Silicone render

[Bert Coules]

Hello. I've been looking for estimates for rendering the gable end wall of my bungalow with a coloured silicone coating; the wall is a mixture of brick and block where repairs and alterations have been done, and the area is a shade under 40 sq m.

So far I've had three quotes, one of them almost exactly half of the other two. Naturally I was expecting a bit of a range but nothing so extreme: are there different varieties of treatment with markedly different costs involved? All three figures are from small local tradesmen, not large specialist companies. What is a reasonable going rate, does anyone know? I shall of course be taking things further but just wondered if the extremely cheap quote was something to be slightly suspicious about.

Many thanks.

[Mark Allread]

also ask for properties they have done before as you would no doubt wish to visit them to find out what the job looks like now and how the householder felt they had performed.

[tabbypurr]

With some walls doing that could cause damp problems. Particularly old non-cavity non-DPC ones.

NT

[Stuart Noble]

The house down the road from us had a metal mesh fixed, and then a couple of coats of render. Expensive stuff, whoever applies it. IIRC 3-4 times the price of ordinary mortar. Still looks good after a couple of years

[Brian Gaff]

Its all in the preparation how long it lasts.

I think the first thing is to check ofor anything that moves. If parts of it are already rendered remove the blown render then replace. Seal all joins etc and then apply a bonding coat of some kind, then spray the top coat on top. all this has to be done when its not damp or you get an effect like dandruff after a year or so.

There are all sorts of products around these days, but most are supposed to resist cracking as they tend to be silicone based, and again supposed to allow brickwork to breath without letting water in. My house was done some 10 years ago and is fine, but be careful around windows if the sills are wood as they tend to rot faster. Brian

[Bert Coules]

Thanks to everyone for the new replies. The wall in question is brick-and-block, and cavity insulation was fitted some years back. The only window is uPVC with a sill of the same material.

So far, two of the quotees have visited the site. Both mentioned a backing coat followed by a single top coat, with beading applied around the edges. One (actually the cheapest) mentioned the need for an expansion strip. No one talked about mesh.