What is Render?
Renders are important to the elevation of buildings, whether they be internal or external. They prepare the wall substrate to be adequately built out for a flat face to be painted, textured, or sometimes even clad. Cement mortar, also known as dry bag render, is the most commonly used form of render.
The components of Render
It’s made up of four main components: lime, sand, cement, and additives.
- Lime – Helps the render to not crack when it dries and hardens up.
- Sand – Generally speaking, coarser sand is added to the concrete render when applying the undercoats and finer sand is used when applying the top coats.
- Cement – The cool color of the render itself depends on the cement used in the mix (i.e. the lighter the cement used, the lighter the render will be).
- Additives – Including cellulose ether, RDP (redispersible polymer powder), etc. It improves water retention of cement-based render and offers additional advantages.
MilaCell™ Cellulose ether for Render
MilaCell™ cellulose ether are essential components of successful cement-based render formulations. Render must retain enough water for proper setting of the cement and to achieve high mechanical strength.
The main role of the MilaCell cellulose ether is to provide sufficient water retention to the render so that the cement can set and develop strength before it dries out. The soluble cellulose ether in the mortar matrix largely determine its rheological properties, which in turn determine the workability of coatings.
The ingredients of cement render make it very inexpensive and an excellent choice for those on a tight budget. It can be applied to any masonry surface, however it’s most commonly applied to bricks. It can also be easily painted if you haven’t opted for to colour the cement itself and can be done at any stage after the render has dried (at least 28 days).
For more information about the Render application or Cellulose ether product, please contact milacell@michemcn.com.