Acrylic render is a polymer-modified coating applied over cement render, blockwork, concrete, Hebel or lightweight cladding. The acrylic content gives the coat elasticity, which is why it copes with the daily expansion and contraction a Melbourne facade goes through between a 6am frost and a 38-degree afternoon.
Because the colour is mixed through the product rather than painted on, a chip does not expose a white substrate and the finish does not peel the way film-forming paint eventually does. It is our default recommendation for new builds, extensions and any facade where the client wants a low-maintenance finish that holds its colour.
We build the system up properly: substrate check, patching and keying, bonding primer where the surface calls for it, base coat, then the finish coat worked to the specified texture. Where the wall needs a genuine weather barrier we finish with a DULUX AcraShield membrane, which carries a 10-year manufacturer guarantee on the coating system.
Best suited to
- New homes, townhouses and extensions
- Blockwork, Hebel, concrete and cladding substrates
- Facades that move — upper storeys, long unbroken walls
- Anyone who wants colour through the coat, not painted on
When we'd steer you elsewhere
- Solid-brick period homes that need to breathe — use lime instead
- Damp walls where the moisture source has not been fixed first
How we do it
The acrylic render process
Substrate assessment
We sound the wall for drummy sections and check for movement cracks, salt damp and any existing coating that will not hold a bond.
Preparation
Old coatings stripped or keyed, patches made good, windows and edges masked, control joints identified and respected.
Base coat
Polymer-modified base applied and levelled, with mesh reinforcement over substrate changes and stress points.
Finish coat
Pre-coloured acrylic worked to the agreed texture — fine sand, sponge, rollcoat or trowelled — in a continuous run so there are no join lines.
Membrane and handover
Optional AcraShield membrane, site cleaned, and a walk-around in raking light before we call it finished.
Common questions
Acrylic render questions
Can you apply acrylic render over painted brick?
Usually yes, but only after we test the existing paint for adhesion. If the paint is flaking or was applied over a chalky surface, it comes off first — otherwise the new render is only as strong as the paint underneath it.
How long does acrylic render last?
A correctly prepped acrylic system on a sound substrate will hold up for 15–25 years before it wants a recoat. Failures almost always trace back to preparation or moisture, not the product.
Will acrylic render crack?
Hairline cracking follows the building, not the coating. Acrylic is the most crack-tolerant render we apply, and we mesh over stress points and honour existing control joints to keep movement where it belongs.
Other systems we apply
Sand & Cement Rendering
The traditional mix, built up in stages, keyed properly and floated dead flat.
Texture Coating & Stucco
Rollcoat, sponge, fine sand and rough cast — matched off an existing wall so the join disappears.
Render Repairs & Recoating
Drummy sections cut out, cracks raked and bridged, patches colour-matched — often a fraction of a full re-render.
Heritage & Lime Render
Breathable lime coats for solid-brick period homes, where modern sealed render traps moisture and blows the masonry apart from inside.
Hebel, Foam & Lightweight Cladding Render
Render systems specified for Hebel, polystyrene and lightweight cladding substrates — where the coating is part of the wall system, not a finish on top of it.
Working out a budget? See our Melbourne rendering cost guide, or find your suburb.
Get a quote for acrylic render
Send through the details and a couple of photos and we will book a site visit and come back with a written itemised quote.