The beauty of a Litecrete home is that it requires far less work on the part of the homeowner to keep it looking like new. There are a range of finishing options to consider. All of these options translate into a Litecrete home costing a lot less to maintain over the long term.

Natural Concrete Finish

A clear concrete surface can be used externally. The pumice aggregate includes volcanic minerals which can sometimes result in slight colour variation and heavier surface figuring to the surface compared to standard concrete; durability is unaffected. However these add to the characteristics of Litecrete. We recommend the application of a vapour-permeable matt finish clear sealer to the natural concrete surface to prevent airborne grime building up on the surface and to allow easy cleaning by hosing down at least once a year. If a more consistent, blemish-free surface is required, then a vapour-permeable masonry paint or concrete stain should be considered. We also strongly recommend that architects and their clients visit the Wilco factory and check out typical Litecrete panel surface options prior to manufacture.

Refer to Page 20/21 in the Litecrete Architectural Catalogue.

Paint/Plaster/Stain

The panels are manufactured on steel casting beds and the resulting smooth external finish is ready to be decorated. Paint, plaster or concrete stain can be used. Since Litecrete walls breathe, allowing water vapour (condensation) to move through the wall to the outside any paint, plaster or stain system should be vapour-permeable.

Surface Rebates

The smooth finish can be broken up by vertical or horizontal rebates which provides a cost-effective alternative.

Formliners

Rubber formliners are available to replicate a multitude of surface patterns, however these are usually for the large budget projects.

Band-sawn Timber Finish

This finish is produced by casting the panels on top of rough-sawn or band-sawn planks. Because of its popularity we have reproduced 8 metre x 4 metre rubber formliners from 150 mm wide American Ash timber, in both horizontal and vertical orientation. This means we can achieve in excess of 100 castings from the formliner instead of having to replace actual timber planks after casting eight or nine panels.

Internal Finishes

The internal face of the panels has been trowelled and sometimes, from different angles, the swirls of the powerfloat can be seen in the surface. For a superior surface we recommend that a 1-2 mm cementitious skim coat is applied prior to painting. Refer to Page 20/21 in the Litecrete Architectural Catalogue.

If a natural concrete internal finish is required, a matt finish sealer should be applied to prevent dusting of the concrete and also to prevent grime building up around light switches, etc.

Plaster can also be used internally and control joints should be installed at the vertical panel joints to allow the plaster to cope with seismic movement.

The natural concrete provides an excellent surface for the attachment of ceramic tiles.

Plasterboard can be glue-fixed direct to the Litecrete surface.