Rendering in East Midlands

External render does two jobs at once: it gives the building a clean, uniform finish and it forms the weather layer that keeps driving rain out of the masonry underneath. When render fails, both jobs stop working — hollow patches let water sit against the wall, hairline cracks widen with every freeze, and staining spreads from wherever water is being shed in the wrong place.

We work on solid brick, block, stone and previously rendered walls, using sand and cement systems as well as modern through-coloured and silicone-based finishes. The right specification depends on what the wall is built from and how it needs to breathe, which is why we look at the substrate before recommending a system rather than after.

• Full re-render — removing failed render back to sound masonry and building the system back up in coats
• Patch repair and making good — cutting out blown or cracked sections and blending into the existing finish
• Through-coloured and silicone systems — finishes coloured throughout rather than painted on, so chips don't show a different colour underneath
• Monocouche — one-coat through-coloured render, typically scraped back to an even texture
• Bell casts, beads and stop ends — the detailing that decides where water leaves the wall instead of tracking behind it
• Preparation and reinforcement — mesh, primers and bonding coats where the substrate needs them

Where a wall needs to breathe — older solid-wall construction in particular — a cement-rich system can trap moisture and cause more harm than the original problem. We'll say so before quoting rather than fitting the wrong product.

• Hollow or drummy areas — render that has lost its bond and sounds hollow when tapped; it will eventually come away in sheets
• Cracking — fine crazing is usually cosmetic, while straight or stepped cracks often follow movement or a failed detail underneath
• Damp patches inside — frequently traced to render bridging a damp course or water running behind a cracked bell cast
• Staining and organic growth — green or black marks where water runs down the same path repeatedly
• Patchy paint failure — coatings peeling because moisture is trying to escape through the paint film

1. Talk it through. You describe the work, send photos where possible, and we ask the questions that actually affect the price — surface condition, access, how many rooms, and when you need it done.

2. Quote. You get a written, itemised quote covering materials, labour and how long the job should take. No obligation.

3. Protect and prepare. Floors and fittings are covered, loose or blown material is removed, and surfaces are prepared properly. Preparation is where most finishes are won or lost.

4. Carry out the work. We work in sequence so each coat is applied at the right stage, and we keep you informed if anything unexpected turns up behind the old surface.

5. Clear up and check. Waste is removed, the area is left clean, and we walk the finished work with you before we leave.

Can you render over existing render?

Sometimes. If the existing render is well bonded across the whole wall, a thin-coat system can go over it after preparation. If large areas sound hollow, overlaying just hides the problem — the new finish will fail wherever the old one lets go, so those sections come off first.

How long does a re-render take?

A typical house elevation is usually a matter of days rather than weeks, but render is weather-dependent. Coats need time between them, and applying in frost or heavy rain damages the finish, so we plan around the forecast rather than pushing on regardless.

Does render stop damp?

A sound render sheds water and keeps the wall behind it dry, which resolves damp caused by water getting into the masonry. It will not fix damp coming from a failed damp course, a leaking gutter or a bridged cavity — those need dealing with first, or the same patches come back.

Will the colour match the rest of the house?

With through-coloured systems we can work to the closest available colour, but a patch repair on a weathered wall rarely disappears entirely, because the old surface has aged. Where an exact match matters, rendering the whole elevation gives a consistent result.

Tell us what needs doing and we'll come back with a clear, itemised price. Send a few photos of the room or wall if you have them — it usually means we can quote accurately without a site visit, and you'll know exactly what's included before any work starts.