Frequently Asked Questions

Who are K Rend?

K Rend are part of Kilwaughter Minerals and are the largest UK independent silicone render manufacturer with over 30 year’s experience in the construction industry.

What is K Rend?

K Rend is a coloured render which goes on the outside walls of your house instead of sand, cement & paint or bricks. The colour pigment is within the render meaning you don’t have to paint it.

Why is Coloured render better than sand, cement & paint?

You don’t have to paint coloured render, which means lower costs and less hassle to maintain your property in the future. As you don’t have to repaint, you avoid layers of paint, bubbling or cracking which allows your property keep its fresh and clean finish in years to come.

What is the difference between K Rend and our competitors?

Our top coat renders contain Silicone – this helps with the water repellency of the render surface whilst allowing the substrate to breathe. This ensures the render stays fresh by keeping the surface drier for longer, making it more resistant to algae growth.

What is the cost of K Rend for my property?

This will entirely depend on your applicator, but they will provide you with a Supply & Fit quote which includes the product and all of the application costs (including labour). They will work out the price based on the square metres of area to be rendered.

Why are there multiple products and what are the differences between your products?

We have Thin Coat ranges which are designed to go onto cement or insulation boards. These are much thinner products with the flexibility to cope with the movement in these substrates. Our Scraped Texture ranges are applied in much thicker layers and are designed to go onto brick or blockwork substrates.

What is the smoothest finish that K Rend do?

Within the Scraped Textured range, our K1 Spray or Silicone K1 products provide the smoothest finish. Within the Thin Coat range, the TC 05 is the finest finish as it contains a 0.5mm grain.

Can I have a different texture of finish?

Within the Thin Coat range there are 4 textures of finish:

• TC 30 – a 3mm grain
• TC 15 – a 1.5mm grain
• TC 10 – a 1mm grain
• TC 05 – a 0.5mm grain

We also have dash or roughcast finishes if you prefer more texture than our Scraped Texture ranges.

What colours are available?

We have a standard 20 colours in our Thin Coat & Scraped Texture ranges which you can see online. Bespoke colours are available but there is typically a minimum order quantity and the price may be affected by the pigment required to create the colour.

Do you have samples?

Yes, we have samples which we can send to you FOC. Its worth doing this to get a proper representation of the colour. Its also worth putting the sample against any contrasting colours on your property such as windows or doors to ensure you’re happy with the tones.

Do I buy the product from you?

No, we don’t sell directly to end users. We sell through Builders Merchants and Render Specialists throughout the UK and Ireland. The list of merchants close to you or your applicator are available on our website here.

What backgrounds can you render onto?

You can apply K Rend to all masonry substrates when you use the correct specification. Some of K Rend products can also be applied to both cement board and various insulation back grounds.

My house has been painted or pebble dashed, can I use K Rend?

The current layer will have to be stripped back until there is a stable substrate and then rendered out from there. This is quite common and applicators will be used to doing this.

Can I paint on top of render?

You shouldn’t need to paint render, just wash it down. If you paint it, you will lose the water repellency and breathability the product provides and also then enter the repainting and maintenance cycle. If you decide you want to change the colour, you can use our colour enhance product which helps maintain the properties of the render.

How is K Rend applied?

It can be hand applied or with a spray machine – depending on the product, technical specification and applicators choice.

Do you apply the product also?

No, we are a manufacturer only, we can supply you with a list of our recommended applicators who apply our products regularly and understand the correct specification to be used. You contact them directly and your contract is with them directly.

What warranty do you get if you use the K Rend product?

K Rend products are backed up with our BBA Certificates where the product is applied as per the correct specification and application guidelines, it is for 30 years.

Does the weather affect the product when being applied?

K Rend should be applied when it is 5 degrees C and rising. It should not be applied in very windy conditions, direct sunlight or damp conditions.

I’ve seen houses that are discoloured with green, black or red – what causes this?

This is known as algae which occurs naturally in the air. Some geographic areas are more prone to it than others. The best way to stop algae occurring is to keep it washed down.

If you’re in a particularly exposed area, you can apply K Pro on top of your render. This is an extra clear, water repellent layer which helps protect the surface. If algae occurs, we provide an algae clean product which is easy to use and removes most common algae easily.

My render is tired and dirty, does it need painted?

No, it simply needs a gentle wash down to freshen the appearance. If you use a power hose, make sure it is on a gentle fan setting.

What does it mean ‘Low Maintenance’?

K Rend is a low maintenance finish, it will require a wash down, a bit like your patio each year.

Will it crack?

No it should not crack providing it is correctly applied. An experienced applicator will know how to apply correctly to prevent any problems and ensure the 30 year BBA warranty is valid.

Can I apply the render myself?

We would recommend an experienced applicator who knows how to apply our products correctly, to our specifications, to ensure the 30 year BBA warranty is valid.

Where is K Rend based?

The K Rend Head Office is at our quarry in Kilwaughter in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. We mine the limestone from the quarry which goes into the product. We distribute throughout the UK and Ireland and have various distribution and office locations. We have sales teams in each area should you need help or advice and our technical team are always at the end of the phone.