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We are going to have some pretty extensive renovations carried out next year. Our house is currently weatherboard. We are uncertain if we should use bricks for our extension (& brick up existing house) or head towards blue board. Can anyone help with suggestions, including price? Is granosite the only finish that can be applied to blue board & is it expensive to have a tradesman apply it.
Any help would be much appreciated
Granosite is more of a finishing coat. You would generally cover all the joins with a mesh tape, and then a polymer over the whole lot. You can then add a number of finishing coats - there are some paints available that would suit, or you can use a blue board render (not the same as brick render), or the granosite. Some have had reasonable success using special paints to paint directly onto the blue board, but it tends to be quite absorbent and requires a number of coats to get an even colour. The rendered looks are much more appealing IMO.
The real key is in the prep of joins etc - and then using a good quality render over the whole sheet of blueboard. So 1) mesh the joins with a 50mm fibreglass mesh (that is resistant to the concrete alkalines), 2) polymer render the whole surface (not just the joins - this will help keep the final finish and colour even), 3) Add your finishing texture.
In regards to bricks vs blueboard, were you intending to render the bricks? If so you can certainly get the same effect with the board for less $$.
I have no idea what charges are likely in Armidale (is that where you are?). You can DIY, might be worth trying your hand in a small area around the back first - worst case scenario you get a scowl from a pro when you call them in to finish it off. So long as you do good prep work and make sure the renders you choose are suitable for blueboard, you should avoid cracking etc.
No I wasn't planning to render the bricks. We will have about 240m2 to brick or blueboard/render.