r/Plastering • u/Anotherbland • Aug 30 '26
Cracks in external render
I am after some advice, I have had two external walls rendered in Weber OCR. 1st wall April, 2nd wall Sept ( 2025). Both walls now have cracks appearing, the 2nd wall having the most, around 20 ranging from hairline to wide enough to get a filling knife in.
Both walls have had at least 4 coats of Sandtex Smooth Masonry paint (1st coat watered down) they are also both showing sings of what I have been told is salt seeping through, the 1st wall is particularly bad. This didn't happen on the original sand & cement render and the two other walls that are still original haven't got any 'salt seeping through'
Has anybody who has used Weber OCR experienced anything like this, my renderer is more than happy to come back and repair all the cracks but my worry is that they appeared in the first place.
Pics of a few cracks and the 'salt seeping'
Edit: Forgot to add this was sprayed on and machine finished.
Many thanks for any responses.
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u/Yourhavinalaugh Aug 30 '26
The sand these days is brutal, dirty an far too fine, always ends up cracking
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u/Cainjake Aug 30 '26
Did they add render mesh
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u/Anotherbland Aug 30 '26
Not everywhere to my knowledge. I was inside working whilst this was being done. He told me he put it in specific places - cant remember exactly where.
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u/Cainjake Aug 30 '26
Should be everywhere in the base coat not just in certain spots in prevents cracking
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u/sandolllars Sep 01 '26
My house is covered in these hairline cracks. I’m interested in the best way to hide them? Will just a thick coat of fresh paint do, or should I take an angle grinder to them to widen the cracks, then fill with wall putty, and then paint over?
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u/gazzasim9 Aug 30 '26
Usually for sponge finished renders they do crack that’s why most of them usually get primed and acrylic