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Silicone Render, Acrylic Render, or Mosaic Render?

Last modified: 04.10.2022
comparison chart of EWI Pro renders including Nano Drex, Premium Bio Silicone, Silicone, Silicone Silicate, and Acrylic – showing performance across breathability, durability, flexibility, and more, for customers choosing façade finishes from a company specialising in external wall insulation and render systems

The autumnal weather has certainly arrived, and with wet weather come problems for the façade of your house. The simplest solution for weather-proofing is to apply a layer of render to your home. In this render guide, we will review our range of renders and their benefits, from silicone to acrylic and mosaic!

Unsurprisingly, a silicone render is a cement based render which contains silicone. The inclusion of silicone enhances several of the properties within the render. Silicone renders are 'thin coat' renders. The addition of silicone enhances the weather resistant properties. They can be applied directly to the basecoat (with embedded fibreglass mesh) which also provides an aesthetically pleasing finish. Furthermore, the thin coat nature also ensures that it dries quickly. At EWI Store, we stock four different kinds of Silicone Renders, all of which we'll dissect below as a part of this render guide:

  • EWI-075 Silicone Render - EWI-075 Silicone Render is one of our most popular Silicone Render products. This polymer modified, ready-to-use render is normally applied externally to produce a decorative finish on buildings. As a result, the Silicone Render is highly breathable, making it suitable for use with EWI systems, like Mineral Wool. The render is also flexible, meaning you can apply it as part of a render-only system. In comparison with thicker sand and cement based renders, our Silicone Render provides a robust, crack-resistant finish. Furthermore, the render is available in thousands of colours, as well as several grain sizes. This allows for a smooth finish (0.5mm grain) or rougher texture (3.0mm grain). Moreover, the BBA certificate is available here.
  • EWI-076 Premium Bio Silicone Render - Premium Bio Silicone Render retains many of the qualities of the EWI-075, but builds on them in several ways. What really sets this render apart is its ability to actively break down any sign of organic growth that occurs on the render surface. Premium Bio Silicone offers an enhanced level of impact resistance, especially when used with a fibreglass mesh-reinforced basecoat layer. It also offers increased resistance to UV rays, which means that the coloured render will not fade over time; even the brightest of colours will stay vibrant for years to come!
  • EWI-077 Nano Drex Silicone Render - The most advanced render in our range. It offers unmatched performance in terms of flexibility, breathability and self-cleaning properties. Formulated using Nano-silicone technology, this render is completely hydrophobic, presenting unbeatable water and dirt repellence. It also offers the best protection against unwanted biological growth. Rather than settling on the surface and creating damp and mould, any water that comes into contact with this render will form droplets. The surface then repels the droplets away. As a result, the Nano Drex Silicone Render is the ideal solution for areas experiencing high bacterial growth.
  • EWI-040 Silicone Silicate Render - Silicone Silicate Renders retains many of the same properties as the other silicone renders in our range. However, Silicone Silicate Render is also resistant to UV rays, which prevents discolouration and slightly improves thermal performance.

The EWI Store range of decorative renders offers attractive façade solutions at a cost-effective price point. The most advanced render in the decorative range is the Mosaic Render. Mosaic Render is a highly durable render, which makes it ideal for exposed surfaces prone to damage and soiling (for example the DPC area). Another key advantage of Mosaic Render is how easy it is to maintain; the finished render façade can be scrubbed and cleaned without discolouration or loss of mechanical durability.

Rounding off our render guide are our Acrylic and Mineral renders. Acrylic Render is the best value render in the EWI Pro system range. The render will form a long lasting, aesthetically-pleasing protective barrier on the external surface of any building. Acrylic render is flexible and highly resistant to mechanical impact. It is also particularly good at holding vibrant colours, and can be mixed to almost any shade. Mineral Render is very stable, and suitable for mid winter application; to seal, use Silicone Paint.

The best choice of render for your project depends on what you're trying to achieve. Silicone renders will give you the most weather resistant finish, not sacrificing the aesthetic finish. Acrylic and Mineral Renders are more cost effective options, sacrificing some benefits like waterproofing. When considering re-rendering, it's worth looking into installing external wall insulation to complete a full system and reduce your energy bills.