Exterior painting...

...any tips?

Is it just a case of washing down the walls, putting up an undercoat and then a second coat?

Any pitfalls to avoid?

Should specify that the house hasn't been painted before, so painting onto cement finish that's about 4 years old. No algae showing, but can see a few hairline cracks that I don't want showing through.

Anyone got a really long ladder?

altor

Deleted User wrote: »

...any tips?

Is it just a case of washing down the walls, putting up an undercoat and then a second coat?

Any pitfalls to avoid?

Should specify that the house hasn't been painted before, so painting onto cement finish that's about 4 years old. No algae showing, but can see a few hairline cracks that I don't want showing through.

Anyone got a really long ladder?

ha, cant help you with the ladder or the painting for that matter but you should put a primmer on under the first coat to make sure it sticks to the walls and it stops it pealing off

mossym

just did mine, same thing, two years old, first time painted. got a good quality long handled extendable roller, which went right up to the top of our two story, so only had to use a ladder for along the very top edges, and the front(it's a dormer so had get up tot he top at the front with the ladder. if you are going to roll tape off everything, including downpipes, i didn't cover the downpipes and ended up spending a whole day when i was finished cleaning a lot of paint spatters off the drain pipes, they were coated. also make sure and put a sheet over any bay window roofs you are painitng over, something else i had to clean when done.

as for coats, i didn't use a primer. i got a sealer for the precast cills on the windows, and sealed them first, but the rest just got a watered down first coat and a solid second coat(as advised by someone in the trade).

and it's a hell of a job, not sure how big your house is, but it's a slow process. walls are no problems, but around pipes, windows, doors, vents are the issue, plus if you do the cills and plinth a different color it slows things down as well. i had my parents for a couple of days amd my father in law for another day and it still took almost a week to do it(work week that is). and i did it during the recent hot spell we had so didn't have to stop for rain. ( was blessed with the weather actually) . i've landscaped our gardens, tiled the house, painted, put down wooden floors, pretty much done everything on the house myself, but this is the one job i'm in no rush to ever have to do again

mossym

mossym wrote: »

if you are going to roll tape off everything, including downpipes, i didn't cover the downpipes and ended up spending a whole day when i was finished cleaning a lot of paint spatters off the drain pipes, they were coated. also make sure and put a sheet over any bay window roofs you are painitng over, something else i had to clean when done.

Thanks for that.

Was gonna start putting masking tape along the edges of the windows alright this week, didn't think I'd have to cover off downpipes. Thanks for that.

Whats the difference between primer and sealer? Was told alright to just apply a watered down version of the colour as the first coat.

mossym

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for that.

Was gonna start putting masking tape along the edges of the windows alright this week, didn't think I'd have to cover off downpipes. Thanks for that.

Whats the difference between primer and sealer? Was told alright to just apply a watered down version of the colour as the first coat.

don't think the sealer i got was for plastered walls. i'll check when i get home what it syas on the tin, but i only used it on the cills, as thy are concrete, the selaer is for porous powdery materials jsut to stop the pain flaking off, so i guess there probably isn't much different to a primer for a wall

bushy...

Deleted User wrote: »

Thanks for that.

Was gonna start putting masking tape along the edges of the windows alright this week, .

Don't put on tape until your nearly ready to paint it , if its ordinary masking tape. It'll break down and be difficult to remove

mossym

bushy... wrote: »

Don't put on tape until your nearly ready to paint it , if its ordinary masking tape. It'll break down and be difficult to remove

that's an excellent point, i left abit on when i was finished painting by mistake and it was a pain in the ass to get off.

bushy...

bushy... wrote: »

Don't put on tape until your nearly ready to paint it , if its ordinary masking tape. It'll break down and be difficult to remove

Thanks for that. Was hoping to tape off during the week and paint this weekend. Presume that should be okay?

Oh and presume too that its done by roller, except for the areas that need edging in?

What I don't understand is that Dulux themselves have a primer, or acrylic primer sealer and undercoat

http://www.dulux.com.au/html/planning/product_range_prep_coats.aspx

which they advertise as being suitable for prepping new surfaces.

But then their advices say just three coats of Weathershield

http://www.duspec.com.au/duspec/QuickSpecImageMapServlet

And here they say use thinned weathershield as a first coat.

http://www.dulux.ie/advice/diy/exterior_walls.jsp

If they don't seem to know...

Guess what?

Didn't get around to this!

Triathlons and hillwalking, and winter, got in the way...:o

Anyway, have to do it tomorrow or divorce courts next week. Have looked at a lot of sites and the general advice seems to be that I need a primer (Bondex) and it can be diluted 5 to 1, with 5 parts water. Also told it can just be fired on very easily and quickly, even a sweeping brush will do, and then put as many layers of the chosen colour on until satisfactory.

Will do another powerhosing and cover windows and downpipes tonight.

In terms of hardware, brushes or rollers?

mossym

rollers all teh way, and get one with an extendable handle that is long to begin with, and extends to allow you to reach the roof..

you'll need the bushes as well of course

Thanks for that. The rollers with extendable handles, they pricey?

Don't fancy painting under the gable end, though hopefully all the hillwalking gave me a good head for heights!

Actually, just found them on HomeBase site. They cheap enough. Thanks for that.

mossym

can't remember honestly, but get a decent one, when you extend it there will be a good bit of strain on it and you don't want it snapping in two

Did the rounds of local hardware stores, checked Homebase too, and none of them seem to stock Bondex or Polybond primer, which were the two recommended to me. I presume Dulux or Colortrend primers are pretty much the same and up to the job too, and just get watered down and fired on?

Klim

You don't need a primer. Been in the trade for decades, and never needed one, providing the walls are sound, no mould, and most importantly, you use good quality paint (I've never had any issues with Dulux Weathersheild).

Thin down the first coat, normally 1part water/4parts paint, and normally two more coats.

Another tip is, make sure you move cars or anything important as far away as you can, because even if it's not windy, the sparks travel very far, especially if the paint's been diluted, and can be impossible to remove.

Thanks. If I used thinned down white primer, would it not make it easier to do the sills and edges in white after though? As in cover the house in white primer, then paint a couple of coats of weathershield colour paint over the main walls?

What exactly is primer anyway?

Thanks for all the help though.

Klim

Primer's just a first coat that goes on a bare surface to make it sound and ready for after coats. Not necessary for an outside in good condition really.

Priming the sills is actually not a bad idea, as they are the area that tend to flake off first, because they get the most weather beaten. As for the rest, it's entirely up to you. You'll have to coat them all anyway, so it's whatever's handiest for you.

Hope this helped a bit.

Thanks for all the tips, put on two coats of white weathershield and then a coat of yellow. May need another coat of the yellow. Think I should have used primer on the sills alright, but just stuck with the weathershield. But happy with it. Painted in the downpipes (along with extractor vent and outside fusebox) and think it hides them a bit better. Still can't figure out how to get near dormers and chimney though. Had two fellows with me so got it done in a day and a half. Though dormers, chimney and the possible other coat will mean another few hours.