Painting outside of house,

Xennon

The house is about 4 years old, and its time to paint the outside, never been painted. I was wondering if anyone had any tips, I presume I thoroughly clean it down first...leave it to dry, use a good quality outdoor paint and take my time at it?

Any other info people would like to add from their experiences would be a great help.

Thanks

Dave

Borzoi

Xennon wrote:

The house is about 4 years old, and its time to paint the outside, never been painted. I was wondering if anyone had any tips, I presume I thoroughly clean it down first...leave it to dry, use a good quality outdoor paint and take my time at it?

All correct. But my advice: don't do it. You're starting an unnecessary cycle of maintenance, thast will have to be done every 5-7 years

Xennon

hahaahah...

has to be done I'm afraid, I've heard that it can also help prevent dampness... don't know how true that is though.

tampopo

Yeah, it can be an endless cycle. I live on an end of terrace and did the back (south facing) wall about 7 years ago. My god, my arm was huge. Actually, I did the top half one year and the bottom the next! I had also the side of next door's extension, along the side wall by the back gate et al. It was a pain. I was too tight to rent a sprayer. I swore I would if I did it again, but maybe not!

I'm not doing the front or side EVER, cos you keep have to doing it. I see people doing their front garden walls 3' high and shake me head.

A painter friend said to me that to add 2 pints of water to a 10 litre tub of paint. It aids its application. Can't remember if he said to do a second coat neat. I didn't do mine either way, neat first and only time.

Meant to say, it's pebble dash, that's why it's a pain in the aaarm.
But when it was finished, it looked the business. Nothing like pride in your own work.

good luck. Do it this week, the weather looks to be settled all week. Even if you have to do it a couple of hours at a time....

Corkey123

Don't do it - you will regret it

Xennon

now now....you all know that being the male half of the couple that own the house means that I have NO say on whether the outside is painted or not. Ours is not to reason why...etc. etc.

Wertz

Get a professional in.

Seriously though, sheet and mask EVERYTHING you want protected.
Wind is the enemy outside, even on fine days.
Have neighbours move their car(s) to avoid respray costs.
Mask off downpipes with paper and tape.
Protect any window frames, especially anything with a grain (wood or PVC)
Painting should always begin at the top and work down.

Your gable end(s) is where the majority of the hard work is; try getting a coat on it first then doing the front and back...that way you'll know how much paint you need whilst still mid-job and by the time you've coated front and back, the gable(s) will be ready for second coat (be aware here that you MAY require 3 coats; depends on paint brand, colour, substrate and thickness of application)

Thinning the first coat is advisable, thinning of subsequent coats is not. Some PVA/polybond into the first coat doesn't hurt either.

Ladders are dangerous even when you're used to being up them. Always have someone footing them and always make sure they're at the correct angle and are as plumb as possible. Use a ladder hook for your paint pot to keep your hands free.

For rolling you're going to want an extension pole...believe me when I say buy the best one you can as it will make the rolling easier, faster and lead to less stress. Cheap poles break in minutes under the abuse of exterior work nad end up in the bin.
The person footing the ladder should also be able to dip the roller for you and "feed" you paint to avoid having to go up and down constantly. It can be hard to apply roller pressure from a ladder so put on LOADS of paint and then spend the time evening it out.

Two good brushes, a large thick (3"-4") one and something smaller (~2") for reveals and around pipes etc. You're better off with synthetic bristles for masonry paint; natural bristle tends to clog and swell with water based paint and can make for untidy brushwork.

Oh and avoid plaster fillers (assuming you need it)....personally I've just stopped using pollyfilla outside. Caulk is much better, is waterproof, fills hairline cracks and doesn't "flash" through paint or blister in frost, It also dries faster, doesn't need sanding and is flexible if need be...

As for those saying don't do it....unsealed render will eventually start to collect lichens and algal growth, especially north faced walls, leading to staining of the surface, which is unsightly and difficult to shift once it takes root.

Like I said, get the professionals in....exterior house painting is not an amateur job and making a mess of it now could actually cost you down the line...

Xennon

Excellent advice, thanks man. Would love to get pros in...but simply out of budget.

Thanks again though, good information there.
Dave.

Wertz

Yeah I think everyone is feeling the pinch of late.

