Rendering in Spring: Getting Your Render Ready After Winter

Winter is hard on render. Months of rain, wind and frost find every weak spot, and by March a lot of houses in the Midlands have new cracks, loose patches or green stains that were not there in the autumn. Spring is the time to check, clean and plan any work, before the busy season starts. This guide tells you what to look for and what to do about it.

RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands. We fit K-Rend monocouche and silicone render and repair older render, and our team has 62 years of combined experience.

Why spring is the right time to check

Frost does most of its damage over winter. Water gets into a small crack, freezes, grows and pushes the crack wider. Each cold snap does a little more. By the end of winter, small faults can have turned into loose render that is letting water in.

Spring also gives you good light and dry days to look closely. And if work is needed, booking early means it can be done in the spring and summer weather that suits render best.

A walk round the house: what to look for

Pick a dry, bright day and walk round every side of the house. Take photos as you go. Look for:

• New or wider cracks. Compare with any photos from last year. Note cracks around windows and doors, and long cracks that run across the wall.
• Hollow patches. Tap the render gently with the handle of a screwdriver. A dull, hollow sound means it has come away from the wall.
• Flaking or crumbling. Bits of render on the ground or the path are a sure sign of frost damage.
• Bulges. These usually mean water has got behind the render.
• Green or black growth. Common on north-facing walls, under sills and behind plants.
• White marks. These are often salts brought out by winter wet. See our guide to white salts on render.
• Beads and edges. Rusty or split corner beads, and render coming away at the bottom edge.
• Sealant. Cracked or missing sealant around windows and doors lets water in behind the render.

Check the bottom of the wall

Look closely where the render meets the ground. The render should stop above the damp proof course, usually with a bead that kicks the water out. It should never bridge the DPC. If soil, a patio or a path has crept up over the winter, or the render runs right down to the ground, water can soak up into the wall. Our guide to render and the damp proof course explains why this matters.

Check the gutters and sills

Many render problems start with water that should be going somewhere else. After winter, check:

• gutters are clear and not overflowing on to the wall;
• downpipes are fixed tight and not leaking at the joints;
• window sills have a drip underneath, so water falls off rather than running down the render;
• wall tops, copings and garden walls are not letting water into the top of the render.

Fixing these first stops the same damage coming back next winter.

Cleaning render after winter

Green and black growth is mostly a looks problem, but it is worth cleaning off. Go gently:

1. Brush off loose dirt with a soft brush.
2. Use a cleaner made for render, following the instructions. Most are put on and left to work over a few days or weeks.
3. Rinse with low pressure only, if at all.

Avoid high-pressure washing. It can strip the face of K-Rend monocouche and silicone render, change the texture and push water into cracks. Bleach can mark coloured render. If you are not sure, send us a photo first.

What can wait and what cannot

Fine hairline cracks are common in render and often just need watching. Things that should not wait are:

• cracks you can fit a coin into;
• hollow or bulging patches;
• render coming away at corners and edges;
• damp patches inside the house on the same wall.

These let water in, and next winter will make them worse. Our render repairs page explains how we deal with them, and our guide to the signs your render needs repairing goes into each one.

Planning a new render job for spring

If the render is past repair, or you have been thinking about K-Rend monocouche and silicone render for a while, spring is a good time. Some tips:

• Book early. April to September is the busiest time of year for render. Getting in touch in winter gives you more choice of dates.
• Think about colour now. Look at houses near you and ask for samples. Light colours show dirt less than you might think; very dark colours can show patchiness more.
• Clear the way. Cut plants back from the walls, move bins and garden furniture, and think about where the scaffold will go.
• Allow for the weather. Render goes on at 5°C and rising, with no frost due, and new render is protected for 48 hours. Early spring nights can still be cold, so start dates can move.

To see how a full job runs, read our K-Rend in Birmingham and Solihull page. If you are weighing up different systems, our guide to K-Rend monocouche vs silicone vs sand and cement helps, and our silicone render page explains that system in full.

Keeping render in good shape all year

Render does not need much looking after, but a little each spring goes a long way. Keep gutters clear, keep plants and soil off the wall, re-seal around windows when the sealant fails, and deal with cracks while they are small. Do that and your render will stay looking good for many years.

Want your render looked at before spring?

WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page. Send photos of each side of the house, close-ups of any cracks or marks, and your postcode.

We work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm, and we are closed on Sundays. RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands. You can see the towns we cover on our plastering areas and rendering areas pages, and finished jobs on our projects page.

More guides: Signs your render needs repairing · Rendering in wet weather · White salts on render