What is Monocouche Render?

Unless you’re in the industry the word Monocouche may appear very foreign, and you’d be right. Monocouche is of French origin and quite literally means ‘single layer’. The word was adopted by European render producers for a one-coat render. Whilst monocouche originates in Europe, it has more recently become a popular choice of product in the UK enabling a quick method of updating a home’s appearance.

Where to find Monocouche?

Monocouche render comes in ready to mix bags and all you need to do is simply add water. It can be applied by hand or machine applied and it benefits from quick drying times (roughly between 5-36 hours depending on weather and humidity). Monocouche tends to come in 25kg bags and we would recommend products such as Weber pral.m or K-Rend K Mono. We have trialled all these products with various CES rendering machines and achieved a superb finish (find out more about achieving the perfect render finish here). A bag of monocouche can cost between £10-£25 depending on the brand and colour. When applying monocouche you are looking to achieve a finish of between 15-25mm thickness. This can be accomplished by one 18mm thickness pass if machine applying (then scratching back to 15mm). Alternatively, if applying by hand, you’d be looking at completing two 9mm passes to achieve the same thickness. As always please speak to the technical department of the render of your choice, they will be able to advise you on best practice for their render.

The benefits of Monocouche

Opting for any render finish generally has many benefits, take a look at this blog for more of the positives when it comes to render. Of course, aesthetically monocouche render looks very smart but there are equally some very practical benefits too.

1. Since monocouche uses White Ordinary Portland Cement, it allows pigmentation to be added to achieve a pre-coloured render. This means there is no need for masonry painting making for a much quicker job.
2. It allows for a variety of decorative finishes including a modern scraped appearance, spray/roughcast or adding features with an ashlar cutter.
3. It is a particularly durable choice with less chance of cracks due to the additives used. Monocouche render should last for a minimum of 25 years without needing any real maintenance.
4. It is easy to apply by either hand or machine and can be applied directly to brick as well as block. (take guidance from material manufacturer to ensure the product is applied correctly). This is a great opportunity to render older homes or add an extension to an older home whilst achieving a uniform finish across old and new.
5. It is less time-consuming particularly with machine application. With traditional render you may be waiting days or even weeks between each layer to ensure each pass has sufficiently cured. However with monocouche there is some preparation required but when it comes to applying to the wall you are completing a single pass.
6. It is a practical and low maintenance choice of finish.
7. It has great insulating properties and energy efficiency. Due to it’s at 15mm thickness, monocouche provides a great defence against the elements and is able to keep homes warmer during those colder months. Consequently, you will have a far more energy efficient home and ultimately save money on those all-important bills!

Rendering with CES

Whilst CES don’t provide the monocouche itself, we can recommend brands to try and equally can advise on materials that will be compatible with our machines. Head over to the website to browse our range of rendering machines from a small electric Euromair MixPro 28 to a much larger diesel Euromair X-Pro D80 (formerly CP80).