Few more things: get a decent roller with threaded handle, about 3/4" pile sleeve...again like the extension pole, buy the best you can afford. 9" or 12" is up to you

Oh and windowsills....if you have precast concrete sills then you need to either seal them with stabiliser or prime them with a suitable multi-surface primer; masonry paint will just flake and peel. Finishing trim work like sills and plinths should be left till last.

Last thing; masking tape doesn't like rain and sun....remove it as quickly as possible or you may never get it off.

Bozacke

Some good advice here. I'm also looking to paint the exterior of my house. I was in Atlantic Homecare, B&Q and Woodies and I'm not too impressed with the rollers and poles. Firstly, all of the stuff that's on sale or in packaged deals (a pan, rollers and brushes combo packs) are all rubbish. I have a big 2 story house with some high awkward spots and I wanted to get a good quality long pole, but all I can find are good quality poles that are only about 4 feet long and the long extention poles I've seem are realy cheap and flimsey and they don't even fit the good quality rollers. I was also suprised that the roller and roller poles are different sizes. I've done a lot of painting before years ago, but that was abroad and the boss supplied the equipment, but the quality of stuff I've seen in the DIYs here are pretty bad. Is there's any place where I can get real professional quality equipment.

I understand the comments about getting a professional to do it, but let's face it, here in Ireland there are very few good proffessional painters out there and if you do hear of a good professional and assuming you can afford him, he's probably booked out for the next year, most of the painters out there are gobbeens and the only thing professional about them is their price.

billy_beckham

Just on this subject folks....i got a price of 1750+Vat to paint the outside of a newly built dormer bungalow(2 Dormer windows approx 2700ft2) and varnish windows.
Does that sound reasonable???

Kiniska

That seems to be about the going rate. I have a friend who recently had his house painted and he paid in that region. He said the salesman spoke about their experienced works and high quality of work and then two young Polish lads did all the painting, one with a roller and one with a brush and they had almost the whole house done in a couple of hours and the pre and post work was mostly done by a young kid who looked no more than 16 and he was very slow, but they did do a great job and the house looks great. At that kind of money it makes me think I'm in the wrong business.

Wertz

Stay away from the DIY warehouses for tools....they only want to offload their chinese crap at high mark up. On the occassion that they have professional tools they won't have a good selection and the prices are high.
Head down to a trade centre like fleetwood, albany, crown whoever and ask for what you're after. Wooster make the best IMO...I've had two (4-8' and 10-20') for years now and they haven't broken or even loosened.

As for getting a pro to do it....lot of folks staring down the barrel of winter in the decor trade, work is becoming thin on the ground and prices will fall and waiting times shorten. I work with a small firm (5 of us) and we only book about 4-6 weeks ahead.
We don't have any salesmen (lol). I've never even heard of the concept....you want something painted you contact a painter, not some dude in a suit...
As for polish turning up to do the donkey work....yeah, no surprise....next time hire the polskis directly and save yourself ~70% and get the same job...

Kiniska

True, but don't kid yourself, most of the expensive stuff is also made in China, with even higher markups.

The salesman wasn't wearing a suit, talked the biz as if he was going to do the work, maybe he does sometimes, but not that time.

billy_beckham

Got another quote at the weekend, €1100 for same job.........still rip off merchants out there!!

Wertz

Not being smart but at that discrepancy in price, I'd definitely be looking to see previous work and/or hear from other clients...

billy_beckham

Are you saying the lower price is suspect? If so does that mean just because someone is dear does that they are top quality?? I don't think so...

mad m

billy_beckham wrote:

Are you saying the lower price is suspect?

Wertz is I suppose, I mean €1100 for a Dormer bunglow to me sounds very low.Your a bit vague with your information...Does the above quotes include paint? Was the last quote given by a tradesman or a handyman.

Xennon

As the lads are saying those prices don't sound too bad, considering you have 2 - 3 lads doing the job, tools, insurance, expenses... it doesn't take long to add up.

Wertz

I'd query anything in the situation where I was receiving a price that was 35% lower...I'd like to know where that saving is being made up. Perhaps the previous price is high (although for the work involved from your brief description, I doubt that), or maybe the second price is lower because the guy(s) doesn't intend putting the same amount of labour/materials into it.
At that sort of figure,a saving of 500 quid is a lot. What corners are being cut to lower it by that much? Caveat emptor and all that...

