QA

Question: What Is The Best Mix For Rendering

A common mix ratio used for rendering is 6 parts sand, 1 part cement and 1 part lime. Any general purpose cement can be used, although the sand should be fine and clean of impurities. Coarser sand is usually used as the base layer and slightly finer sand for the top layer.

What sand is used for rendering?

The best type of sand to use is rendering or plastering sand. Coarse sand is usually used for the base layer, and sand that has a slightly fine texture as the top layer. Therefore, you can make use of building sand for the top or base layer.

Can you use building sand for rendering?

The sand must be plastering sand or rendering sand, not building sand – do not use building sand for rendering because it shrinks and cracks. Sometimes you can add some building sand to the mix for the base coat but it shouldn’t be your primary sand.

Should I use sharp sand or builders sand?

Most people use sharp sand over builders sand for floor screeds, fine concrete work and laying paving courses. In addition, sharp sand can also be used as a top dressing for lawns, as it provides good drainage.

Can you use Brickies sand for rendering?

Brickies sand is not recommended but you may get away with it providing the clay content isn’t to high. Watch for cracking in the surface over the next two weeks as it dries, also after a week or so tap it with a finger tip or timber handle and see if it is solid.

Can you use mortar mix for rendering?

What mortar mix is the right mix for rendering? The correct mix to use when applying rendering should be more or less ONE part of cement to FOUR parts of sand. This mix can vary slightly, depending on the porosity of the wall and the material the wall is made from.

Should I use lime or plasticiser?

Personally, I’d prefer to use lime . IMHO, it gives a much better texture to the render, and gives you a bit of ‘fat’ when you rub up/nap/sponge. It also gives the render other properites like flexibility, strength and breatability.

What does adding lime to concrete do?

Hydrated lime can be added to concrete mix used to make block and other concrete products in order to produce a denser, more water-resistant product.

Do you need Waterproofer In render?

If your render is so low that water gets up behind it, applying waterproofer to the mix would bave made no difference. This is a construction problem you need to fix. It is usual to stop the render about 2 courses of brick above ground level, and certainly no lower than any dpc.

Is render the same as mortar?

Mortar sticks bricks or blocks together in a wall. Render is a thin layer of mortar for coating the exterior of a wall. General-purpose mortars are a mix of builder’s sand, cement and water.

What does adding lime to cement do?

When hydrated lime is added to the mix, the sand and the cement do not separate. The final mortar also is more waterproof. Shrinkage cracking often can be eliminated or minimized when hydrated lime is used. Replacing 10 to 15 percent of the total volume of cement with hydrated lime usually produces optimum results.

How do you make render waterproof?

Render the stack – use a Primer and then sand and cement, incorporating a waterproofer. Thorough cleaning and priming are essential because old stacks are heavily contaminated with soot, salts and resins. Apply a water repellent – this must be a product that is suitable for high levels of salts.

Is there an alternative to rendering?

Classic monocouche renders are slowly becoming obsolete in the face of newer alternatives such as cork spray render which has become a more popular choice amongst developers, contractors, architects and homeowners around the UK and the world.

Can you render over old render?

1. Existing renders are often finished with a thin coating or paint which will form a weak interface which is not suitable for rendering over. Dirty deposits accumulated over a period of time can form a weak intermediate layer that interferes with the development of the bond of newly applied render.

What is the best mix for sand and cement rendering?

A common mix ratio used for rendering is 6 parts sand, 1 part cement and 1 part lime. Any general purpose cement can be used, although the sand should be fine and clean of impurities. Coarser sand is usually used as the base layer and slightly finer sand for the top layer.

How long does render need to dry before rain?

You only need a couple of hours for the plaster to setup before it is safe from rain. Hard rain right as they finish can ruin the plaster, but even after just an hour you are usually alright, and after three or four hours you should be totally fine.

Does rendering a wall make it waterproof?

Along with protecting brick and strengthening the structure, the render covering the walls of a building acts as a sort of raincoat helping to prevent any water from penetrating the surface.

Why does render crack?

Using the wrong render product for the substrate can cause the water to dry out too fast, due to suction from the substrate, so causing cracking. Delamination occurs if the render product does not adhere – either by chemical key or by suction. Again, this is down to the choice of product for the substrate.

Do you put Waterproofer in both coats of render?

We have always put waterproofer in both scratch and top. In the scratch in enables greater working time for larger areas. The mix depends on the stength of substrate being rendered.

What is the difference between building sand and rendering sand?

Builders sand is for bricklaying and sharp sand is for rendering.

Should I use lime mortar for pointing?

When a building needs repointing, the use of lime products, either hydraulic or putty based is a must to correctly preserve the building. The use of a lime mortar for pointing in general masonry allows you to use a material that is both porous and softer compared with mortars that feature cement.

Is there a waterproof render?

It is simply applied in a single coat with a brush or roller and is compatible with renders, brick, stone, mortar, masonry and concrete. Once applied, the unique cream formula will soak into and bond with the surface it has been painted onto and make it waterproof for at least 25 years.