Rendering changes the look of a house more completely than any other exterior job. It also behaves differently depending on what is underneath it, and getting that wrong is expensive to undo, because failed render has to come off before anything can go back on.
This guide covers the types of render used in Melbourne, what each one suits, what drives the price, and the problems to look for on an existing rendered wall.
The main types
Cement render is the traditional system: sand, cement and lime, applied in coats and allowed to cure. It is breathable, which matters enormously on older solid brick walls, and it is generally the cheaper material. It is also the most prone to hairline cracking as it cures and as the building moves, and it needs time between coats.
Acrylic render is polymer-modified. It is more flexible than cement render, bonds to a wider range of substrates including smooth and previously painted surfaces, goes on thinner, and cures faster. It costs more and it is considerably less breathable, which is the catch on older masonry.
Texture coating is not really render at all. It is a thick, aggregate-filled coating applied over existing sound render or masonry to give a textured finish. It is a refresh rather than a structural fix.
Render systems over cladding — blueboard, foam panel and similar — are proprietary systems with their own base coats, meshes and top coats. These are not interchangeable with ordinary render and must be installed to the manufacturer's system.
Which one suits your wall
| Substrate | Usually suits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solid brick, pre-1950 | Cement render | Breathable; the wall needs to release moisture |
| Modern brick veneer | Cement or acrylic | Both bond well; choice comes down to budget and finish |
| Besser or concrete block | Cement render | Strong mechanical key |
| Smooth or painted surfaces | Acrylic | Bonds where cement render will not |
| Blueboard or foam cladding | Proprietary system only | Must match the cladding manufacturer's specification |
| Existing sound render | Texture coating | Refresh without removing what is there |
The row that causes the most expensive mistakes is the first one. Sealing an old solid brick wall under a non-breathable acrylic system traps moisture inside the wall. It shows up later as blistering, salt staining and damp inside the house, and by then the fix is removal.
Common rendering problems
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fine hairline cracking across a wall | Shrinkage during curing. Usually cosmetic |
| Cracks wider than a few millimetres | Building movement. Investigate before patching |
| Stair-step cracking following the brick joints | Structural movement underneath |
| Hollow sound when tapped | Drummy render. The bond has failed; it will come off |
| Render bulging or lifting in sheets | Bond failure, usually moisture-driven |
| White powdery deposits | Efflorescence. Salts carried out by moisture moving through the wall |
| Staining and bubbling near the ground | Rising damp, or a non-breathable coating on a wall that needs to breathe |
| Paint peeling off rendered walls | Moisture in the substrate, or a coating that cannot breathe |
Drummy render is the one to take seriously. Tap along a rendered wall with your knuckles; a solid wall sounds solid, and a hollow section has already lost its bond. Coating over it only delays the day it falls off, and it usually takes the new coating with it. Our guide to plaster cracks covers how to read cracking on internal walls, and the same logic applies outside.
What drives the cost
- Area and height. Price follows square metres, but a double-storey wall needs scaffolding, which is a fixed cost before any render is mixed.
- Substrate preparation. A clean, sound, keyed surface is straightforward. Removing failed render, painted surfaces that need treating, or patching damaged brickwork all add time.
- Render type. Acrylic systems cost more in materials than sand and cement.
- Number of coats and finish. A smooth finish needs more care and more passes than a sand or textured finish.
- Repairs. Cracking, damaged brickwork and moisture problems must be resolved first, and are usually priced separately.
- Detail. Window and door reveals, corners, arches, parapets and decorative bands are slow, hand-worked areas.
- Access. Narrow side passages, sloping ground and boundary walls all add setup.
How the job runs
- Assessment. Checking the substrate, testing existing render for drumminess, identifying moisture sources and movement cracks.
- Preparation. Removing failed render, cleaning the surface, treating any mould or salt, repairing brickwork, and applying a bonding agent or mesh where needed.
- Base coat. Applied and allowed to cure. Cement render needs genuine curing time, and rushing it is the usual cause of early cracking.
- Finish coat. Floated or trowelled to the chosen texture.
- Curing. New cement render needs to cure before painting, typically several weeks. Painting too early traps moisture and alkalinity in the wall, which attacks the paint from behind.
- Painting. With an appropriate masonry primer and exterior system.
That curing step catches people out when they want the whole job finished in one visit. A renderer who tells you the walls need weeks before paint is protecting your finish, not padding the schedule.
Finishes
- Smooth is the contemporary default. It is also the least forgiving: any undulation in the wall shows, and it demands the most skill.
- Sand or float finish has a fine texture that hides minor imperfections and is the most common on older homes.
- Coarse texture suits large wall areas and hides the most.
- Bagged brick is not render at all, but worth mentioning: a thin cement slurry rubbed over brickwork that keeps the brick texture visible. Much cheaper than full render and suits period homes where full rendering would look wrong.
If you want a decorative interior equivalent, Venetian plaster covers the lime-based finishes used inside.
Painting rendered walls
Render is porous and alkaline when new, so the coating system matters.
