Why is my render so poor/grainy?

Ben1989

New house owner here which also means complete DIY novice!

Obviously with the new coronavirus lockdown it means there’s some time to do DIY. 

Above our bay windows is a border which needs filling in due to neglect and some (fixed) water leak.

I bought some one coat render from B&Q about a month ago and decided today to mix and use it to patch repair.

I don’t have a mixer so I used my trowel to mix and I mixed it for a good while. 

However the render has come out very grainy. Is this supposed to be the case? When I see videos online their render looks so smooth. What has happened here? The grain is extremely strong. Like you cannot compact them anymore which makes me think the mixing wasn’t the culprit.

Any help or advice would be appreciated

Ben1989

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Ben1989 said:

I bought some one coat render from B&Q about a month ago and decided today to mix and use it to patch repair.

Has it past it's "Use by" date? 

stuart45

Using a wooden float tends to make a grainier finish. Steel floats bring cement laitance to the surface for a smoother finish. 
It's the same with pointing, metal makes a smooth watertight joint, wood makes a rougher surface. It depends what type of finish you require. Mag floats are good too.
You could try a finer sand for the top coat.