renedering garden planters

[andyryan]

Hi there,

this is my first post so bear with me. I am trying to build a couple of raised planters in the garden, which i want to be finished off with white render. As a time/money saver rather than build the whole thing from scratch i was considering buying a couple of prebuilt timber planters and then rendering over that to get the desired look/finish. I know that rendering wood is tricky but also that it isnt impossible. Could anyone advise me as to how i could prepare them and then what is the easiest way to render them??

Many thanks.

 

[joe-90]

Thought of doing that myself. If you cover the planters in wire mesh and pva with neat PVA it should work.

 

[andyryan]

pva glue?
are there ready mixed renders i can then apply onto the mesh?

And do i need to lay the mesh over battens or can it be directly onto the planter itself?

 

[joe-90]

Just tack the mesh on. The PVA glues the render to the wood. Some people mix the PVA with water 50-50, mix it with a bit of sand and brush it on so that it feels rough and forms a good key for the render. You don't want your render to be any thicker that it has to be, otherwise you'll lose definition and need mesh corners.

 

[andyryan]

thanks for your help. Will this definitely work? will the render not expand with the wood and crack up?

And do i need to lay a membrane inside the plant so that the water isnt absorbed into the wood?

 

[csrt]

Hi andy ryan,
regarding rendering wooden planters! yes you could but yes you will have to allow for expansion of the wood regardless of what you,ve been told, your best way is to attach polystrene to the planter, this could be with insulation tape,this needs to be around 4-6mm you could use the type on a roll ! the type people use to insulate the inside of solid walls, then attach mesh or chicken wire,then dob this out with all over with a 1;4 cement mortar mix, just before it's compleat set, around 4-6 hours brush the surface lightly with a stiff/course hand brush to provide a key for the next coat of 1;4 cement mortar mix which should be applied no less than 24 hrs later, with this final mortar coat gently smooth off with a damped sponge, "ideally"do not paint the outer surface!this way you give the water to evaporate from the surface after rain. also, do give a polythene membrane inside the planters, and try to place it in an off the ground location. good luck

 

[joe-90]

The problem with wrapping it in bubble wrap and wire mesh is that it will look like a rendered parcel.