Rendering in Coventry

Coventry is a city of two halves when it comes to render. Around the old core and in places like Earlsdon, Chapelfields and Stoke you find Victorian and Edwardian brick terraces. Go out to Tile Hill, Canley, Willenhall, Wood End or Bell Green and you find the big post-war estates, many of them built with concrete and finished in render or pebbledash from day one. RCR Connections Ltd renders, re-renders and repairs homes right across the city. We’re Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and Coventry is one of the places we work most.

The team has 62 years of combined experience. We fit K-Rend monocouche and silicone render, and we fix and patch old render too. This page covers rendering only. If you need walls or ceilings done inside, see our separate page for a plasterer in Coventry.

Rendering quotes in Coventry: WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page. We work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm, and we’re closed on Sundays.

K-Rend monocouche and silicone render in Coventry

Most of the rendering we do in Coventry is one of two systems. Both are modern, both come in a wide range of colours, and both last well when the wall is prepared properly.

K-Rend monocouche

Monocouche means “one coat”. The render goes on in one thick pass, or two passes close together, and the colour runs all the way through it. Once it has firmed up we scrape the face back with a special tool. That takes off the skin and leaves a fine, even texture. Because the colour is in the render itself, there is no paint to peel or fade, and small knocks don’t show white underneath.

K-Rend monocouche suits:

• Tired pebbledash on 1930s and post-war semis, once the loose parts are off or a base coat is on.
• Plain block or brick on new extensions, garage conversions and side builds.
• Gable walls that have had patch after patch over the years.
• Houses that want a clean, modern look without the work of painting every few years.

Silicone render

Silicone render is a thin coat finish. It goes on over a base coat with mesh in it, and the silicone in it makes rain bead up and run off. It also lets damp vapour out of the wall. It stays cleaner for longer than most finishes, which matters on busy roads like the Holyhead Road, the Foleshill Road, the Binley Road or the London Road, where traffic grime builds up fast.

Silicone render suits:

• Walls where a very smooth, crisp finish is wanted.
• Homes near main roads or under trees, where green growth and dirt are a problem.
• Some older walls, where a breathable system is the safer choice.
• Re-coating old render that is sound but tired.

Which one for your house?

We will tell you straight after we have seen the wall. On a lot of Coventry semis either system would do a good job, and the choice comes down to the look you like. On older solid walls, or on the post-war concrete homes we talk about below, the wall itself often decides it. Our guide K-Rend monocouche vs silicone vs sand and cement render sets out the main differences in plain words.

K-Rend in Coventry: where we fit it across the city

Coventry has Victorian terraces in Earlsdon and Stoke, long roads of 1930s semis in Coundon and Cheylesmore, and big post-war estates with poured concrete homes in Tile Hill, Canley and Willenhall. K-Rend monocouche and silicone render is what most Coventry owners ask us about. RCR Connections Ltd is Birmingham based, covering the whole of the Midlands, and Coventry is a straight run down the A45 from us. These are the parts of the city we work in most, the houses you find there and the K-Rend jobs they usually need.

• Coundon, Radford and Cheylesmore. 1930s semis with pebbledash or roughcast on the upper floor. Overcoating sound dash with a meshed base coat, or stripping it, then finishing in K-Rend monocouche is the classic job here.
• Tile Hill, Canley, Willenhall and Wood End. Post-war estates with many poured concrete and panel-built homes, often with cracked or hollow original render. We tap the walls, take loose render back, fix cracks and mesh the joins, then finish in K-Rend monocouche or silicone.
• Earlsdon, Chapelfields and Lower Stoke. Victorian and Edwardian terraces with solid walls. Fronts stay as brick, and back walls and side returns get a breathable silicone system set above the damp course. Chapelfields is a conservation area, so we check what is allowed first.
• Styvechale and Finham. Larger semis and detached homes from the 1920s onward, where owners often choose a crisp silicone finish or a soft-coloured K-Rend on the upper floor. South of Finham, see our page on rendering in Kenilworth.
• Allesley Park, Eastern Green, Mount Nod and Westwood Heath. 1960s to 1990s homes with gables, panels under the windows, extensions and garage conversions. Swapping tile hanging or timber panels for K-Rend is a regular job.
• Wyken, Walsgrave and Binley. Inter-war semis, post-war council homes and newer estates. Full re-renders on concrete homes, gable repairs and K-Rend on extensions.
• Holbrooks, Keresley and Bell Green. Terraces near the canal, older mining homes, post-war estates and new builds, many let to tenants, where a finish that looks after itself makes sense. K-Rend monocouche suits that well. North of the city, see our page on rendering in Nuneaton.

