Post-war fronts that need a lift
Much of Burgess Hill was built in a rush after the war. According to the district's landscape character assessment, it was in the post-war period up to 1970 that virtually the whole urban pattern of the town was consolidated, with growth west of St John's Common, south around Oakmeeds and east, north of the old clay pits and brickyards. Since 1970 there has been more on the northern edge, north of Folders Lane and on the west side. If your house from any of those decades has painted render or a pebble dash panel that is now streaked, chalky or flaking, a silicone system can give it a clean, modern face that does not need repainting.
How the finish is built up
The colour in silicone render runs right through a thin top coat, and the silicone makes the surface repel rain while letting water vapour out of the wall. What makes it last is the build-up beneath. Any loose or hollow render is removed and the wall made sound. Beads go on corners, around windows and at the base of the wall. A basecoat is applied with glass fibre mesh pressed into it to resist cracking, a primer follows, and the top coat is applied thinly and floated to an even texture. Sound old render or pebble dash can usually stay and be covered, and new blockwork takes the same system.
Colour in a town of red brick
Burgess Hill grew on brick and tile. The district council's descriptions of the town's conservation areas pick out brick, clay tile hanging and ornamental ridge tiles, and the Keymer Brick and Tile Company kept making clay tiles in the town until 2014. A colour that works beside red brick and clay tiles, often a soft white, cream or stone, usually looks better than a stark brilliant white. On a semi-detached house, think about the pair: one half in a new colour against an unchanged neighbour can look odd. In a conservation area or on a listed building, check with Mid Sussex District Council before changing an outside colour.
Extensions and commercial buildings
Silicone render is a tidy way of tying a new extension to an older house, because the same colour and texture go over both, hiding the join between old and new walls. Offices, shops and commercial units can be finished the same way, giving a crisp face that stays clean without a repainting programme. For traditional renders on older walls, see rendering in Burgess Hill, and if you want to insulate at the same time, see external wall insulation in Burgess Hill.
Weather and booking
Silicone systems have temperature and weather limits set by their manufacturers, so they are applied in dry, mild spells and protected while they cure. Spring to autumn is the main season, and it is worth asking for a quote early. Scaffolding stays up until the top coat has cured, so plan other outside jobs, such as new windows, fascias or guttering, to happen before the render goes on rather than after. Our main silicone rendering page explains the system, and our Burgess Hill area page lists everything else we do here.
