Where silicone render suits Littlehampton
The Sussex Extensive Urban Survey notes that most of Littlehampton's buildings date from after about 1840, and the town grew fastest in the twentieth century. Between the wars, houses on Maltravers Road were built in brick and pebble-dash, according to Arun District Council, and after 1945 new suburbs spread north along the Lyminster road towards Wick and out to the A259 bypass, which opened in 1991. Houses from those decades commonly carry painted render or pebble dash that has been patched and repainted many times, and in a coastal town the paint rarely stays fresh for long.
Silicone render is a good fit for that kind of house. The colour runs right through the top coat, so there is nothing to repaint, and the silicone makes the surface shed water rather than soak it up, while still letting moisture vapour out of the wall.
The coast and the river
Littlehampton sits at the mouth of the River Arun, facing the English Channel, and houses near the seafront and the river catch wind-driven rain and salt in the air. Painted finishes chalk and flake under that kind of exposure. A silicone finish holds its colour and stays cleaner because rain carries the dirt away, though a north-facing or shaded wall anywhere can still grow a little algae over time and benefits from an occasional gentle wash.
Covering pebble dash and old render
You do not always need to strip back to the brick. If existing render or pebble dash is sound and firmly bonded, it can be cleaned, levelled with a basecoat, reinforced with embedded mesh, primed and finished in silicone. If it sounds hollow when tapped or is cracking away, those areas come off first, and sometimes the whole coat does. Covering failing render only hides the problem for a while, so we check each wall before we quote. Satellite dishes, alarm boxes, outside lights and pipe brackets are taken off and refitted afterwards, so the new coat runs behind them instead of being cut around them.
Colours, details and planning
Silicone systems come in a wide range of colours. Think about the street as well as the house: a strong colour on one half of a pair of semis can look odd, and soft whites, creams and stone shades rarely do. New beads at the corners, a bell-cast above the damp proof course and tidy edges around windows make as much difference to the finished look as the colour itself. If your house is in one of Littlehampton's conservation areas, around East Street, River Road or the seafront, a change of finish or colour may need planning permission from Arun District Council, so ask before you choose.
When to book
Silicone systems need dry weather and moderate temperatures to cure, so most external work happens between spring and autumn. Arranging a quote over the winter puts you in a good position for the drier months.
Compare it with our other rendering options in Littlehampton, or add insulation underneath with external wall insulation in Littlehampton. The main silicone rendering page explains the system in more detail, and the Littlehampton area page lists all our local services. Call 07824 165672 for a free quote.