Wherever you are in Coventry, the first step is the same: WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page with a photo of each side of the house and your road or postcode. We work Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 1pm, and between us we have 62 years of combined experience.

How the city’s history shows in its walls

The medieval city and the weavers

Before 1940 Coventry had one of the best collections of timber-framed buildings in England. A few survive or were moved, and Spon Street is the best place to see them now. Those buildings are a job for a specialist in old timber and lime, and we would always say so.

More useful for most homeowners is what came next. In the 1800s the city made ribbons and watches. Ribbon weavers worked in “top shops”, with long rows of windows on the top floor to let in light for the looms. You can still see them in Hillfields and in the Cash’s houses at Kingfield. Watchmakers worked from home in Chapelfields and Earlsdon, and many houses there still have the big workshop windows at the back. These are solid brick walls, often with soft lime mortar. Hard cement render on them can trap damp, so we look closely before we suggest anything.

Bikes, cars and a fast-growing city

From the late 1800s Coventry made bicycles, then cars, then aircraft parts. Rover, Singer, Humber, Daimler, Riley, Hillman, Triumph and Jaguar all had works here. The city grew fast. Terraces went up in Stoke, Lower Stoke, Foleshill and Radford. In the 1920s and 1930s, private builders put up thousands of semis in Coundon, Earlsdon, Styvechale, Wyken and Stoke Aldermoor, many with bay windows and pebbledash on the top floor.

The Blitz and the rebuilt city

On 14 November 1940 a huge air raid destroyed much of the city centre and the old cathedral. More raids followed in 1941. After the war Coventry was rebuilt to a bold new plan, with a new cathedral, the precincts and the inner road system around the centre. Housing was rebuilt on a huge scale too. Whole new estates went up at Tile Hill, Canley, Willenhall, Bell Green, Wood End, Henley Green and later Ernesford Grange and Walsgrave.

To build fast, the council used a lot of new methods. Some homes were poured concrete, some were concrete panels, some were steel framed. Many were finished in render, roughcast or pebbledash from the start. That is why so much Coventry rendering work is on post-war homes.

The houses we render most in Coventry

Victorian and Edwardian terraces

You find these in Earlsdon, Chapelfields, Stoke, Lower Stoke, Foleshill, Radford, Hillfields and Spon End. Most are red brick with solid walls, about nine inches thick. Fronts are often left as brick, and backs and side returns are often rendered.

What we see on them:

• Old cement render on the back that has cracked and let rain in behind it.
• Damp in the back kitchen or bathroom where render was taken down to the ground and bridges the damp course.
• Patches of different render where a pipe, flue or window has been moved.
• Painted render that has peeled and blistered.

On these walls we often suggest taking the old cement render off and putting on a breathable system. Silicone render over a breathable base is a good fit. On some back walls, K-Rend monocouche works well once we have checked the wall is dry and sound. We always stop the render above the damp course with a bead, so the wall can dry out at the base.

1920s and 1930s semis

Coundon, Earlsdon, Styvechale, Finham, Cheylesmore, Wyken, Stoke Aldermoor, Whitley and parts of Allesley are full of inter-war semis. Many have pebbledash on the upper floor, brick below, and a big bay at the front. Some have roughcast all over.

