Case Study: Garden Stair Wall Repair & Rendering Specialists in Cheam

Assessment of the Garden Stair Wall

We were called to a property in Cheam to inspect a failing garden stair wall. At first glance, the cracked render suggested surface damage, but a closer look revealed something far more serious. A long structural crack ran the full length of the wall, hiding the fact that the top three courses of brickwork had completely detached from the main structure.

Structural Repairs

To fix the issue safely and permanently, we brought in a skilled bricklayer to rebuild the weakened section. He reinstated the wall using two new courses of blocks before fitting wide coping stones across the top. These coping stones were deliberately chosen to overhang, allowing rainwater to drip clear of the wall and reducing the risk of future water ingress.

Rendering Process

Once the structure was sound, we turned our attention to the render. We reinforced the scratch coat with rendermesh, a fibreglass mesh that adds strength and stability. The finishing coat was blended with fibreglass fibres and lime, a combination that allows the surface to flex naturally and significantly lowers the likelihood of future cracking.

Treatment of the Opposite Wall

The wall opposite showed a different problem: extensive spalling and heavy pitting across the brickwork. To protect it, we applied render up to handrail height and shaped the upper edge with a chamfer. This small detail ensures rainwater runs off cleanly instead of tracking behind the render, preventing the sort of hidden damage that caused the original failure.