What type of render do I have? How to identify it before cleaning

Updated 6 November 2026 · By the Render Cleaning team

Short answer: You can usually identify render by its age, thickness, texture and colour: silicone and acrylic are thin coats with a fine texture, often on newer homes; monocouche is a thick, through-coloured coat with a scraped finish; sand-and-cement is usually painted; and pebbledash and Tyrolean have obvious stone or flicked textures. Knowing the type determines the safest cleaning method and product.

What type of render do I have? How to identify it before cleaning

Why the render type matters

Different renders react differently to water, pressure and chemicals. Thin coats can be worn through, through-coloured renders can show stripes if their surface is eroded, painted render can lift if the paint is weak, and textured finishes hold growth deep in their surface. Choosing the method and dwell time to suit the render is what separates a good result from a damaged wall.

Render type also affects what happens after cleaning. A silicone render that has been cleaned gently will keep shedding water and stay clean for longer, so a residual biocide is usually the useful aftercare. A porous sand-and-cement or monocouche wall may benefit more from a breathable water repellent. Knowing the type helps you decide whether a protective treatment is worth paying for and which kind.

Quick identification guide

Render type	Typical age of use	How it looks and feels	Typical thickness
Silicone thin coat	Mostly 2000s onwards	Fine, even texture, water beads on it	About 1.5 to 3 mm over a base coat
Acrylic thin coat	Mostly 2000s onwards	Fine texture, can feel slightly plastic	About 1.5 to 3 mm over a base coat
Monocouche	Mostly late 1990s onwards	Scraped, slightly open texture, colour all the way through	About 15 to 20 mm
Sand and cement	Common for decades	Smooth or lightly textured, usually painted	About 15 to 25 mm in two coats
Pebbledash or spar dash	Very common in older homes	Small stones bedded in the surface	Varies
Tyrolean	Mid twentieth century onwards	Honeycomb texture flicked on by machine	Thin textured coat over render

Ages are a rough guide only. Many older homes have been re-rendered or had extensions finished in modern systems.

Simple checks you can do

Splash some water on it: if it beads and runs off, it is likely silicone
Look at a chipped corner or edge: if the colour runs right through, it is likely monocouche
Look for brush or roller marks and flaking: if present, it is painted
Look for stones, sparkly spar or a honeycomb texture: pebbledash, spar dash or Tyrolean
Check the age of the house or extension and any paperwork from the builder
Look for beads at corners and around windows, common with modern thin-coat systems

Finding paperwork

For newer homes and extensions, the best source is the original paperwork. The housebuilder, warranty documents or the render installer may name the render system and manufacturer, and any guarantee usually comes with maintenance guidance. Estate agent particulars and building control records sometimes mention the external finish too. If you know the manufacturer, it is worth checking their cleaning advice before work starts.

If the house has external wall insulation, the render on top is usually a thin-coat system over insulation boards rather than render applied straight to masonry. It often sounds slightly hollow when tapped, which is normal for that build-up, and it should be treated gently because damage to the thin coat can let water reach the insulation. Paperwork from the insulation installer will usually name the system.

Mixed renders on one house

It is common for one house to have more than one render type. An older house might have original pebbledash on the main walls, a painted sand-and-cement extension and a modern silicone finish on a newer side extension or porch. Each of those may need a different product strength, dwell time and rinse. Point out every area you want cleaned, and mention any part of the house that was built or re-rendered at a different time.

Original walls compared with any extension
Front elevation re-rendered when the rest was not
Garages, porches and boundary walls finished differently
Patch repairs in a different material or colour
Areas over external wall insulation

What each type needs when cleaning

Render type	Main cleaning care point
Silicone	Keep pressure low to protect the thin, water-repellent top coat
Acrylic	Low pressure, as the thin coat can wear and mark
Monocouche	Avoid erosion and strong bleach that can cause stripes or uneven colour
Painted render	Gentle rinse so sound paint stays put, check for flaking
Pebbledash	Longer dwell, no high pressure that could dislodge stones
Tyrolean	Longer dwell to reach into the texture

If you are still not sure

Send clear photos of each wall, a close-up of the surface with a coin for scale, and the approximate age of the house or extension. That is usually enough for an experienced render cleaner to identify the type and plan the right method.

Avoid testing by scraping, chipping or pressure washing a patch yourself. Damage to a thin coat or through-coloured render is easy to cause and hard to hide, and a good render cleaner can usually tell the type from a close look and a simple water test.