These houses have cavity walls in most cases, or early cavity walls with metal ties. After 90 years the pebbledash is often hollow in places, cracked at the corners and stained under the sills. Some owners want to keep the pebbledash look. Most now want a smooth, clean finish.

We can:

• Patch the pebbledash where only small areas have blown, and match the stone as near as we can.
• Put a base coat with mesh over the pebbledash, then a K-Rend monocouche or silicone finish, if it is still stuck on well.
• Strip it off and start again, if large areas are loose.

Post-war estates and concrete homes

Tile Hill, Canley, Willenhall, Wood End, Bell Green, Henley Green, Ernesford Grange, Wyken, Walsgrave and Binley all have large post-war estates. Some homes are brick. Many are not.

Poured concrete homes, often known as “no-fines” houses, were built in large numbers across the country after the war, and Coventry has many. The concrete was poured in one go between shutters, then rendered. They can be very solid homes, but the old render is often cracked, stained or hollow by now.

Other post-war homes in the city are built from concrete panels or have a steel frame. Some of these have special rules for mortgages, and some have had repair schemes in the past. If you are not sure what your house is built from, send us photos. We will tell you what we see, and if it needs a specialist survey first we will say so before any work is booked.

On sound post-war concrete homes we usually:

• Tap the whole wall and mark hollow areas.
• Take off loose render back to a firm base.
• Fix cracks, and use mesh across any joins or weak spots.
• Put on a base coat, then K-Rend monocouche or a silicone finish.

1960s to 1990s homes

Allesley Park, Eastern Green, Mount Nod, Westwood Heath, Binley Woods, Walsgrave and Willenhall have plenty of homes from the 1960s to the 1990s. Most have cavity walls with brick or block. Rendering work here is mostly on gables, panels under windows, extensions and garage conversions. Some 1970s homes have tile hanging or timber panels that owners want to replace with render. That can be done, with the right board or block behind it.

New builds

Banbury Road, Eastern Green, Keresley and Walsgrave all have new homes going up or just finished. Many have render on part of the front. Newer render is often thin and can crack early if the block behind has shrunk. We repair it, re-coat it, or match new work to it.

Coventry neighbourhoods, one by one

Earlsdon

Earlsdon started as a watchmakers’ suburb in the 1850s and grew into one of the city’s most popular places to live. The streets around Earlsdon Avenue, Earlsdon Street, Albany Road and Moor Street are mostly Victorian and Edwardian brick terraces and semis. Fronts are usually brick and owners want them kept that way. Most of our Earlsdon work is on back walls, side returns and kitchen extensions, where old render has failed or new blockwork needs a finish.

Chapelfields

Chapelfields is a conservation area, and the old watchmakers’ houses there are a big part of why. Many have their original workshop windows. If you live here, changes to the front can need consent. We would always look at what is on the wall now and keep to like-for-like where that is needed. Lime may be the right answer here, and we will tell you if it is.

Coundon and Radford

Coundon has long roads of 1930s semis, many with pebbledash or roughcast. Radford has a mix of older terraces and inter-war homes. Both areas give us a steady run of pebbledash repairs and full re-renders with K-Rend monocouche.

Stoke, Stoke Park and Lower Stoke

Lower Stoke has dense Victorian terraces around Walsgrave Road and Clay Lane. Stoke Park is a private Victorian estate with large villas and is protected. Stoke Green is also a conservation area. In Stoke Park and around Stoke Green we take care to keep the look of the street.

Wyken, Walsgrave and Binley

These areas cover everything from inter-war semis to post-war council homes and newer estates. We do full re-renders on concrete homes, gable repairs, and monocouche on extensions.

