Can you render over stone cladding?

Homeowners tend to pay the most attention to the design of their interiors - they carefully choose the furniture, select the colour palette and look for matching accessories. But we also shouldn’t forget about the outside of the building! Cladding and render are two extremely well-liked methods of finishing used on the exterior walls of a building. But can you put rendering on stone? Let’s find out!

What is render?

Before we try to answer the main question, we should learn more about rendering itself. So what exactly is render? It is a wet coating that is applied to a wall, usually stone or brick, to cover the previous finish. Due to its liquid form, render is commonly used to hide any flaws on the surface and create a more uniform look. Of course, there are various styles of wall rendering - you may select a completely smooth finish, more textured surface, or a grainy look.

Wide range of colours

Types of render

Besides various styles and colours, you can choose from numerous types of render, depending on your needs. Among the available options, you will find cement, polymer, acrylic, silicone, monocouche, and lime renders. Cement versions are the most popular because of their low prices, but they tend to not be very durable and are prone to cracks. On the other hand, lime render is one of the most recommended products as it is highly breathable. As a result, it helps to minimize any issues with moisture getting trapped within the wall, which is a pretty common phenomenon when the render is placed on older surfaces, such as stone. Monocouche versions are also well received because they offer great flexibility and are weather resistant.

Stone cladding and render

So can you render over stone cladding? The short answer is, yes, you can. Render is used quite often to cover both stone and brick finish. However, it probably won’t happen without some challenges. If the cladding you want to coat is very bumpy, and some stones stick out way more than others, you will have to spend way more time on this project. Most likely, you will need to apply several layers of render before you create a smooth and level surface. You may try to put rendering on stone by yourself, but it’s a quite demanding task that is best left to professionals. A better option is finding experienced builders who can do the job quickly and efficiently. 

See also our other, handy advices:

• How to cut and fit stone cladding
• How to install stone cladding