So, you’re looking to re-render your property, and whilst looking at our selection of renders you are unsure as to which render is the right choice for you. Well, this is understandable because all of our renders have different properties and therefore can offer you different things at different price points. Allow us to help you by shedding some light on the wonders of our Mineral render!
Mineral render is a popular render choice for EWI and render-only systems that are going to be installed in colder climates. It’s a dry-mix finish and is our fastest drying render – therefore it’s a better choice for you if you live somewhere blessed with cold and rain every other day (Scotland, Wales… we’re looking at you). As long as the temperatures are above freezing, you can still go ahead with installing your mineral render without problems – which reduces so many complications for both the installer and the homeowner.
Mineral render comes in a variety of different grain sizes – so it’s great if you want a more customisable render finish to suit your tastes. If you are familiar with our silicone render (you can read our blog post what is silicone render?) then it can basically give you the same result as this (except without the silicone, and it’s cheaper), because Mineral render is a thin-coat render, so it still allows for breathability, flexibility and resistance to cracks. The breathability of Mineral render is also great for if you are installing a Mineral Wool external wall insulation system, because Rockwool is highly breathable as well.
Mineral Render and Silicone Render Paint
However, a lot of people can be put off by the fact that the Mineral render needs painting after it has been applied to the substrate. This does rack up the price – although mineral render is less expensive in the first place, so it can balance out somewhat.
Mineral render needs painting with a render paint because when it has been left unsealed it is susceptible to lime bloom (otherwise known as efflorescence). This is because Mineral render contains Portland cement. Lime bloom occurs in white patches and discolouration where “lime” (calcium hydroxide) settles on the surface of the render due to a chemical reaction. This can cause the formation of crystals on your render which can damage the system.
To combat this, we recommend that once dry, you immediately seal your mineral render with our EWI-005 Silicone paint, because silicone offers hydrophobic properties which will further protect your render finish. This also means that the external finish of your property will be more low maintenance, because silicone resists organic growth – so you won’t have to keep washing the property.
Although having to paint the render after installation can be more time consuming, it can actually be a good thing because silicone paint can be layered. Therefore, if you wanted to brighten up the property or change the colour of your external finish further down the line, then you can easily just paint over it again.
How to apply Mineral Render
Because mineral render comes as a dry mix, it needs combining with water before application. You can do this using a mechanical mixture or manually with a paddle mix. The render is then applied to the substrate using a Notched trowel. Usually, you’d apply your render to the same thickness as the grain size – so if you went for a 3mm grain size you’d apply the render at a thickness of 3mm.
So, once you’ve applied the mineral render it should take roughly 12 hours to dry (depending upon the conditions). After that, you are free to use the Silicone paint to seal it! You can apply our silicone paint with a spray machine, a roller or simply by using a paint brush.
Why Choose EWI Renders?
Here at EWI Store, we prioritise providing our customers with the best quality products on the market. We are confident in the abilities of our renders to deliver fantastic results, so you can be sure that they will meet your expectations!