Tile Hill, Canley and Westwood Heath

Tile Hill was one of the largest post-war estates in the city. It has a mix of brick homes, flats and concrete homes, many with original render. Canley grew up around the Standard car works. A lot of the rendering we do here is stripping and re-rendering old roughcast, and fixing render at the base where it has been taken below the damp course.

Willenhall, Whitley and Cheylesmore

Willenhall and Wood End have large post-war estates. Whitley and Cheylesmore have a mix of inter-war semis and later homes. Cheylesmore also has the old Cheylesmore Manor area. On the estates we tend to see cracked and hollow render. In Cheylesmore it is more often tired pebbledash on semis.

Styvechale and Finham

Styvechale and Finham are quieter, leafier parts of the south of the city with larger semis and detached homes from the 1920s onwards. Owners here often go for a crisp silicone finish or a soft-coloured monocouche on the upper floor, with brick kept below.

Allesley, Eastern Green and Keresley

Allesley village has older cottages and a conservation area. Allesley Park and Eastern Green are mainly 1960s to 1990s homes. Keresley has older mining homes and new estates. We work on all of them, from small patch repairs to full fronts.

Foleshill, Holbrooks and Bell Green

Foleshill and Holbrooks grew up around the canal and the old factories. Terraces here are often rendered at the back. Bell Green, Henley Green and Wood End have large post-war estates. Many homes here are let, and landlords often want a long-lasting finish that needs little upkeep. K-Rend monocouche is a good fit for that.

Planning and conservation areas in Coventry

Most rendering work on a normal house does not need planning permission, as long as the finish is similar in look to what is there now. But there are times when you do need to check first.

Conservation areas

Coventry has a number of conservation areas. They include the city centre areas around the cathedral, Spon Street and Greyfriars Green, along with places like Chapelfields, Stoke Green, Allesley village and parts of the old suburbs. In a conservation area, changing the look of the front of a house can need consent. Covering brick with render is the most common thing that does.

Article 4 directions

Some streets have extra rules, known as Article 4 directions. They remove some of the normal rights to make changes without permission. If your street has one, even painting or rendering the front may need consent.

Listed buildings

If your home is listed, almost any change to the outside needs listed building consent. Old timber-framed and Georgian buildings often need lime, not cement or modern render.

What we do

If you think your house might be in a conservation area, or you are not sure, ask the council before work starts. We can tell you what the job would look like so you can explain it clearly. We will never start a job we think needs consent until it is in place.

Common render problems we fix in Coventry

Render below the damp course

On older terraces and semis, render was often taken right down to the path. That lets rain soak up from the ground into the wall, and it hides the damp course. You may see damp patches inside along the skirting. We cut the render back, fit a bead above the damp course, and leave a clean gap at the base.

Cracked render on post-war homes

Concrete homes move a little as the seasons change. Old render that was put on without mesh often cracks in long lines, then lets in water, which freezes and pushes more render off. We take off what is loose, fix the cracks, and put mesh into the new base coat so the finish moves with the wall.

Hollow pebbledash

Tap a 1930s pebbledash wall and you will often hear hollow patches. The pebbledash has come away from the wall behind but has not fallen off yet. Left alone, these areas get bigger. We mark them, take them off, and either patch or re-render the whole wall.

Staining and green growth

North-facing walls, walls under trees and walls near busy roads get dirty fast. We can clean render with the right wash and then put on a fresh coat. Silicone render is the best choice for walls that keep going green.

Cracks round windows and doors

Corners of window and door openings are where render cracks first. Mesh in the corners and the right beads stop this happening again.

Paint failure

A lot of old Coventry render has been painted many times. Once the paint is thick, it can trap damp and flake off. K-Rend monocouche or silicone render means no more painting.

Pebbledash: keep it, cover it or strip it?

This is one of the most common questions we get in Coventry. Here is how we decide.

• Keep and patch if only small areas are loose, the rest is sound, and you like the look.
• Cover if the pebbledash is still stuck on well across most of the wall. We put on a base coat with mesh, then the finish. This saves the mess of stripping.
• Strip if large areas are hollow, if there are lots of old patches, or if the wall behind has problems we need to see.

