Q: Rendering: how steep was my learning curve? A: Vertical.

[ToughButterCup]

"Oh, we'll just render it"  I said - four years ago.

Then I tried to get someone to do the job : our excellent plasterer looked at the job, winced and said - honestly - No.

DIY then innit. How hard can it be?

 

We have a short bit of wall that I can use as a training ground.

 

Here: look -

This shows all three states of that wall 

Raw at the bottom, parged on the left, and rendered and two coats of exterior silicone paint on the top. Tickety Boo ....... until

 

 

you look more closely.

ChristOnAbike I tried hard. I made errors that I haven't even got the courage to show you here. ( @nod has seen them - too polite to say anything) My shoulders have only just stopped aching.

 

Now I know why many renders are textured like this  ( the right hand side of the image) 

 

The images shows an ideal build-up - rendered by someone who knows what they are doing. 

 

In another ten years I might just about have got it right.  Right then, next wall, where is it ......😠

[markc]

For a first go I would say that is pretty damn good. Render and plastering looks and sounds easy till you have a go at it.

[Conor]

You're not a million miles a way. Better than my first efforts! A good rub over with a plastic float after the render goes off a bit removes a lot of sins.

[ToughButterCup]

Thanks.

Might as well fess up ............ look at this complete mess......

 

Error list:

• Getting out of bed that morning 
• Mixing render in hot sun
• Mix transferred to the barrow far too dry initially
• Didn't pre-wet the wall enough
• Allowed the already dryish render to dry further before trying to put the mesh on
• Not laying the render on thick enough (not fit enough)
• Applying mixture in harsh sunlight
• Not going to the pub early enough

[Conor]

My neighbour rendered his garden wall,2m high by about 8m long. On a hot sunny day. All had to come off. At least he realised his mistake before it fully cured.

[nod]

It looked pretty good to me when we called in last Friday Rock hard and flat Even put matting in A lot wouldn’t bother