Dulux Acratex®

"Render" means cement render, sometimes just painted with a thin paint topcoat. "Acrylic Texture" means the system from the substrate up is an integrated, flexible, multilayer polymer system (not rigid cement render).

An AcraTex Texture System is permanent. Like all surfaces exposed to the elements, preventative maintenance will keep it looking and performing at its best.

As a rule of thumb, wash the surface down every 12 -18 months (more often in seaside locations). This removes surface contaminants and forms an inspection routine. Check other building-related elements at the same time. Look for any areas of water ponding near walls, any loose or cracked sealant at joints and around windows, debris accumulated against walls, the state of gutters and timber, any signs of moisture under eaves; all elements that routinely maintained and corrected early will extend the life of all building elements.

Ultimate Life Cycle costs of the total facade system are optimised when AcraTex AcraShield (the Final Weatherproofing topcoat) is re-applied after 7-10 years. This ensures the integrity of the weather proofing system and provides the opportunity to address typical longer term building maintenance issues - such as building movement. Preserving the investment is just one good reason, secondly a "10 year refresh" maintains the properties visual impact "as new".

You can update at extended 7-10 year maintenance intervals or at any time. Dulux recommends AcraTex AcraShield. This is a high build (2-3 times normal paint), flexible coating which is applied like normal paint.

The surface is very resilient. AcraTex full acrylic systems have a "shock absorbing" effect compared to hard, brittle render, but can still be damaged. If it's a minor blemish (just to the surface layer), then this can be touched up with the same AcraShield outer skin layer that was applied at construction time. In residential projects, agree with your builder to leave a "maintenance pack" including a portion of the AcraShield topcoat used on the project. Blemishes can be touched up by "brush & sponge" method, diffusing the repair to blend in. If the damage goes through the coating (e.g. a corner is physically broken by impact), then this can be repaired, but may require more materials. Ultimately it may be more efficient to call a coating expert for advice.

Organic growth generally requires 2 elements: a nutrient (or food source) and moisture. The coating surface can't "grow mouldy". Where you see mould on a surface you'll need to look for the causes - generally dirt accumulating on the surface (containing contaminants or the "food source") and excess moisture usually leaks or poor drainage allow the moisture level to stay permanently high. Once you've fixed the causes, there are various surface cleaning agents available to then treat the resultant mould. Check the instruction carefully for safety and suitability on painted surfaces, then test a small area first to ensure no staining occurs. Most importantly, mould on any surface should not be left too long before treatment as staining can occur.