners as this could damage the render.
If the level of render maintenance required is of a higher level, it is possible to paint over the render surface with a silicone paint. If you’ve used an EWI Pro silicone render then you can easily match the silicone paint to the render. You’ll need to give the render surface a gentle jet wash, leave to dry and then paint over. Applying silicone paint should reinforce the hydrophobic properties of the render and extend its lifetime. We do recommend that to achieve the best results, you should hire a professional tradesman who is familiar with the materials to carry this out.
Again, in the event that mould growth appears, this should be treated with EWI-360 Fungicidal Wash.
Acrylic Render Aftercare and Maintenance
Acrylic render does not possess the same hydrophobic properties as silicone based renders do. Therefore, you may find that grime and pollution affect the appearance of the render over time. As well as this, if you live in an especially wet climate then damp and mould could appear on the exterior walls of your property. In general, the larger the grain size that you go for the more likely it is that the render will retain dirt.
In these instances, you can use a stiff bristled brush and warm water with a household detergent – or if the exterior is particularly grimy a low-pressure jet wash should do the trick. As with monocouche, you should look into giving your render a gentle wash every year or so. If you are experiencing heavy staining on your render then we recommend that really the only option for you is to paint over the facade with the EWI-005 Silicone Paint.
Mineral Render Aftercare and Maintenance
Aftercare and maintenance for mineral render is slightly different. As we know, mineral render requires painting with silicone paint after it has been applied in order to prevent lime bloom.This occurs when the render is subjected to damp conditions or low temperatures while it is still curing. The purpose of applying silicone paint over the top of the mineral render is to seal the render against the elements- silicone paint is hydrophobic, and therefore prevents lime bloom by allowing water to run off the surface of the render and reinforce this protective layer.
If your render is not painted over (when it should have been) then your mineral render finish will be highly susceptible to Lime Bloom which is a pain to get rid of, although there are various render cleaners on the market aimed at getting rid of it. Any signs of lightening or patchiness in a fully cured render is generally an indicator that it has been affected by Lime Bloom.
However, because of the protection that silicone paint provides, Lime Bloom shouldn’t be an issue and your render aftercare and maintenance will generally be the same as silicone render – remove any dirt with a light jet wash and/or soapy water and a sponge. As well as this, if you feel that your render finish needs a bit of a refresh later down the line then you can apply a new layer of silicone paint to achieve a brand new finish and reinforce this protective layer.
Pebbledash Aftercare and Maintenance
Pebbledash is meant to be a really hard-wearing render finish, but this doesn’t exempt it from problems such as mould and organic growth. We recommend that the best course of action is to first try and remove the worst of it with a brush and water, but be really careful not to scrub too hard in case the stones fall off. You should then spray the rest with the EWI-360 Fungicidal Wash and leave it on for 24 hours to work its magic. After 24 hours, and in the unlikely event that there is any overgrowth left over after this, then you can again attempt to take off the remaining with a brush and soapy water.
With pebbledash, you may find that over time the stones start to drop off the wall. This is due to weathering, and can really affect the aesthetics of your render finish. Falling stones also leave the render even more exposed to the weather. Unfortunately, you cannot patch repair pebbledash, and painting over it will not look fab.
If you are really keen on the pebbledash look, then you can get it re-rendered using the EWI-235 Dash Receiver which is more durable than ordinary cement-mix used for pebbledash – so would last a lot longer. Otherwise, you can read about your other options in our previous blog post: ‘how do I replace my pebbledash with coloured render?’.
Hopefully this guide was useful, but if you do have any further questions then don’t hesitate to ask by leaving a comment or giving us a call. Please do remember that this is only meant as a guide upon which customers can act as they see fit!
Want to know more about our range of renders? Check out the following blog posts:
My husband and I want to get a cement rendering done once our house is finished, and knowing how to properly maintain the finish is important. It’s great to know what kinds require what care needs, and I’m definitely interested in the Silicone render for its hydrophobic properties you mentioned. If we did get that kind, we’ll be sure to avoid any acid cleaners, as you suggest, and only use water.