A finish for a leafy town
Trees are part of what makes Haywards Heath. Mid Sussex District Council's appraisal of The Heath conservation area describes the Heath itself, also known as Clair Park, as mature woodland in the heart of the town, dominated by Scots pine, with oak, beech, sweet chestnut and more, and calls large gardens with trees and hedges a defining feature of the surrounding streets. Lovely to live among, but hard on render. Walls shaded by trees and hedges dry slowly after rain, and slow-drying walls turn green with algae and stain under drips from branches.
Silicone render handles that better than most finishes. The silicone in the top coat makes water bead and run off rather than soak in, so the surface dries faster after a shower and gives algae less to work with. The colour is mixed through the material, so there is no paint film to go chalky or flake, and it never needs repainting.
Which homes in Haywards Heath it suits
Silicone render goes onto brick, block, sound existing render and insulation boards. Around town that typically means:
- Twentieth-century homes in the suburbs that grew out from the centre: towards Lindfield around Sunte Avenue and Gander Hill, around Bentswood and Franklynn Road, and in the post-war estates near Harlands Road, Birchen Lane and Fairfield Way, where an old painted or textured render needs replacing.
- Extensions where the owner wants a crisp, low-maintenance finish rather than painted render.
- New builds and self-builds on infill plots, wanting a clean contemporary look.
- Commercial buildings, where scaffolding for repainting is a recurring nuisance.
Going over what is already there
If an existing render or pebble dash is sound and well bonded, silicone can often go over it. We check first by tapping for hollow areas and looking at cracks. Anything loose comes off and is made good, the wall is cleaned, and beads go on corners, reveals and the base of the wall. Then the system is built up in layers: a basecoat with reinforcing mesh, a tinted primer and the thin, through-coloured top coat.
Colours and conservation areas
Choosing a colour is easy in most streets, but six parts of town are conservation areas: Muster Green, Franklands Village, Lewes Road, Lucastes, The Heath and Mill Hill Close. In The Heath, the council's appraisal notes rendered or painted buildings predominantly in white or cream, alongside the area's red brick. A bright modern colour, or render over previously unrendered brick, could change a street's character, and in a conservation area changes like that can need planning permission. If your house is listed or in one of these areas, check with Mid Sussex District Council before choosing.
Timing the job
Silicone systems need dry, frost-free conditions to cure, and fresh render must be protected from rain. Spring to early autumn is the main season, and work at either end of it is planned closely around the forecast.
For a traditional finish, see rendering in Haywards Heath. For a warmer house as well as a new finish, the same top coat completes an external insulation system; see external wall insulation in Haywards Heath. There is more about the system on our silicone rendering page, and everything else we do locally is on the Haywards Heath page. Call 07824 165672 for a free, no-obligation quote.
