Pebbledash is everywhere in the Midlands. Thousands of 1930s semis, post-war council houses and 1960s and 70s homes across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and the Black Country were finished with it. It was tough and cheap, but after decades of weather it often looks grey, patchy and tired, and bits start falling off. If you’re thinking of getting rid of yours, this guide explains your options in plain English. RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and modernising pebbledashed houses is a regular job for us.
What is pebbledash?
Pebbledash is a coat of sand and cement render with small stones or pebbles thrown onto it while it’s still wet. The stones stick into the render and give that rough, gritty finish. It’s sometimes confused with roughcast or “Tyrolean”, which are different textured finishes, but the choices for covering them are much the same.
Signs your pebbledash needs attention
- Bald patches where the stones have fallen off.
- Cracks, especially around windows, doors and the corners of the house.
- Hollow areas. Tap the wall gently with your knuckle or the handle of a screwdriver. A dull, drummy sound means the render has come away from the brick behind.
- Bulges where render is pushing out from the wall.
- Damp patches inside on the outside walls, which can mean water is getting in behind cracked render.
- Stains and streaks under sills, gutters and downpipes.
Our guide on signs your render needs repairing before winter has more on spotting problems early.
Your three main options
1. Repair and paint
If the pebbledash is mostly sound and you’re happy with the look, small areas can be patched and the whole wall painted with a masonry paint. This is the cheapest option, but you’re still left with a pebbledash finish, the patches may show, and paint needs redoing every few years. It’s a short-term fix rather than a change of look. See our render repairs page.
2. Render over the pebbledash
If the pebbledash is well stuck to the wall, it can often be rendered over without hacking it off. The wall is checked all over for hollow areas, any loose sections are cut out and filled, and then a basecoat is applied to fill the texture and build a flat surface, with mesh bedded in. A new finish coat goes on top, usually silicone render. This avoids the mess, noise and cost of stripping, and gives a smooth, modern finish.
The key word is sound. Rendering over loose pebbledash is like building on sand: if the old coat comes away from the brick, it takes the new render with it. A good renderer will test the whole wall before suggesting this.
3. Strip it off and re-render
If large areas are hollow, cracked or coming away, the pebbledash needs to come off back to the brick or block. It’s a noisy, dusty job, and the waste has to be taken away, but it means you start with a clean, known surface. Once it’s off, we can check the brickwork, repoint soft mortar, and deal with any problems before the new render goes on. Then the wall is rendered with a full system, such as a basecoat with mesh and a silicone finish, or K-Rend monocouche and silicone products.
Which finish should go on?
Most people replacing pebbledash want something smooth, clean and low maintenance. The two most common choices are:
- Silicone render: a thin, coloured top coat over a basecoat with mesh. It sheds water, stays cleaner than painted render, comes in lots of colours and doesn’t need painting. This is what we use on most of our domestic jobs. See our silicone render page.
- Monocouche: a through-coloured render applied in one thick coat and scraped back. Over old pebbledash it usually means stripping first, or using the basecoat the manufacturer specifies, so the wall has to be checked carefully. See our K-Rend monocouche and silicone page.
On older solid-wall houses (often Victorian or Edwardian), a breathable lime render can be the safer choice. Our guide on K-Rend monocouche vs silicone vs sand and cement explains the differences.
What a proper job includes
- Survey. Tapping the whole wall to find hollow areas, and checking for cracks, damp and the state of sills, lintels and gutters.
- Scaffold and protection. Windows, doors, paths and plants are covered.
- Preparation. Loose areas cut out, or the whole wall stripped, and the background repaired.
- Beads. Corner beads, stop beads around windows and doors, and a bellcast bead at the bottom, kept above the damp-proof course so the render doesn’t bridge it.
- Basecoat and mesh. A basecoat to level the wall, with reinforcing mesh bedded in, and extra mesh at the corners of openings where cracks like to start.
- Primer and finish. A primer, then the coloured top coat, applied in suitable weather.
- Clean up. Masking removed, sealant around frames, and the site left tidy.
Weather and timing
Render shouldn’t go on in frost, heavy rain or very hot sun. That means rendering is easiest from spring to autumn, though it can be done on suitable days in winter. A good renderer will watch the forecast and won’t rush the job. Stripping can sometimes be done in weather that’s too poor for applying render.
Do I need permission?
Many re-rendering jobs on ordinary houses don’t need planning permission, but it depends on the house and on how different the new finish will look. The rules are stricter for listed buildings, conservation areas and flats. If you’re not sure, check with your local council’s planning team before you book. If insulation is being added, Building Regulations may also apply.
What affects the cost?
We don’t publish prices because every house is different. The biggest factors are whether the pebbledash can stay or has to come off, the size of the house, scaffold and access, the number of windows and bays, and the finish you choose. Our guide on how much rendering costs in Birmingham explains each one.
Where we work
We’re Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands. Local pages: Rendering in Birmingham · Rendering in Shirley · Rendering in Halesowen · Rendering in Oldbury · Rendering in Smethwick · Rendering in Yardley · Rendering in Walsall. All towns are on our areas we cover page, and every service on our services page.
Pebbledash questions
Can you render straight over pebbledash?
Yes, if it’s well stuck to the wall. Loose or hollow areas have to be cut out first, and a basecoat with mesh is used to fill the texture before the finish coat.
How do I know if my pebbledash is sound?
Tap it. A solid sound is good; a hollow, drummy sound means it has come away. We tap the whole wall on a survey.
Is it messy to remove pebbledash?
Yes, it’s noisy and dusty. We sheet off windows, doors and paths, and clear the waste away at the end.
Can I paint pebbledash instead?
You can, with masonry paint, if it’s sound. It freshens it up, but it doesn’t change the texture and will need repainting in future.
Will new render stop damp?
New render can stop rain getting in through cracked pebbledash. But damp has other causes too, like leaking gutters or bridged damp-proof courses, so those need checking as well.
Get a free quote
WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page with photos of each side of the house and your postcode. We work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm, closed Sundays. You can also use our contact page. RCR Connections Ltd, Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, with 62 years of combined experience.