Renders – Product Details and Advice

Cement Renders

When you need to get a unique look on the home, Total Building Supplies can give you the best cement renders for the job. If you want to alter the way your brick home looks or you want to create a lasting impact in your neighbourhood, the renders that we offer will help you achieve those goals and more. Speak to one of our helpful staff today about cement renders that fit your needs and your budget.

Choosing the Type of Cement Renders Supplies

If you want to achieve a particular look, you need to select the correct render for the job. If you’re aiming for a modern approach that you plan on painting afterwards, the render should be formulated to give that desired appeal. Smooth and clean looks to coarse and textured feels, the cement renders that we supply meet those needs.

Why Choose Cement Renders on the Home?

Total Building Supplies has worked with builders and home renovators for hundreds of projects, so we’ve gotten many requests for how and why to use cement renders.

  • The main reason people gravitate towards renders is to create a unique look to the home. Rendering homes are popular in every corner of the globe for their appeal and personal style.
  • The second reason is to create an added layer of fireproof and waterproofing to the home. Wooden panels and weatherboards can be susceptible to fires, but a rendering cement wall will protect the home from embers and sparks. This can prove especially useful with the new fire ratings many homes are required to abide. Cement renders allow the home to be protected, even in the most bushfire-prone areas.
  • Cement renders also help prolong the life of the home. Finer blends of renders can be formulated to handle the hot and dry conditions of the Australian summer along with the extreme shift to cooler, wetter winter. It can be harsh on the home for all the stress it puts on the exterior. A rendered exterior wall helps negate some of the weather factors and prolongs the life of the outside and inside of the home.

What Factors Make a Good Cement Render in Sydney?

So, when deciding what renders will suit the home best, what are the properties that a good render should meet? First, they should be easily applied. Application makes all the difference in the appeal and the final look. Get a cement render that won’t crack after it has dried and it will be more durable in the long run. If the desired look is a textured approach, a coarser render will help the homeowner here.

If you need help selecting from among our cement renders, contact our staff who can advise you on the best approach. Contact us today for a better home tomorrow.

SIMPLE GUIDE TO THE DIFFERENT RENDERING SYSTEMS

Choosing the right type of rendering for your house is extremely important. There is a wide range of options available, and selecting the correct system for what you want to achieve and for what substrate it will be applied to is fundamental. Most home owners normally do not have the full know-how on the technical information and specification that is relevant to providing what may seem as a simple objective of rendering a wall or facade. Even though there are a number of rendering systems, from the more familiar sand and cement option, to the premix acrylic renders all the way to the full acrylic texture coating systems, it is actually not that hard to learn and understand the main technical features and be able to make a sound decision on what system to use for your particular project.

Below is a simple to understand point form summary of the main options available. They summarise what they are, what they achieve and where and how they can be used.

Rendering Method Where to use (SUBSTRATE) Main features Critical Points
Traditional Sand and Cement Porous and rigid substrate- Rough bricks. Classic render finish that can be built up to 10mm and sponge finished to give smooth finish. Needs to be painted. Substrate must be porous (i.e. NOT smooth) and rigid. Issues include drumming and cracking, due to excessive water loss during hot days when applying.
Acrylic Render Mix – premixed sand and cement with acrylic additives for bonding.
DecoMix FINE and DecoMix Coarse, or MAC Render.
Porous and rigid substrate like rough bricks or existing cement render Provide similar finish to sand cement option, however has superior adhesive and flexibility qualities that helps reduce cracking and drumming. Applied up to 10mm and can be sponge finished. Needs to be painted. Proper mixing with the correct amount of water. Needs to be applied to porous substrate or over DRY PATCH skim coat that is used over smooth surfaces like painted walls, smooth bricks Blue Board etc.

Provides an excellent sponge finish.

Acrylic DecoMix DRY PATCH render mix Highly adhesive render that is used as a skim coat over non-porous (smooth) and non-rigid substrate. Like painted walls, glass, smooth bricks etc Used as a medium to >adhere to non-porous substrates (smooth surfaces). Applied very thinly and provides a base to allow the Acrylic Render mix to adhere to. NOT a finishing product. i.e. CANNOT be sponge finished. Only applied as a skim / tack coat. It allows for Render Mix (DecoMix Fine or COARSE) to adhere to later.
Acrylic DecoMix MIX EASY 100 Good adhesive properties. Can apply to Polystyrene Foam Panels and Blocks, Bricks, Blocks, Concrete, AAC Blocks and Panels and Tilt Up concrete. Very strong adhesive properties for semi porous/smooth substrate and can be applied up to 10mm thick and sponge finished. This is a specialised product that can both adhere to difficult surfaces, and providing reasonable finishing qualities. However the finishing of it can be tricky as it is very sticky. Normally a skim finishing coat can be used over it. I.e. DecoMix FINE render.
Full Acrylic Coatings and Paint Normally over DecoMix COARSE. Substrate must be defect free, as any imperfections will show. It is a fully acrylic coating that is tinted to any colour and is applied with a trowel up to 3mm thick and gives a number of different texture affects. You can think of it as a super thick paint. It is a highly adhesive and flexible coating that provides full colour tinting. Provides fantastic finish to walls that doesn’t need to be painted. Correct application is important to achieve quality finish. Must be mixed in large batches to give consistent colour and applied in continuous processes, especially when applying directly with the sun reflecting onto surface.

Can I do the rendering job myself?

One obvious question that a home owner will ask is how hard will it be to do the rendering job themselves? Like most general questions like this, the answer will come back as  – “it all depends”. It depends on the size and difficulty of the job and it also depends on your ability and what experience you have. But as a general guide, for any small size and simple render job, say under 10m2 for a sand cement or render mix application, the process is not that complicated and difficult. If there are not too many corners and angles and you are not working from a height, then with a bit of basic knowledge and some elbow grease, achieving a reasonable render finish is realistic for a novice renderer. However, when it comes to achieving the high quality and precise finish involved with the full acrylic texture coating system, we suggest treading carefully because the system can provide amazing degree of refinement, colour and texture. However any fault or flaw in both the substrate and in applying the coating will stand out.

We have a number of quality renders we would be happy to recommend for work in Sydney. Otherwise if your trying to do the job yourself and need a bit more advice or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us on 02 9707 2822.