Cracked render

[gattiman]

Hi
Some advice please. I am about to decorate the outside walls of my bungalow and it is part brick to window cill level and rendered above. On the south facing side there are a number of cracks in the render which follow the line of the blockwork under the render. It is not major, but what is the best way of making good the surface before repainting. Do I have to rake out and paint PVA to the exposed surface, and what sort of mix should I use?
Thanks
Gattiman

[stoneyboy]

gattiman,
Make sure the rendering is sound and then use one of the filler specifically made for filling exterior cracks - you may have to visit a decorators merchant to get this.
end

[gattiman]

Hi Stoneyboy

Thanks for that, would I need to prime the raked out areas first?

Cheers
Gattiman

[stoneyboy]

gattiman,
Probably worth raking out the cracks if the render is loose or sandy.
end