Your home protects you and your family from the elements. Your external walls keep moisture, wind, and debris out of your home, but that protection does not last forever. Homes built with brickwork typically need an external layer of protection to prevent damage to your internal brickwork. This layer is known as render.
Rendering is the process of coating exterior walls of a home, much like plastering is the process of coating the interior walls. Rendering protects your home from water, snow, and frost and provides a visually appealing exterior. However, when the render is damaged your home could require thousands in repairs if it is not taken care of quickly. A professional can diagnose the problem and complete the repair, but first, you need to spot the damage.
The Warning Signs
There are a number of different ways render can be damaged. Depending on how the render is damaged, it is possible you might not notice it immediately. This is why it is urgent you always call a professional immediately when you notice damage.
Here are a few ways that render can be damaged:
- Hairline Cracks are difficult to see and will quickly grow in size if left alone.
- Large Cracks are easier to spot, but these larger cracks mean water has already penetrated the render.
- Bulging Render is caused by moisture behind the render which could be frozen.
- Blown Render means the render is no longer attached to the walls. This can be diagnosed by tapping on the render, which will produce a hollow sound.
If you notice any damage to your render, call a professional. There could be a significant amount of moisture trapped behind your walls that you need to get taken care of immediately.
How a Professional Protects your Home
The good news is most rendering repair is done in the damaged site, it usually does not require extensive replacement of your existing render. A professional can diagnose your problem and repair it relatively quickly, but there are a few reasons why you should work with a professional instead of doing it yourself.
Removing damaged render is not as easy as it might look, and you could cause more damage by removing it yourself. Patching the render takes extensive skill and knowledge. If you patch your render with the wrong product, say cement render, when you have a lime render, that will cause even more damage down the road. If you attempt to repair this render yourself will have extensive problems.
A professional can protect your home by restoring your damaged render properly. You will be safe from water, snow, and frost, and you can rest easy knowing that your home is not at risk for extensive damage from damp walls. A professional render repair is necessary, especially if you have an older home that might be at risk for damaged render.
If you are worried about the render on your home, call a professional. Any water in your walls can cause serious damage to your home and your health and it needs to be addressed immediately. A professional will repair the damaged area and check for other possible damaged sites, so it is worth your peace of mind and safety to contact Twin City as soon as you see any cracks or damage.