Can you remove rendering from a house

Rendering offers many benefits for homeowners, but sometimes, there is a need to remove the render. There are costs and challenges associated with this work, so knowing why external render should be removed and how to remove cement render, if applicable, is vital.

Whether this be cement render, lime render or a more modern method, knowing how to remove render and get to underlying brickwork is a great asset for any property owner.

Render removal experts can advise in the first place but when it comes to removing the render, there is a lot to know about your walls, brick and how you can restore a building to its best.

Is it possible to remove rendering from a house?

Yes, you can remove rendering from property, but you must do so carefully. If you don’t take great care when removing rendering, you might damage the brickwork underneath. This can cause structural issues and diminish the insulating standard of the property.

So, if you wish to remove house rendering, take care, follow instructions, or call on a professional.

What happens if there are damaged bricks beneath the rendering?

In most cases, there will be damaged bricks or brickwork when removing render which ideally would need to be repaired by a bricklayer. The important thing is to minimise the damage. The average render removal project is believed to lead to 10 to 15 damaged bricks beneath the removed render.

What impacts the cost of render removal?

We had to speak to a rendering specialist Mister Render to get the facts on this one. As so many factors impact the extent of work involved with removing render, it is impossible to offer a blanket price for all work. The cost of removing the render depends on:

• Whether a site visit was carried out to ascertain the size of the issue
• The size of exterior wall
• The amount of render being removed
• Poor condition of bricks underneath external render
• Any brickwork and render repair work for restoration process
• If equipment such as scaffolding and specialist tools are required
• If specialist paint is required
• The number of people expected to work on the project

Homeowners should arrange an appointment with a professional and receive a bespoke quote for render removal work.

Why would you want to remove rendering from a house?

There are many reasons why a homeowner would choose to remove rendering from a house, including:

• The existing render might no longer be in good condition
• The old render might be out of fashion or not appealing to the owner, such as pebble dash render or cement render
• Brickwork underneath, especially for period properties, might be more appealing
• There could be an underlying issue which needs to be resolved at the exterior wall
• Dampness

Dealing with damp on walls is a vital job

Quite often, damp problems are the leading reason for homeowners to remove render from a home.

Traditional cement renders have a reputation for preventing brickwork from breathing. This leads to moisture trapped between render and bricks, which is the starting point for dampness issues.

The cost of not dealing with damp when restoring external and internal walls,

Can you remove the render from every home?

While removing rendering is the same for every house, there are times when you shouldn’t consider removing brickwork.

Don’t remove the render with breezeblock underneath

If there are no issues with render, and the underlying material is breezeblock, most experts advise property owners to leave the brickwork in place.

If there is any doubt as to what material lies beneath rendering, review the title deeds or liaise with the local council. Alternatively, neighbours might have an idea of what lies beneath your render work.

How do you remove rendering from a house?

Removing render from a house requires specialist equipment, protective clothing and covers to minimise the overall mess. Specialist equipment helps you be careful when restoring render, and for this job, you should have:

• A hammer and chisel (a Scutch chisel is also helpful)
• Sandblaster
• Safety goggles
• Mask and gloves
• Covers for the ground

Once you have examined the condition of the brickwork, you might need spare bricks to replace the damaged brickwork.

The process of applying new rendering is covered comprehensively elsewhere but ensure the wall is clear of dust and debris before moving onto the next stage.

Does it matter what type of render is on external walls?

The type of render applied impacts the render and re-render process.

Look out for lime or cement render

For an older property hailing from the Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian eras, there is a good chance your structure consists of solid walls and lime mortar. When there is no cavity wall, the property needs lime mortar, not cement mortar, to breathe.

So, if you have a Victorian semi detached home, it must be finished with lime mortar to ensure it remains in excellent condition for the future.

Do you need to match your brick work?

The type of bricks used at your property matter too, as well as the colour. Even if the brickwork is under render, the home’s value might be affected if a variety of bricks are used. This is why some builders offer a brick-matching service when they replace damaged bricks at the premises.

Is it best to remove render yourself or hire an expert?

It is easy to see why many people love DIY work. You can save time and money and enjoy great satisfaction with the work you do, but with rendering, there is a risk of severe problems if work isn’t done well.

Get help when removing the render and restoring brickwork and walls

There is also a lot of specialist equipment associated with removing rendering, and it is best to have a specialist on hand who can review the quality of brickwork underneath so that you dont get water ingress. If there are issues you don’t detect, and then re-render, you might cause further problems.

For these issues and more, it makes sense to hire a builder to review your property, and ascertain the best way to undertake render removal at your property.