# Forum Home Renovation Rendering  render fibre cement sheeting external

## MickelJ

Hi All, I am fixing fibre cement sheeting to a colorbond fence using furring channels etc. Is it possible to use something like nomore gaps in the joints to prevent cracking and then render over it?

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## Master Splinter

I have to say that looking at a number of rendered fibre cement walls where they've tried to make it seamless....and it has cracked...the best thing to do would be to make the join into a design feature.

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## Haveago1

I would think it is the differential movement in the boards that causes the covering layer of render to crack - No More Gaps or similar won't crack itself as the boards flex or move, but also would not stop the render on top of it cracking. 
The only way to stop such cracking is to minimise the movement - had not thought of it before, but possibly a method similar to backblocking gyprock sheeting may also work on fibrecement sheeting to stop cracking. 
I have rendered over blueboard in a few different areas - garage/courtyard wall, pergola water/feature and front fence using fibreglass tape on the joins and then covering the whole surface with a single, thin coat of blueboard joint mix.  
It is a bit pricey but has been up for over 5 years on the garage and 4 years on the water feature without any cracks. I found if I did the joints only and let them set then went over the lot in another coating they always stuck out like the proverbial, particularly in glancing light, so now do the whole lot in one go...

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