Our Top 5 Tips for Winter Working

We all know that winter can often bring additional challenges to the construction industry and particularly for those trying to complete outdoor tasks such as rendering. Check out our top 5 tips working with render in the winter months ahead:

1) Plan ahead

Working with render in the winter months can prove to be challenging. Make sure you plan ahead to ensure you have the right equipment, supplies and clothing.

2) Check the Weather Forecast

We recommend between the months of mid-November to early April that it is worthwhile to plan and check the expected weather conditions in advance of starting external render application jobs. Also, as rainfall is more frequent there is an increased risk of limebloom, particularly on deeper colours of render.

3) Be Aware of the Temperature

K Rend cementitious and synthetic products have a working temperature range of 5°C to 35°C. It is very important that render products are not applied onto frozen surfaces and that surfaces are always protected from rain or frost for a minimum of 48 hours after application, whilst the render is curing. Drying times may be prolonged in colder conditions.

4) Keep Substrates Dry

This is a key thing to remember as a wet substrate can prove problematic with adhesion and bonding due to a lack of suction, weakness and reduced bond for the render. Even surfaces which have become saturated and are only dry on the surface can lead to potential problems such as limebloom.

5) Choose the Right Products

Make sure you have the best products on site before you begin to start your rendering project. Our best products for winter working are:

Mineral TC is a cement based, polymer modified render, requiring only the addition of water and 10 minutes mixing time. Benefits include faster drying times at lower temperatures and high humidity.

Accelerator is a liquid additive used to reduce the waiting time before scraping K Rend scraped texture renders. It accelerates the curing time of K Rend scraped texture renders meaning that the render may be scraped earlier, enabling a faster completion of the job.

TC-Additive is a solvent-free additive used to reduce the drying time of synthetic resin renders such as our K Rend Silicone TC. It accelerates the curing time enabling faster completion of jobs and allowing users to apply render all year round.