I regularly hear people proclaim that their monocouche or through coloured scraped renders are "non-maintenance," and they are often a little flabbergasted when they are told that their render needs cleaning. This is a common misconception and usually comes down to a misunderstanding of what "non-maintenance" actually means.
Modern renders are incredibly hard wearing; a correctly applied system will withstand many years of whatever the elements throw at them, even in extreme circumstances. I drive past a rendered property that was rendered nearly 30 years ago which, despite being subject to heavy flooding (over 8ft deep at numerous points), still looks great today with no sign of the render failing anytime soon.
On that basis, modern renders are certainly expected to be low-maintenance. Once installed correctly, you'll have a hell of a time removing them, and re-applying within the next couple of decades should not be necessary.
This doesn't mean that some systems, not all, will need some kind of regular cleaning. This is the case for all properties in the UK, regardless of whether the walls are brick, stone or render. Thankfully, it's not overly difficult to either take preventative measures or clean the surface once it starts to look a little dirty.
If you have signs of algae growth, we'd recommend you be proactive and treating it with a good algae cleaner before it spreads. We have some available on our site here or here. These tend to incredibly easy to apply as they simply are sprayed through a normal garden low pressure spray. Algae is stubborn and can grow on almost anything given the right conditions, so it's better to nip it in the bud before it spreads.
Light pressure washing can also be carried out, as long as care is taken not to apply too much pressure which may damage the surface. Industrial washers may be too powerful, but your average consumer grade washer that you buy from B&Q should be fine. Good quality non-acidic patio cleaners applied before washing down will also help with dirt removal.
So what about exterior render paint?
We’re often asked whether applying exterior render paint is necessary to keep a property looking fresh.
With modern monocouche or through-coloured systems, the colour is built into the material itself. Unlike traditional sand and cement render, these systems do not rely on exterior masonry paint to achieve their finish. As a result, repainting should not form part of the normal maintenance cycle.
Exterior render paint is generally more relevant on older rendered properties where the original finish has faded or where a colour change is required. It’s a cosmetic solution rather than a structural one.
If you are looking to prevent dirt and algae build-up further, specialist breathable sealers can be applied. We will shortly be launching a new product we have developed called ProtxSeal which is incredibly easy to apply, again using a low pressure sprayer. Containing Siloxanes, ProtxSeal completely repels water and seals the render with a lotus leaf effect whilst still allowing the walls to breathe. Dirt and algae simply get washed away as it can no longer stick to the surface. This sealer is easy to apply through a normal garden spray, does not change the appearance of the render at all and can be used on ANY porous masonary surface.
We will also shortly be offering application services also for this product, please contact us for more details.
If you need any advice on how to keep your render looking fantastic for years to come do not hesitate to give us a call.