It’s that time of year when we regularly get asked: “Do we scrape same day or next day?”
In all honesty, it’s a tough question, as all renders have slightly different setting times. Products such as K Rend, Parex render and other monocouche render systems can all behave differently depending on the weather, background, thickness and how early the material has gone on.
I understand the eagerness to move to same-day scrapes, but it’s not something that can be rushed. Trying to scrape back wet, sticky render with a render scarifier can pull the face of the material, throw off the colour and leave rough texturing issues that are difficult to put right.
As a general rule, if the air is dry and temperatures are predicted to stay in double figures from the minute you start until the end of the day, your render may be good to scratch the same day. That said, expect a late finish if temperatures are at the lower end of that scale. Get the pumps and trowel working early too.
Before scraping, always check the render has firmed up properly. A render scarifier should remove the surface evenly without dragging, smearing or clogging. If the material is still soft underneath, it’s usually better to leave it rather than risk damaging the finish.
The same applies whether you’re working with K Rend one coat render, Parex one coat render or another through-coloured monocouche system. Weather, suction and application timing will all affect when the surface is ready.
If you like more specific advice on the K Rend or Parex products we supply then please feel free to contact us.