If the exterior of your home is in need of a refresh this summer, then check out these tips for the application of exterior paint from Colourtrend Paints and our paint expert Alan McGinty.
When selecting a colour for an external setting we recommend going stronger in colour than you initially think. Once a colour is outside it will appear one to two shades lighter, even on the dullest of days. We encourage customers to bring home a sample pot to try it on the exterior of the house; this will give an indication of how the colour will appear both in depth and in relation to other colours present. With the colour sample on your home, look at it at different times of the day in different lights to see how it looks; how does this colour make you feel; does it project the image you want to convey?
For customers who are afraid of colour, we always recommend starting small. Adding a splash of colour – and your personality – to the front door of your home is a great place to start; it’s a relatively small area and because the colour on the outside does not have to be repeated internally, it is the perfect place to be brave with colour.
New walls
If painting walls for the first time, power wash, hose down and brush the walls to clean them. Any areas with algae, fungus or lichen should be scraped down and treated with fungicidal wash, which then needs to be power washed and hosed off.
Window sills and wall cappings need to be sanded or wire brushed to remove the surface shine to allow the paint to penetrate and grip. Remove any dust that you work loose.
Special attention should be paid to any cracks in the walls; these need to be scraped out and filled with a quality exterior filler. After scraping out any cracks, clean any dust from them with a brush and apply two coats of stabilising solution to the cracks before filling with a good quality exterior filler. This will ensure a sound surface for the filler to adhere to and help prevent cracks reappearing. Allow your fillers to set for the specified time as per instructions before applying any coatings.
When the fillers have set, apply two coats of stabilising solution to the whole building. This is a clear primer with a thin watery appearance and is ideal for stabilising powdery or chalky surfaces on new masonry or absorbent surfaces. It will bind any remaining loose grit and solidify weakened or weathered renders.
After stabilising, apply two coats of Colourtrend Prime 4 to all surfaces with the first coat thinned down with clean water by 10% ( this may be tinted to the finished colour to aid opacity).
After the Prime 4 is applied, apply two coats of Colourtrend Weather paint, tinted to your desired colour, thinning down the first coat with clean water by 5-10%.
Problematic previously painted walls
There are many reasons paint may flake on exterior walls, often on the most weather beaten side of the house or walls. Some of the reasons behind flaking are mould or mildew, a build-up of salts known as efflorescence, or moisture trapped in the surface beneath. If you are looking to repaint an exterior wall surface that has flaking paint, you must remove any loose flakes.
If you need some advice on the cause of the flaking, bring a sample of some of the paint flakes (the bigger the better) to one of our stores and we will try to diagnose the problem and advise the best solution to stop the paint flaking.
We recommend using a wire brush or scraper to remove any sample flakes. Use a power washer along with a scraper and wire brush, wash down clean and remove any remaining loose paint and dirt.
Whether you’ve done it before, or want to paint for the first time, our team will share important tricks and tips to help you achieve a good finish. If you have a paint project in mind, start off on the right track by booking a colour consultation with one of our colour experts here or call our team in Letterkenny (074 91 21925) or Ballybofey (074 91 34444).
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