Rendering Overview
Rendering includes the external application of cement to external brick or concrete walls by hand or machine. Also known as cement rendering or solid plastering, it is a finish used widely throughout Europe.
Rendering can be used on various types of external walls. It is usually selected to improve weathertightness and/or for aesthetic reasons. Products available to specifiers and contractors include solutions for different backgrounds and exposures.
In July 2013, legislation came into effect which introduced the legal requirement for CE marking to be applied to products, including renders, mortars and screeds.
The development of specialist renders and screeds that are faster to install and tackle challenges of improving energy efficiency are high on the agenda for the specialist building finishes sector.
According to the Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors, rendering operatives are more likely than dry trades (such as dry lining) to be located in England but outside London. The proportion of operatives who work in dry trades is distributed evenly within and outside of the Capital. However, in the wet trades the vast majority of operatives are based outside London.
Rendering has experienced a boost from the Government’s Green Deal scheme. Latest figures from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) show that over 9,200 Green Deal assessments have been carried out across the UK and £68.9 million worth of contracts have been let through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) brokerage system.
Key British Standards for Renders
- BS EN 998-1, Rendering and plastering mortar
- BS EN 998-2, Masonry mortar
- BS EN 13813, Screed material and floor screeds