Xennon

So the two gable ends got their first coat today, and I said Id just add a few things Ive learned to this thread to help others out.

Wertz advice was spot on, except for one thing, adding PVA to paint will void any warranty you may have with the paint, so do so at your own risk.

Pay the extra for the good poles and rollers, its just going to save you so much grief. I have a cheapy and a good one, the difference even in usage is remarkable for such a simple device.

Cut in around soffits and pipes first (mask off the pipework), Im using a 30' ladder so jumping around on this is a pain. I found that it was easier to cut in one side under the soffit, and then move across to the other side at the same height rather than adjusting the ladder height all the time. I left the 'cut ins' to dry and gave them a second coat. Then fired ahead with the rollers. Drop cloths are a must, and not just sheets as the paint will bleed through these.

The paint Im using, will only take 10% water according to the retailer (color trends), so I didn't bother diluting it for the first coat.

As the lads have said, the devil is in the prep work. The rolling on of the paint only takes a fraction of the time and effort compared to the prep work. Get the prep work right and the job just sails through.

Thanks to the contributors.

Dave

Wertz

Only a firm like colortrend would mention a warranty and how you might void it :rolleyes:
One of the constituents of exterior masonry paint IS polyvinyl alcohol, so how the addition of more (within reason) to paint would affect overall performance, I fail to see.
As for only thinning by 10%? Again, they're just covering themselves and either way you'd have saved some time and money by even thinning the first coat with 10% uisce.

Anyway glad to hear it's gone well...

Lisie247

I got work done from a professional painter-well worth the money- he was reasonably priced and did a fantastic job. I live in Dublin so I assume he does anywhere in city. His number is 0851403909 (name Ian)

oldyouth

Wertz wrote: »

Oh and avoid plaster fillers (assuming you need it)....personally I've just stopped using pollyfilla outside. Caulk is much better, is waterproof, fills hairline cracks and doesn't "flash" through paint or blister in frost, It also dries faster, doesn't need sanding and is flexible if need be...

Hi, just checking old threads for a problem I have to deal with. This advice seems like the answer to my plaster crack problem. I trust I can get this stuff in the usual DIY places but can anyone suggest a brand or particular type?

Cheers in advance

Wertz

lol blast from the past...yes decorator's caulk is available almost anywhere, by a lot of manafacturers. There is little variance between brands, but I prefer ICI if I can find it.
Expect to pay about €3-5 per tube (a tube goes a long way) and get yourself a decent application gun (the spring on cheap ones stops them pumping evenly sometimes).
If you intend to use under oil/solvent based paints then it needs 24hrs to cure (or more for deep fills), but if it's for use under waterborne, then an hour or so is fine...

J.R.

billy_beckham wrote: »

Are you saying the lower price is suspect? If so does that mean just because someone is dear does that they are top quality?? I don't think so...

The person quoting this price may indeed be professional and reasonably priced but with such a difference in price quotes I would definitely check out each....buyer beware...you get what you pay for!

I would to check out their work first.....see examples and talk to customers. Check what paint they intend to use....cheap paint will not last or produce a good finish. Also check on other jobs how neat they were...are there spatters everywhere?.....is the 'cutting in' neat, straight lines and uniform. There is nothing uglier looking than a bad paint job & practically impossible to rectify.

I would not allow anybody in that didn't have their own insurance...if they fall they can claim off your house insurance. If they have insurance then insist on a photocopy.

Painting seems to be one of those jobs where everybody thinks it's easy and will have a go. If I were paying professional prices then I would want a professional painter to do it.

If a painter is experienced and has done many excellent jobs then they will have no problem pointing out previous work, allowing you to talk to satisified customers and showing you a copy of their insurance....I wouldn't take photos only of completed houses as gospel....anybody can walk around & take photos of nicely finished houses....talk to previous clients.

W.B. Yeats

Folks

Looking to get exterior of house painted
Semi D in Dublin interior is around 1100 sq ft

Any idea of likely prices? Any recommendations on good painters (or is that against the rules?)