Limewash is a traditional interior and exterior finish for many stone and brick buildings, applied either directly to the masonry surface or, more commonly, to a coating of lime plaster, render or harling. As a vapour permeable material, limewash is the most effective and appropriate finish available for traditional buildings: it is also the most beautiful....Read More

In this article, we will introduce the various types of lime available to builders. 1. Non-hydraulic Lime Putty (Fat Limes) Many traditional limes were non-hydraulic as is most modern lime putty that become set/ dry by reacting with carbon dioxide gas in moisture conditions. A non-hydraulic lime mortar is soft, porous, permeable and plastic. They...Read More

Pebbledash and roughcast are forms of render in which the top coat is roughly textured by pebbles or stone fragments. As the terms are used today, they each have different meanings. For pebbledash, clean material is thrown at the freshly plastered surface then pressed in, so the colour of the material is visible. For roughcast,...Read More

If you want to give your house a facelift then rendering your external walls is a way to go about it. There are a few things that you should avoid before you even think of starting such work. First of all make sure that the right rendering materials are being used otherwise your work will...Read More

There has been some debate over what materials to use when rendering external walls. More specifically, some have advocated the use of PVA glue as an adhesive, sealer and bonding agent applied to a cement/ sand mixturewhile rendering the external walls of a property (note that in this instance, the term PVA glue refers specifically...Read More

 There are a variety of factors to take into account when deciding on the price to render a house. Due to this complexity, this article will address the question of how much to render a house in the most general sense, aiming to show you how reduce the cost. The article will also elaborate on...Read More

When deciding on whether or not to render your property cost is always a major factor. Rendering a property is not always the cheapest option short term however long term it is probably the best option. The rendering prices vary due to the following factors; Quality of the workmanship – a high standard rendering company...Read More

Depending on the reason you want to paint your rendered walls it is always a good idea to firstly brush it down with a broom and remove and loose particles. If you are looking to keep to keep the current colour on the render then you can simply seal the render with a water seal...Read More

Hair and other fibers have been added to lime and gypsum plasters to give greater strength to these nibs and stop them breaking off. For the reinforcement of lime plasters and renders, it is recommended that hair should be strong, long and free from grease or other impurities. Ox hair is the preferred choice but horse, goat,...Read More

Lath and plaster on timber framework Lath and plaster walling techniques (see right) were commonly used from the early eighteenth until the mid twentieth century for internal, non-load-bearing walls. The laths are horizontal strips of wood (normally about 25mm by 6mm (1 by 1/4 inch)) fixed by nails to vertical upright timbers forming the framework...Read More