Pebbledash, one wall
Pebbledash Removal Sheffield: One Wall or Part of a Wall
Pebbledash is a render coat with small stones thrown into it while wet. Taking it off one wall is a common small job: a failing gable, a side wall being joined to a new extension, or a rear wall that is to be rendered smooth while the front keeps its dash. The work is noisy and messy for its size, and the two questions that matter are what is underneath and how the wall will sit next to the dash that stays.
On this page
Before the dash comes off
Start with a small trial. SPAB's guidance on hard cement coatings applies: open up a test patch before anything else, chip away with hammer and chisel rather than prising off slabs, because big pieces can bring the surface of soft brick or stone with them. That test patch tells you two things: whether the dash parts cleanly, and what the wall is made of, whether common brick, brick patched with block around altered openings, or old stone.
Ask whether the dash really has to come off. If the dash is firm and you only dislike its look, there are products for re-dashing over it: K Rend, for example, makes a receiver coat intended to go straight onto old dry dash and take fresh stones, with no stripping. If it is hollow and falling away, stripping is the only option.
- Trial area A small patch is taken off to see how well the dash is bonded and what lies beneath.
- Removal Dash and backing render are hacked off to masonry or to a sound backing coat.
- Clear and dispose Debris is bagged or skipped; this is heavy, dusty and noisy work.
- Repair the masonry Exposed bricks, blocks and joints are repaired before anything new goes on.
- New render system The wall is rendered with the chosen system, or left as fair-faced masonry if suitable.
The usual order of work. The survey and the chosen products decide the actual steps.
Taking dash off one face
On the chosen face, the dash and the render it sits in are chipped off working downwards, while sheets and boards guard the windows, path and drains underneath. Because only one wall is being stripped, the cut has to stop on a clean line, usually an external corner. The dash on the return wall must be firmly bonded right up to that line; if tapping shows it is loose near the corner, the cut moves round the corner until it reaches sound material.
Once the wall is bare, damaged brick faces are repaired, loose joints raked out and refilled, and deep hollows filled so the new render can go on at an even thickness. A stop bead along the retained dash at the corner gives the new finish a straight edge to work to.
Open a test patch to check how the dash parts and what the wall is made of.
Protect the ground, windows and neighbouring surfaces; put up sheeting.
Hack the dash and base coat off from the top down, stopping at a clean line.
Check the retained dash is sound at the cut, and cut further if it is not.
Repair the masonry and fix beads, including a stop bead against the retained dash.
Apply the new render, or a new base coat, receiver and dash to match.
Two finishes on one house, or a new dash
A smooth-rendered wall beside dashed walls is a deliberate look, not a mistake, as long as the change happens at a corner. If you would rather the stripped wall match the rest, it can be re-dashed. K Rend's product guide describes the build-up: a base coat, then a dash receiver coat into which dry dash is thrown while it is still wet. Getting a close match means sourcing a similar stone size and colour, and the new stones will be cleaner than the old ones for some time.
If the wall is to be rendered smooth, see rendering a single wall for the build-up and beads.
Repairing a patch of pebbledash
Sometimes only a patch of dash has blown, often under a window or around an old fitting. The repair is cut back to sound dash, the base coat rebuilt, then a receiver coat applied and fresh dash thrown on to match. The patch will be visible at first because the stones are clean; it tones down as it weathers. A coating over the whole wall is the alternative when it has to match straight away.
On an older stone house, dash may be hiding a wall that needs to dry out. For those, SPAB's advice is a soft lime render with no cement in it; see lime repairs to old walls. Switching a wall between dash and render in a conservation area or the National Park also needs the planners' view, since householder permitted development does not cover cladding a house with either there.
Common questions
Can pebbledash be removed from just one wall?
Yes. The cut stops at a clean line, usually a corner, and the dash left on the return must be sound right up to it. A stop bead gives the new finish a straight edge.
Can a stripped wall be re-dashed to match?
It can be re-dashed over a base coat and dash receiver. A close match depends on finding similar stones, and fresh dash looks cleaner until it weathers.
See housing and planning information for Sheffield and nearby places, including the source and geography behind each figure.
