Rendering walls

[Thomarse]

Hello,

I am hoping to renovate the garden at the back of my terrace house. Ideally I want to have all the external walls that surround the patio white, so I am hoping to get them rendered.

Is rendering easy or something somebody who hasnt done it before can pick up quite quickly? Also, wha would you suggest the rough cost of DIY renderring would be?

An alterative Idea i have is to pebbledash the walls and then paint over white as I have seen pebble dashing done before and it seems fairly staright forward. Are there different grades of pebble dash, i.e could I get a very fine pebble dash?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Tom

[Andrew Gabriel]

I suggest you book yourself on a rendering and plastering course at a local building trades college. I did one some years ago, and it's good fun. Look for a 2-3 day course and check it covers what you want. The one I went on could be taylored to individuals' requirements. Materials and tools are not expensive, except you'll need a cement mixer.

Don't use peppledash or roughcast within 5 or 6 feet of the ground. It can cause nasty injury if someone brushes against it. Painting them is tedious -- if you are looking for a painted surface, I would go with a smooth finish.

[meow2222]

If all you want is a white wall, just painting is is going to be far less work than rendering.

To render, you need a 1:1:6 mix, though other mixes are options - use the softer lime mortar if its a historic or stone wall.

Mix it up, wipe it on and trowel it flat with a steel trowel, without worrying any about small lines or imperfections. Dont spend more than aminute on each patch. Now dip a big paintbrush in water and wipe it down the render. This will wipe away all the hard edges, melting the surface to give a rendered finish. Takes all of 5 mins to get the hang of it. Keep doing it all, patch by patch.

However, for a white wall theres no need to render.

NT

[Thomarse]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, I will probably give it a go. I have considered just painting as this would save me alot of effort. However the walls are built with bricks which have a rouch finish, and so I dont think this will look too good. I have no idea why this extension was built this way, it does tale alot away from the charachetr of the rest of the old smooth bricks which the house is built from

Tom

[meow2222]

That doesnt stop you painting. You'll need a long haired roller, and the work will be slower, but sitll miles quicker than rendering.

There is another option, a single coat that does both smoothing and painting in one go. Its just lime putty, just smear it on with a trowel, pressing firmly so it just fills in the rough hollows, leaving a smooth white surface. I've done that before and was surprised by how well it works. You dont get perfect smoothness in one go like that, but its very much smnoother than before, and when its relimed again in n years it'll become very much smoother again.

Make lime putty, dont buy it!

NT

[Thomarse]

Thanks for the info. Its not so much that I couldnt paint it, its just that I'm not sure how good the rough bricks would look painted, it may look a bit of a mess!

Ideally I'd like the simplest option so I can do it myself as I hate paying for jobs that I can do myself. However if rendering or any other option would be much better done by a professional then I'd just like to find the cheapest option.

Tom

[meow2222]

thats why I suggested the lime mix.

NT

[Thomarse]

How simlpe is the lime putty method? I have images of very uneven results, bearing in mind it has to cover the rough brick and the pointing between them.

Forgive my ignorance, I have tried plastering before and struggled to get the finish I required. i guess giving the lime a go would be a start.

What would you suggest the lime should cost me, I havent got massive amounts to cover. You mentioned previously also that I should mix the putty myself rather than buy it ready mixed, is this a cheaper option?

Thanks again Tom