Rendered facade in Batumi: render, texture and painting

Rendered facade in Batumi: when render is enough

A rendered facade is a mortar finish on the wall without an insulation layer: preparation, a levelling coat on mesh, a decorative texture and paint. In Batumi's warm climate such a facade is appropriate more often than people think. It is used on houses of solid brick and stone, on cast concrete walls insulated from the inside, on garages, outbuildings and fences, and on old buildings where it matters to keep the wall thickness and the look of the facade.

If the wall is aerated concrete or the house needs to save on air conditioning, it usually pays to go straight for an insulated render facade with insulation. The price difference per m² is smaller than the savings over a few years.

Layers of a rendered facade

• cleaning the wall, removing weak areas, dust removal;
• a scratch coat or bonding primer so that the mortar holds on smooth concrete;
• a base coat of cement-lime render applied to screed rails;
• facade mesh at joints between materials, and over the whole area if the substrate is mixed;
• a levelling finish coat or a decorative texture;
• primer and two coats of facade paint.

We do not use gypsum mixes on facades: moisture softens them. The base coat thickness is kept within what the mix allows, and heavy unevenness in the masonry is first corrected with a separate coat on mesh.

Material joints and cracks

Render cracks where different materials meet beneath it: a concrete column and a block, a slab and masonry, an old wall and a new extension. They expand differently in the sun and move differently in tremors. At these joints we bed mesh extending 20–30 cm to each side, and on long walls we provide movement joints, later closed with a profile or styled as a decorative rustication groove. How masonry is built and why its joints with the frame are special is described on the masonry works page.

Textures and paint

Smooth render for painting looks crisp, but every bump and stain shows on it. Textured renders, scraped, roughcast or fine-grain, forgive unevenness and show less dirt from rain. For modern houses we do concrete-effect render. For a facade by the sea we use silicone or silicate paint with algae protection. Acrylic paints let vapour through poorly, and on mineral render blisters appear under them over time.

Old houses and lime renders

On old houses in Batumi the walls are often rendered with lime mortar. If dense cement render goes over it, moisture can no longer leave the wall, and the new coat peels off in sheets within a couple of years. On such houses we remove loose areas back to the substrate and restore the facade with compatible lime or lime-cement mixes. If the whole house needs renovation along with the facade, see the old house renovation page.

How much a rendered facade costs

A rendered facade without insulation, with materials, costs from 100 ₾ per m²: preparation and primer, render on mesh, a decorative coat and paint. Painting a finished facade with primer from 42 ₾ per m², concrete-effect decorative render from 63 ₾, crack repair with reinforcement from 51 ₾ per linear metre. Reveals and sills from 54 ₾ per linear metre, scaffolding from 18 ₾ per m² of facade. If the facade is already peeling and cracked, we first check what can stay, see the facade repair page. The final cost is set after inspecting the wall and agreeing the estimate.