Rendering service
Texture coatings in Sydney
Modern two-storey at duskA Finishing Touch job in Sydney
- Licensed rendererNSW licence 298643C
- Since 2012Rendering Sydney homes
- Owner on every jobFrom the quote to the clean-up
- Free quotesConfirmed in writing after a visit
- Best for
- Finishing new cement render, refreshing tired render or painted masonry, and giving fibre cement board a rendered look
- Suits
- Cured cement render, brick, block, concrete, fibre cement made to be coated, and sound older coatings
- Before paint
- Over new cement render, wait 28 days before the texture goes on. Between texture coats, Dulux allows as little as 2 hours at 25°C.
- Dulux AcraTex Sedona technical data sheet (AUAC00056)
- Upkeep
- Wash the walls once a year, more often near the sea. Keep a little of the tinted finish for touch-ups, and recoat the topcoat when the system maker recommends.
Three textures
Which texture finishes can you choose?
The common choices are a light sandy texture rolled on with a nap roller, a medium texture laid on with a texture roller and finished with a nap roller, and heavier textures trowelled or sprayed on. The same product can look quite different depending on the tool, so we apply a sample area before doing the whole house.
Sand finish
Nap roller
Fine and even, closest to a sponge-floated render
Medium roller texture
Texture roller, then a nap roller
More relief, good at hiding minor unevenness
Trowelled texture
Trowel or spray gun
Heavier and more hand-finished
The short answer
What it is and when you need it
A texture coating is a high-build acrylic coating: far thicker than paint, with fine aggregate in it.
Applied with a nap or texture roller, a trowel or a spray gun, it gives a wall its texture and its colour in one system, and it is usually finished with a membrane topcoat. Products such as Dulux's Sedona conform to AS 4548, the Australian Standard for long-life coatings for masonry.
You would use one to finish new sand and cement render instead of plain paint, or to bring an older rendered or painted wall back to one even finish. Because it builds thicker than paint, it bridges fine hairline cracks better. Dulux says the sandy profile of its Sedona texture gives more crack bridging than conventional low-build paint.
If your walls are already rendered and sound, a texture coating may be all they need. If the render is cracked or drummy (hollow-sounding when tapped), that is repaired first, because a coating will not hold a failing render together.
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Questions answered
What people ask about texture coatings
What are external wall coatings, and how do they differ from paint?
External wall coatings is the broader name for the same family: texture coats, membrane topcoats and the primers under them. Paint is a thin film. A coating system builds a much thicker layer that resists water and stays flexible enough to ride over hairline cracks.
The membrane topcoat is the weatherproofing layer. Dulux describes its AcraShield topcoat as resistant to water, mould and mildew, with crack bridging for cement render. The texture coat under it is tinted close to the topcoat colour, so a scuff does not show a different colour beneath.
Can a texture coating go over my existing walls?
Usually. Cured render, brick, block, concrete and sound painted masonry all take a texture coating once they are clean and repaired. Surfaces that are powdery or crumbly get a primer first, cracks and holes are patched flush, and rusting nails or wire on the wall are removed or treated.
Over fibre cement, the board has to be one made to be coated, with its joints treated as the coating system specifies. We coat the board; supplying and fixing it is a job for the builder or installer.
Will a texture coating hide cracks?
It will bridge fine hairline cracks. It will not hide or fix cracks caused by the wall moving; those come back through any coating and need to be repaired, and sometimes looked at by an engineer, first.
How often do texture coatings need recoating?
There is no single figure, because each system's data sheet sets its own maintenance. What helps every system is a yearly wash, fixing cracks and leaks early, and keeping some of the original tinted finish so small repairs match.
Can I just paint my rendered house instead?
You can, but on cement render Dulux recommends against ordinary low-build paint, because render develops fine shrinkage cracks as it ages and a thin paint film will not ride over them. A texture or membrane system lasts better on render.
2 more questions
Is texture coating the same as acrylic render?
They are related but do different jobs. Acrylic render is a base that builds up and levels the wall; a texture coating is the finish that gives it texture and colour. On many houses the texture coat goes over the render.
Can texture coatings be used inside?
Some texture coatings are made for inside walls as well. Tell us where the wall is when you ask for a quote and we will say whether a texture finish suits it.
Sydney conditions
What changes this job in Sydney
Colour rules on the Pittwater coast
Where a development application is needed in Newport, for example for an addition, the Pittwater 21 development control plan requires dark, earthy external colours and does not permit white, light-coloured, light grey or beige walls, with limited exceptions. Like-for-like recoating that needs no approval is not caught, but a new colour scheme on a new addition is.
Source: Pittwater 21 Development Control Plan, D10.4 Building colours and materials (Newport)
Heritage colour schemes
In Paddington's heritage conservation area, Woollahra Council asks for a colour board for any new exterior colour scheme, and terraces in a matching row are painted in consistent tones. Check your council's heritage controls before choosing a colour.
Source: Woollahra development control plan, Paddington Heritage Conservation Area
Surface temperature and humidity
Dulux says its texture coating must not go on when the wall surface is above 40°C or below 10°C, or when relative humidity is above 85%. On a Sydney job that can rule out a sun-facing wall on a summer afternoon and some damp winter mornings.
Source: Dulux AcraTex Sedona technical data sheet (AUAC00056)
Start to finish
How a texture coating job runs
- 01
Free quote
Ask for a quote and we give you a rough figure; wide shots of each wall and close-ups of any damage help.
In the quoteThe owner quotes and oversees
- 02
Visit and sample
We check the walls, confirm the texture and colour, and a sample area is done on your wall.
- 03
Prepare
The site is protected, the walls are washed, patched and primed where needed.
In the quoteWash and prepare · Prime where needed
- 04
Coat
Texture coats go on one wall at a time without stopping mid-wall, then the topcoat if included.
WaitAs little as 2 hours between texture coats at 25°C, on Dulux’s data sheet
In the quoteTexture coats · Membrane topcoat · Enough tint for the whole job
- 05
Clean up
Covers come off, the site is cleaned, and spare tinted finish is left with you.
Planning texture coatings?
Ask for a free quote: a rough figure first, then a visit to confirm the quote in writing.
Pricing
What changes the price
Our typical prices · Texture coat render system
$57–$115
per m², including GST, typical $80
- The wall area and height, and whether scaffolding is needed
- How much patching, priming and crack repair the walls need first
- The texture you choose and how many coats it takes
- Whether a membrane topcoat is part of the job
- Access around the house, and how much needs covering and protecting
Reviews
What our clients say
Courteous, tidy, protected the area from debris, cleaned up after and a good job
“Very professional and so helpful! Good communication and a fair price! Arrived nice and early! The rendering was done very well and looks great. The boys were very careful and made no mess! I have no hesitation in recommending Ali and his workers! I am definitely a very happy customer! Job: rear of house rendering plus a variety of rendering repairs in various places! Thank you so much!”
★★★★★Gregory Williams · “We loved dealing with Ali and his team. They are all lovely and really good renderers. We wanted something a little different (a thickly applied splattered style) in some parts of the house,”bagged” in other areas and smooth render in other parts…all was no problem, and expertly done. All fairly priced too. We would definitely recommend Finishing Touch Rendering. Stephanie and David.”
★★★★★Stephanie Hammond ·
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Guides, other finishes and areas
Guides
Free quote
Get a free texture coating quote
Quotes are free. Quotes are free. We give you a rough estimate first and visit before the final quote. Photos of each wall, with close-ups of any cracks, help.