We tap every wall before we give advice. We will never cover pebbledash that is coming away, as the new render would come away with it.

Preparing the wall

Good render is mostly about good preparation. On every Coventry job we:

1. Put up the scaffold or towers and cover paths, drives, plants and sills.
2. Mask windows, doors, gutters and anything else we don’t want render on.
3. Take off old render, loose pebbledash and paint where needed.
4. Fix cracks, rake out and repoint bad joints, and treat any steel that has rusted.
5. Fix beads at corners, edges, window reveals and the base.
6. Put mesh where the wall needs it, such as over joins between brick and block.
7. Put on the base coat, then the K-Rend monocouche or silicone finish.

Beads, mesh and movement joints

These are the parts of a render job you don’t see at the end, but they matter most.

• Base beads give a straight, clean line at the bottom and stop the render touching the ground.
• Corner beads give straight, strong corners that don’t chip.
• Stop beads finish the render neatly at windows, doors and where it meets brick.
• Mesh goes into the base coat to stop cracks.
• Movement joints let long walls move without cracking. Long gable walls and terraces of joined homes often need them.

Colours that suit Coventry streets

K-Rend and silicone render come in a wide range of colours. Most Coventry homeowners go for white, off-white, soft grey or cream. A few points to think about:

• On a semi, think about the other half. A colour that works with the next-door house looks far better than one that fights it.
• Bright white shows dirt more on busy roads. Off-white or a soft grey hides it better.
• Darker greys look sharp on new builds and extensions, but can look heavy on an inter-war semi.
• We can send you colour charts and sample boards before you choose.

Extensions, garage conversions and outbuildings

Coventry has a lot of single-storey rear extensions, side extensions and garage conversions. Many are built in block, and render is the easiest way to finish them. We can match the colour of the house or pick a contrast. We also render garden rooms, garden walls and outbuildings.

Landlords and HMOs

Coventry has a big rental market, with students at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, and lots of family lets too. Landlords tend to want:

• A finish that lasts and needs little upkeep.
• Work done quickly between tenants, or with tenants in.
• Clear photos and a short note of what was done for their records.

K-Rend monocouche is often the best fit, as it never needs painting.

When we render in Coventry

We only render when the weather is right. Render needs dry, mild days to cure well. We don’t put it on in frost, heavy rain, strong wind or very hot sun on the wall. In practice, spring, summer and early autumn are best. In winter we still do repairs and small jobs on mild, dry days, and we plan bigger jobs around the forecast.

Looking after your render

• Clear gutters and downpipes so water doesn’t pour down the wall.
• Keep soil and paving below the base bead.
• Trim plants back so they don’t rub the wall or keep it wet.
• Fix small cracks early before water gets in.
• Wash it gently if it goes green, with a soft brush and the right cleaner. Never use a hard jet wash close to the wall.

Questions to ask any renderer

• What system will you use and why?
• Will you take off the old render or go over it?
• Will you fit base beads above the damp course?
• Will you use mesh, and where?
• Who will do the work, and how long have they been rendering?
• Can I see finished jobs?

We are happy to answer all of these before you decide.

How a Coventry rendering job runs

First contact

You WhatsApp me photos of each side of the house, and tell me your postcode. A short video walking round the house is even better.

The visit

We come out, look at the walls, tap them for hollow areas, and talk through what you want.

The quote

You get a clear written quote that says what we will do, which system we will use and how long it should take.

On site

Scaffold goes up, the house is protected, the old render comes off where needed, and the new render goes on.

Finishing up

We take down the scaffold, clean up, and walk round the house with you so you can see every wall.

