Specialist & Commercial
Roughcast and harling for exposed elevations
There is a reason so many buildings across the Borders and west Cumbria are harled. On an exposed elevation taking driven rain from the same direction for months, a thrown, textured finish outperforms a smooth one.
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Roughcasting & Harling: the short answer
Roughcasting, known as harling in Scotland and the Borders, throws a wet mix containing aggregate onto a wall to create a textured, highly weather-resistant finish. It is the traditional external treatment across much of southern Scotland, the Borders and west Cumbria for good reason: it stands up to driven rain better than a smooth render.
Who this is for
- Exposed properties in the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and coastal Cumbria
- Traditional buildings with existing harl needing repair or renewal
- Owners of solid-wall properties needing a breathable weather coat
- Gable ends and elevations that take the prevailing weather
Signs you need this work
Loose or missing harl
Areas debonded from the substrate, often starting at the wall head or around openings.
Cracking at openings
Movement concentrates at window and door reveals.
Water penetration on the weather elevation
Usually where the harl has failed or where cement harl was used on a solid wall.
Materials and specification
Lime harling
Traditional, breathable and correct for solid stone construction.
Cement-based roughcast
Durable on modern construction where the wall does not need to breathe.
Graded aggregate
Stone selected for size and colour to match the existing finish.
How it works
Our process, step by step
Assess wall and existing finish
Construction, mix type and the extent of debonding.
Remove failed material
Back to a sound, well-keyed substrate.
Base coats
Applied and cured properly — rushing this is why harl fails early.
Throw the finish coat
Applied by hand to match the existing texture and aggregate.
Cure and protect
Lime work protected from sun, frost and driving rain while it cures.
Why it matters
What you get from doing it properly
Built for driven rain
The textured surface sheds water off exposed elevations far better than a smooth finish.
Matched to the existing
Aggregate and texture selected so repairs blend into the wall.
Breathable where required
Lime specification on solid-wall and traditional buildings.
Common questions
Related
Work that often goes with this
Rendering
Rendering applies a protective and decorative coating to external walls. On roofing projects it most often accompanies chimney work, gable repairs and wall heads. The critical decision is whether the wall needs a breathable lime render or a modern cement or silicone system — using the wrong one traps moisture in the wall.
Heritage & Traditional Roofing
Heritage roofing is the repair and renewal of roofs on listed, historic and traditionally built properties using materials and techniques appropriate to the original construction — natural slate and stone slate, lime mortar, traditional leadwork and hand-formed detailing — and carried out within the consents the building's status requires.
Chimney Repairs & Repointing
Chimney repair covers repointing, rebuilding, flaunching, pot and cowl work and the lead flashings that seal the stack to the roof. Chimneys are the most weather-exposed masonry on a building and a very common source of damp attributed to the roof.
Roof Repairs
Planned roof repair fixes an identified defect — slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed flashings, valley or ridge problems — before it becomes water ingress. Repairs are appropriate where the covering and structure are otherwise sound and the fault is localised.
Coverage
Roughcasting & Harling across our patch
Carlisle and north Cumbria are our core area. We work regularly across the rest of Cumbria and southern Scotland, and take planned projects further afield.
Not sure what your roof needs?
Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you honestly whether it is a repair, a maintenance job or something that needs replacing. Consultations and written quotations are free.