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About Acrylic render
Here at EWI Store we have a range of different renders, all of which have different characteristics and achieve different finishes for the external walls of your home. However, when faced with so many options and render types, and with a lack of information out there to guide you – which coloured render do you choose? We want our customers to always be happy with our products and the results they produce, so allow us to shed some light on what each coloured render is so that you can hopefully choose the render that is right for you.
What is acrylic render? We often get asked this, because there seems to be a fair amount of confusion as to what the difference is between acrylic and silicone renders or acrylic and monocouche scratch render. So, we’re going to break it down into what acrylic render is, what its properties are and how it compares to the other renders that we offer.
Acrylic render is a wet, thin-coat render which comes pre-mixed (ready to use) in a wide variety of colours, used as a decorative finish to an EWI system. Our EWI-010 Acrylic Render comes in four different grain sizes: 1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm and 3.0mm. What this means is that when you look at the wall from a distance, the larger the grain size the more apparent the texture will be, it’s all down to personal preference but essentially if you want a smoother surface you’d go for a 1.0mm grain size.
Acrylic render is a popular choice because it’s long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing and forms a strong protective barrier over your EWI system or simply as part of a render-only system.
Acrylic render is a great coloured render
If you wish to paint your house a bright colour and you are looking for a coloured render that can be mixed into any shade, then through-coloured acrylic render is great because much like acrylic paint it bonds to colour pigment well, so the intensity of the colour will last a much longer time than other coloured renders. This means that you won’t need to re-paint it every 10 years or so, which can be consuming on your time and money, and considering that our acrylic render is one of our cheapest, it’s a pretty cost-efficient way to render your home.
Acrylic render is also a great choice in terms of being crack resistant, so it will ensure longevity in this respect. Our acrylic render is also the best value in comparison to other coloured renders, because it is long-lasting and only needs to be applied in one coat, so you will save money on labour costs.
Acrylic render and Silicone render
However, there are some minor downsides to the acrylic render when you compare it to the silicone render. Acrylic render takes slightly longer to dry, so cannot be installed in wet conditions – but this is common for renders anyway. It’s also a little bit less resistant to extreme weather conditions and due to the fact that it doesn’t contain silicone it doesn’t have the same hydrophobic properties as silicone render.
Silicone render also has self-cleaning properties, which means it is less prone to organic growth. So in terms of comparing it to acrylic render, you’ll probably need to clean acrylic more regularly than Silicone. Acrylic render does offer breathability, however it isn’t quite at the level that silicone render can provide.
Acrylic render and Monocouche Scratch render
Whilst silicone render could be considered the slightly higher performing sibling to acrylic, monocouche is very different. The monocouche render is a thick-coat, traditional-style render. Instead of coming readily prepared, it needs mixing with water in a mechanical mixer and then it is applied to the wall in two layers with a trowel. Once both the layers have set slightly, it is scratched back to create the desired texture. The method of application for monocouche renders is slightly more challenging and could be difficult if you are an inexperienced do-it-yourself-er.
The good thing about the monocouche render is that once you have gone through the application process, it is pretty much maintenance free and, as with all our renders, is very long lasting. In terms of comparing it to the acrylic render, due to the fact that acrylic is a thin-coat render whereas monocouche is a thick-coat render, this means that acrylic render will offer you a level of breathability and flexibility that monocouche naturally on its own will not (unless you use fibreglass mesh with the monocouche).
So, there you have it, acrylic render is a great thin-coat render and can offer you the good performance and longevity that you require! If you are interested in any of our renders and you are still feeling unsure about which direction to go in, then do give us a call as our sales team are all experts and would be happy to help.
