Tips to Remember Before Painting a Wall That Has Undergone Rendering

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Rendering refers to covering a surface (such as a wall) with plaster. That plaster can contain Portland cement, sand and water. This article discusses some helpful tips that you should keep in mind as you prepare to paint the wall that you have just rendered.

Watch the Moisture Content of the Wall

As already mentioned, render contains water. That water can be trapped inside the wall and cause dampness issues if you paint the wall before the water has evaporated. Alternatively, the water can cause the paint to bubble and fade if it escapes from the wall and makes the paint wet. It is therefore advisable for you to wait for a few days before you can paint your newly rendered wall. You may need to wait for a longer time if you rendered the wall during the cold months of the year.

Look Out for Gaps in the Render

Sometimes, cracks develop in the render as it dries. You may have also missed some spots as you rendered the wall. The quality of the paint job will be poor in those places where there are cracks or places without cement render. Remove those surface imperfections by applying an external surface filler. These fillers are available in hardware stores.

Remove Protrusions

As you inspect the wall before painting it, you may notice that some places have beads of render. Those beads form when one does not use a trowel (or any other tool) to flatten the render effectively as it was placed on the wall. Those beads can also show up as bumps once you paint the wall. Remove those beads so that they do not mar the quality of the paint job. Simply take any flat tool (such as a trowel) and dip it in water. Use the trowel to scrub the render beads using circular motions. The protrusions will gradually flatten until you have a uniform surface to paint.

Attend to Friable Spots

Some DIY render mixtures may not contain the appropriate quantities of ingredients (such as sand or cement). For example, you may have used less cement than was required in the mix. This can cause the render to become sandy, which crumbles off easily. Paint can easily deteriorate when applied on such a surface. Buy a wall primer and stabiliser from a hardware store near you. Apply those substances on the wall following the manufacturer guidelines. Wait for the stabiliser and primer to dry before you paint the wall.

In case you come across any other issues that have not been covered in the discussion above, consult a rendering professional for advice.


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