- New render must cure fully before painting
- A masonry-appropriate primer or sealer comes first
- Breathability should match the wall: on solid masonry, a vapour-permeable system
- Two top coats of an exterior-grade product
- Colour affects longevity, as deep colours on sun-exposed walls fade faster and move more with heat
If paint is already lifting off your rendered walls, the cause is almost always moisture or a non-breathable coating rather than the paint itself. See why exterior paint peels.
If you are weighing up rendering a brick home against simply painting it, painting brick homes in Melbourne compares the options and the costs.
Timing in Melbourne
Render needs moderate temperatures and reasonable humidity to cure evenly.
- Spring and autumn are ideal.
- Summer works, but render drying too fast in direct heat cracks, so walls are worked out of the sun and sometimes kept damp while curing.
- Winter is slow. Cold, wet weather extends curing and risks frost damage on fresh render.
Allow one to two weeks for a typical single-storey home including curing, longer for double-storey or where repairs are needed, and remember that painting follows weeks later.
Rendering with Expert Painting and Renovation
Expert Painting and Renovation is a family-run, Aussie-local company based in Richmond with more than 9 years of experience on Melbourne homes and businesses. We check the substrate before quoting, tell you if your wall needs a breathable system, and resolve moisture and movement problems rather than rendering over them.
Because we also paint, the render and the coating are specified together, which avoids the common situation where new render is painted too early by someone who was not told when it would be ready. Full details are on our rendering service page. We also handle plastering and exterior painting. If you are comparing local options, rendering near me covers what to look for.
See examples in our portfolio, check coverage on our service areas page, or contact us for an inspection.
Frequently asked questions
How much does rendering cost in Melbourne? It depends on wall area, height and access, the render system, the finish and how much preparation or repair the substrate needs. Scaffolding on a double-storey home is a significant fixed cost on its own. Get it quoted after an inspection.
Cement render or acrylic render? Cement render is breathable and cheaper, and suits solid masonry. Acrylic is more flexible, bonds to more surfaces and cures faster, but is less breathable. On a pre-1950 solid brick home, breathability usually decides it.
How long before new render can be painted? Cement render typically needs several weeks to cure. Painting too early traps moisture and alkalinity behind the film and causes early failure.
Can you render over painted brick? Not with cement render directly. The painted surface prevents a proper key. An acrylic system over a suitable bonding agent is the usual approach, after testing the existing paint is sound.
What does drummy render mean? The render has lost its bond with the wall and sounds hollow when tapped. It will eventually come away and needs removing and replacing rather than coating over.
Will rendering fix damp? No. Render applied over a damp wall traps the moisture and often makes the problem worse. The source has to be found and dealt with first.
Does rendering add value? It changes street appeal substantially, which matters most on a sale. It also protects the masonry. Whether it returns its cost depends on the property and the suburb.
📍 Our Service Areas Across Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula, Surf Coast & Phillip Island
We proudly provide premium painting and renovation services across a wide range of Melbourne suburbs, bayside locations, coastal towns and Phillip Island communities. Whether you’re in St Kilda, South Yarra, Malvern, Richmond, Hawthorn, Kew, Balwyn, Mount Waverley, Ringwood, Hampton, Frankston, Mount Eliza, Mornington, Mount Martha, Rosebud, Sorrento, Doncaster, Geelong, Apollo Bay, Anglesea, Lorne — or coastal areas like Flinders, Somers, San Remo, Cape Woolamai, Cowes, Coronet Bay, Tootgarook, Rye, Blairgowrie, Portsea, Inverloch, Kilcunda, Ventnor and Newhaven — our team delivers high‑quality interior and exterior painting tailored to your local environment.
Explore our full service areas below:
Melbourne & Bayside
St Kilda – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-st-kilda/
South Yarra – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-south-yarra/
Malvern – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-malvern
Richmond – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-richmond/
Hawthorn – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-hawthorn/
Kew – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-kew/
Balwyn – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-balwyn/
Mount Waverley – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-mount-waverley/
Ringwood – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-ringwood/
Hampton – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-hampton/
Frankston – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-frankston/
Mount Eliza – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-mount-eliza/
Mornington – https://expertpaint.com.au/expert-painting-and-renovation-mornington/
Mount Martha – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-mount-martha/
Rosebud – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-rosebud/
Sorrento – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-sorrento/
Doncaster – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-doncaster/
Phillip Island & Bass Coast
Flinders – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-flinders-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Somers – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-somers-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
San Remo – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-san-remo-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Cape Woolamai – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-cape-woolamai-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Cowes – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-cowes-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Coronet Bay – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-coronet-bay-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Tootgarook – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-tootgarook-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Rye – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-rye-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Blairgowrie – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-blairgowrie-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Portsea – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-portsea-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Inverloch – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-inverloch-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Kilcunda – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-kilcunda-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Ventnor – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-ventnor-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Newhaven – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-newhaven-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Surf Coast & Bellarine Peninsula
Torquay – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-torquay-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Ocean Grove – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-ocean-grove-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Barwon Heads – https://expertpaint.com.au/aussie-local-painters-barwon-heads-victoria-expert-painting-renovation/
Geelong – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-geelong/
Apollo Bay – https://expertpaint.com.au/expert-painting-and-renovation-apollo-bay/
Anglesea – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-anglesea/
Lorne – https://expertpaint.com.au/painting-and-renovation-in-lorne/