Bungalows and dormer bungalows

There are pockets of bungalows across the city, in Finham, Allesley, Binley Woods, Keresley and on the edges of Walsgrave. Bungalows have low walls but big roofs, so most of the wall is easy to reach. That often means towers rather than full scaffold. Dormer bungalows have tall gables, and those gables are where render most often fails. A full K-Rend monocouche finish on a bungalow can change the look of the whole house in a few days.

Damp inside a rendered house

Not every damp patch is the render’s fault, but it often plays a part. Signs to look for:

• Damp or flaking paint low down on inside walls, just above the skirting.
• Damp that gets worse after heavy rain, not after cooking or showers.
• Cracked or hollow render on the outside of the same wall.
• Render that runs right down to the path or into the soil.

If it is condensation, new render won’t fix it. If rain is getting in through cracks, or the render is bridging the damp course, putting the render right usually helps a great deal. We will tell you what we think is going on before we suggest any work.

Coventry weather and your render

Coventry sits in the middle of England, away from the coast, so it gets less wind-driven rain than the west. But it still gets cold, wet winters with plenty of freeze and thaw. Water that gets into a crack freezes, swells and pushes the render off a little more each year. That is why small cracks on Coventry houses so often turn into big hollow patches after a few winters. Fixing cracks early, and using mesh in new render, stops the cycle.

Working safely around your home

We put up proper scaffold or towers for every job that needs them, and we keep the site tidy as we go. Paths stay clear where they can, and we tell you each morning what is happening that day. If you have children or pets, we will talk through how to keep them away from the work area. At the end of each day, tools and materials are put away and the site is left safe.

What a good render job looks like

When the scaffold comes down, you should see:

• Straight, clean lines at every corner and edge.
• An even colour and texture across each wall, with no patchy areas.
• A neat gap at the base, above the damp course.
• Clean windows, sills, doors and paths.
• Neat finishes around pipes, vents and fixings.

If anything is not right, tell us during the walk round and we will put it right.

Areas we cover around Coventry

We render homes in every part of the city, including Earlsdon, Chapelfields, Spon End, Coundon, Radford, Holbrooks, Foleshill, Hillfields, Stoke, Wyken, Walsgrave, Binley, Willenhall, Whitley, Cheylesmore, Styvechale, Finham, Canley, Tile Hill, Westwood Heath, Eastern Green, Allesley, Keresley, Bell Green and Wood End. We also cover Binley Woods, Ryton, Baginton and the villages round the city.

Nearby pages include plastering in Coventry, plastering in Kenilworth, plastering in Bedworth, plastering in Nuneaton, plastering in Rugby and plastering in Meriden. Further afield we also do rendering in Solihull and rendering in Stratford-upon-Avon. See all towns on our rendering areas page.

More services: Rendering with sand and cement · Rendering new extensions.

What is in your rendering quote in Coventry

Every written quote sets out, in plain words, what we will do to your walls. As a rule it covers:

• The walls being done: which sides of the house, plus any extension, garage, porch or garden wall.
• Getting the wall ready: whether old pebbledash, roughcast or loose render comes off, and any repairs to the brick or block underneath.
• The render system: K-Rend monocouche, silicone render or sand and cement, with the colour and finish you have picked.
• Beads, mesh and trims: corner and stop beads, mesh over joints and cracks, and the drip line at the bottom of the wall.
• Access and protection: how we reach the high parts, and how windows, doors, paths and plants are covered while we work.
• Clearing up: taking away old render and waste, and leaving the drive and garden tidy.

If anything is not clear on your quote, just ask and we will go through it with you before any work starts.

Get a rendering quote in Coventry

WhatsApp me on 07453 614095 or message the page. Send pictures or videos via WhatsApp for a quick response, a free quote and advice. Send a photo of each side of the house and your postcode.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 1pm, Sunday closed.

You can also email rcrconnectionsltd@gmail.com or use our contact page. See finished jobs on our projects page.

More from RCR Connections Ltd: All plastering and rendering services · Plasterer in Coventry · Rendering areas · Areas we cover