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The final look of your render is one of the most important design decisions you will make. Today, there are more colours, patterns and textures to choose from than ever before. No one render finish or colour will suit every design vision, so it’s essential to do your research and take a look at other homes for inspiration before making your final decision.

The two main types of render finishes can be divided into smooth render finishes and textured render finishes. But which one is right for you and your home?
Continue reading to learn more about smooth and textured render finishes.

Smooth Render

Smooth render finishes are timeless, elegant and suit most home designs, especially contemporary, modern homes and those with a minimalist design. It can add the illusion of space due to the light reflecting off the smooth surface.

What Are the Benefits of Smooth Render Finishes?

The benefits of smooth render finishes include:

  • Appearance: Smooth render finishes result in an elegant, minimalist design that is the perfect match for contemporary, modern, and minimalist-designed homes.
  • Makes the interior appear more spacious: Smooth render makes interiors appear more spacious because light reflects evenly off the smooth surface.
  • Easier to clean: Smooth renders are much easier to clean than textured render finishes.
  • Versatile: Smooth render finishes are generally more versatile than textured render finishes. They can be used for minimalist designs or in addition to bold features, bright colours, sharp angles and feature walls.
  • Easier to paint: Smooth renders are much easier to paint than textured finishes.

Disadvantages of Smooth Render Finishes

The disadvantages of smooth render finishes include:

  • Less durable: Smooth render finishes are less durable than textured renders and are more prone to becoming damaged over time (cracks, holes and scratches).
  • Limited design options: Smooth render finishes have more limited design capabilities than textured render finishes.
  • More labour-intensive application: Smooth render finishes reveal any imperfections, meaning that the application must be perfect and the final result flawless.

What Are Smooth Renders Best For?

Smooth render finishes are best for:

  • Contemporary and modern homes
  • Townhouses
  • Low-maintenance and eco-friendly homes
  • Beach homes
  • Smaller homes and granny flats (give the illusion of more space)

Textured Render Finishes

Textured render finishes add points of interest, character, and richness to homes. They can be a small part of your home design (a feature wall) or play a more prominent role in the overall appearance of your home.

What Are the Benefits of Textured Render Finishes?

The benefits of textured render finishes include:

  • Visual interest: Textured render finishes provide visual points of interest in a home. Do you want your home to have the ‘wow factor’? A textured render finish is the perfect design choice.
  • Hides imperfections or damage: If you have some slight damage or imperfections on the walls of your home, a textured render finish is an easy way to cover these up and draw attention away from any imperfections or damage.
  • Wide range of finishes and designs: Textured render finishes are available in a wide range of designs. You can choose more discreet textures or bigger grain sizes, depending on the design vision you have for your home.
  • More durable: Textured render finishes are typically more durable than smooth render finishes, which is especially beneficial for exterior designs.
  • Contrasts: Textured render finishes are ideal for creating contrasts and points of interest to draw attention to specific architectural features of a home.
  • Easier to apply: Textured render finishes are easier to apply, as you don’t have to worry so much about a perfect or flawless finish.

What Are the Disadvantages of Textured Render Finishes

The disadvantages of textured render finishes include:

  • Harder to clean/maintain: Textured render finishes are generally more challenging to keep clean.
  • May not suit all architectural styles: Textured render finishes may not be suitable for all architectural styles and may appear dated in certain environments.

What Are Textured Render Finishes Best for?

Textured render finishes are best for:

  • Older homes
  • Homes with unique architectural features
  • Homes with character
  • Homes with slight imperfections or damage

Which Render Finish is Right for You?

Style:

  • Smooth render finish: An elegant and modern appearance perfect for contemporary and modern homes.
  • Textured render finish: A unique and bold design that adds points of interest to older homes.

Maintenance:

  • Smooth render finish: A smooth finish render is easier to clean and maintain, but it can also reveal imperfections, dirt, or damage more clearly.
  • Textured render finish: Textured render finishes can hide most imperfections or damage, but are harder to clean.

Application

  • Smooth render finish: Applying a smooth render finish is more challenging, as any imperfections are more noticeable.
  • Textured render finish: A textured render finish can hide any imperfections more easily, making its application easier.

Smooth or textured render finish? Whatever you choose depends on the architectural design of your home, its age, your budget, and your personal preferences.

If you want to find out more about different render finishes and patterns, give Sydney Cement Rendering a call! We take pride in being Sydney’s trusted rendering experts and providing our customers with the highest quality rendering services. Contact us at 0402 704 984 or visit our website: https://sydneycementrendering.com/ to find out more about what we offer!