Choosing the right render can significantly improve your home’s exterior in both look and durability. Acrylic Render has become a popular choice among applicators and homeowners for its versatility, flexibility, and superior finish.
Whether you’re planning a full refresh or a simple upgrade, this guide will walk you through how Rockcote’s Acrylic Render works, why it’s a go-to for exteriors, and how to get the best results on your next project.
What is Acrylic Render?
Acrylic Render is a versatile product that includes acrylic polymers in its formulation to enhance flexibility and adhesion. This added performance helps reduce the risk of cracking and makes it suitable for a wide range of surfaces, including brick, concrete, fibre cement and even previously painted substrates.
The benefits of Acrylic Render for your home
Acrylic Render is popular for good reason. It’s designed to perform well in Australian conditions while offering these key benefits:
- Flexible and crack-resistant: Acrylic Render can handle minor wall movement without cracking, making it ideal for homes in areas with temperature swings or shifting substrates.
- Strong adhesion: Thanks to its acrylic component, this type of render bonds well to a wide range of surfaces, including fibre cement and previously painted walls.
- Customisable finish: Whether you’re after a smooth, polished surface or a more textured look, Acrylic Render gives you plenty of flexibility to match your design goals.
- Faster drying times: Acrylic Render dries quicker than other traditional renders, which can help reduce project timelines, a great advantage for applicators.
- Reliable weather resistance: Acrylic Render ensures a long-lasting finish, when used in conjunction with a full Rockcote coating system.
Acrylic Render makes a perfect base coat for Rockcote Coloured Renders, acrylic textures and protective membrane paints
Which acrylic render is right for your surface?
Rockcote offers two high-performance acrylic render products tailored for different project needs: Polymer Render Grey and Polymer Render Off White. While both share the same flexible and premixed formulation, each one is suited to specific applications and finishes.
Rockcote Polymer Render Grey
Rockcote Polymer Render Grey is a flexible acrylic render that’s ideal for fibre cement sheeting, previously painted surfaces, and other areas where movement tolerance and strong adhesion matter. It’s a reliable base coat for both new builds and renovations, helping you get a smooth, even surface that lasts.
You can use it inside or outside on properly prepared surfaces like brick, block, concrete, AAC panels, fibre cement sheeting, plasterboard, and previously painted or textured walls. For the best finish and long-term protection, overcoat with your choice of Rockcote’s texture coatings and top coats.
Why choose Rockcote Polymer Render Grey:
- It’s water-based with low VOCs, making it safe for indoor use and easy to clean up.
- It comes premixed and ready to apply, with no extra mixing needed on-site.
- You can build it up to 4mm in a single coat to help level out uneven areas.
- It can be sponged to create a coarse, textured look before applying your topcoat.
- It bonds well to a wide range of common surfaces for a reliable hold.
- The grey colour helps reduce glare from sunlight or site lights, making it easier to work with.
Rockcote Polymer Render Off White
If you’re after a fine, uniform base that works across different surfaces, Rockcote Polymer Render Off White is a smart choice. Its off-white colour helps with coverage when applying a coloured finish, and its smooth consistency makes it easy to work with on site.
Made with pure acrylic and graded quartz sand, it bonds well to fibre cement sheet, and painted surfaces. Whether you’re working indoors or out, it delivers strong adhesion and crack resistance for a result that holds up over time.
Why choose Rockcote Polymer Render Off White:
- Just like Rockcote Polymer Render Grey, it comes premixed and water-based with low VOCs, so there’s no need to mix on site, and cleanup is quick and easy.
- It flexes with minor movement to help reduce cracking.
- It bonds well to surfaces like brick, block, concrete, AAC, fibre cement sheeting, plasterboard, and previously painted or textured walls.
- It creates a smooth base that makes coloured top coats easier to apply.
- You can tint the base to help with top coat coverage, then finish with your choice from Rockcote’s range of coloured renders, textures or protective top coats.
How to get the best out of your acrylic render?
Getting the most out of your Acrylic Render comes down to preparation and technique. Here are a few key tips to help you get the best result:
- Prep the surface well: Make sure your substrate is clean, dry, and free from dust, flaking paint or loose material. Any existing paint must be firmly bonded to the surface.
- Use the right primer: Applying a suitable Rockcote primer improves adhesion and gives the render a consistent base to stick to.
- Stir before use: Even though Rockcote’s Polymer Renders come premixed, we recommend giving the product a good stir before applying. Don’t add water unless directed.
- Apply evenly: Use a hawk and trowel, standard trowel or rendering machine. Keep coats thin and consistent.
- Sponge for texture: Once the render has started to set, use a sponge float to add a coarse finish. This also helps compact the surface for added strength.
- Let it cure properly: Acrylic Renders dry faster than traditional options, but still need time to set. Protect your work from harsh sun, wind or rain during this period.
- Finish with a top coat: Acrylic renders make a perfect base coat and for extra protection should be overcoated with one of Rockcote’s top coating options. These finishes improve durability and let you customise the final look.
Rockcote solutions for long-lasting results
Acrylic Render is a smart choice for transforming your home’s exterior, offering the flexibility, durability, and longevity that modern builds and renovations demand.
For added texture, Rockcote Coloured Renders, Rockcote Acrylic Texture Coarse and Texture Medium provide easy-to-use, flexible base coats that work across a range of surfaces, such as painted masonry, AAC panels and fibre cement sheets. To boost durability even further, overcoat your render with one of Rockcote’s high-build elastomeric membranes from the Armour range. These top coats add long-term protection while enhancing the final look.
With the right preparation and products, you can achieve a high-performance finish that looks great and lasts. If you need help choosing the right system, contact our team or visit a Rockcote Trade Hub near you.