Painting the outside rendered walls

[Cassini]

Thinking about painting the outside of the house - rendered walls with the non-smooth finish - don't know the italian word for it but its called crepi in France. Has anyone got tips, advice, cautions or experiences to share. Any recommendations of italian brands of external masonry paints? Any advice on preparing the surface and the best method of applying the paint. Alternatively you may say ... get a painter to do it ... if so any guidelines on price?

[fudgieoto]

Hi there

When it comes to painting the outside, things you should make sure of......the surface is sound and dry. If there is any sign of mould or similar wash it down with bleach. This will kill the spores. If the surface is new it may pay for you to seal it with a sealant. They come both as a water or silican base, but the water base is cheaper and easier to use.

For the paint use a good quality paint, that repels water and is breathable. A good paint that contains quartz will give a good even finish along with it being brilliant white.

These are the things my husband does here, time served painter of over 25 years.

In italy you have to be careful about painters. Proffesional italian painters can charge upto 300e a day, where as the cheaper 50e a day are just odd men, that don't understand paint, and will water it down so it is more of a colour wash.

hope this helps, if you want some help drop me a mail at miccapup@tiscali.co.uk

gill

[juliancoll]

Searching old threads brought up 160 + on the word "paint". Here is one I remember as being useful. There are many more.

External colour wash - Any advice please? - Italy Magazine Forums

[lupo]

Julian points at the appropriate thread. I would endorse any post that makes the point that the render should, preferably, be breathable, If it's new build you don't lose anything by insisting on this. If the render is on an old wall, or is, in itself, delicate in some respects, breathable will stick; anything with vinyl in it, e.g Sandtex or Dulux type paints, will blister and lift off very quickly. The very best paint I know, for render, is Keim; which is an Austrian, mineral based paint. If it it looks shabby after 15 or so years (which it won't, unless it's in an exceptionally difficult situation), a little wash down with water will bring it up to new. Sorry I can't help with Italian paints, but I'm sure Keim's reach will extend to Perinaldo.

[anne2]

To the above, I would also emphasise, check with the comune re approved colours in your particular area before doing anything! Do not just assume you can choose any colour on the chart! We had a chart of over 200 colours, on speaking to the comune geometra, we were told it was one of two, one deep yellow, or a slightly deeper deep yellow!!!! Italian friends were told to repaint because the colour was not right for the area - so check beforehand!

[lupo]

Just checked that Keim do have an Italian base: KEIMFARBEN Colori Minerali
With regards to approved colours, their palette is huge and details the colour constituents and their percentages.

[Cassini]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. The render is probably 35-40 years old and does need a few areas filling before we do a whole house repaint. Lupo, any recommendations on filling agent, or mix of filler? At the moment I am interested in painting a couple of areas that have had electricity cables put into the walls eg under the portico and don't seem to be the same colour as the rest of the house - so aiming for some kind of invisible similarity there. Thank you for the notes re the comune, we have already tried to consult them about colours and will do so if and when we do a whole repaint. One interesting effect is that of sabbia rossa in rain which doesn't seem to be an isolated occurance here. it sometimes seems to hit the front of the house with some intensity and remains long term so cream turns into a wonderful apricot over time. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to come off with water and a scrubbing brush! Something to bear in mind if we select a new colour for the whole house. One thing about our end of Liguria is that the specialist paint shops are quite small but have large magazzini and knowledgeable staff. Will certainly look into the recommendations though. So, correct me if I am wrong, we need a breathable quartz based paint ...

Many thanks for the advice on italian painters!

[lupo]

Hi Cassini
At the risk of sounding as if I'm on commission from Keim, I can tell you that I have used two types of repair filler from them. One is very soft and creamy and is for fine repairs e.g. relatively small cracks or shallow surface damage. the second is a lime mortar base for more extensive repair, which when used with a wooden (or textured plastic) float will come to a slightly rough (sandy) finish. This latter is especially effective on weak, crumbly, or powdery surfaces. The only other thing I can suggest is that each successive coat of render should, as a general rule, be weaker in cement content than the last. Oh, and a little caveat... Keim mineral based paint came about a century or so ago because the Austrians wanted to emulate italian stucco, but needed something that would withstand Austrian winters. Perhaps this makes the case for an Italian paint company for Italian climes!

[fudgieoto]

Just to add to the posts above, you could use intonaco ( plaster) depends on the area size you are going to replace.
(There 3 main types 1) yw 10 this is an external/internal rough 1st coat plaster.
2) yw 12 this is an external fine finishing plaster.
3 ) yw 13 a fine internal plaster used for finishing.
If you just go to a builders yard and ask for intonaco 10 you will get no 1. Comes in 25kg bags at around 3e a bag.)
Old render that has blown should be removed.
If the area behind the render is damp, let it dry out.Then dust the area down, allowing for you to apply a wash of sealant. PVA glue mixed with water should be good. It will help key the remaining render and provide a good surface for the new plaster to be applied. This allows for the plaster to dry not to quickly, or get the life sucked out of it. It allows time for you to work with the product.
When this has dried you can paint.

If you go to a good diy store here in italy, you will be able to by all different types of filler, some for wood, metal, plastic/fibrsglass kits. hope you get my drift.
Basically, it is knowing the italian for most of it.

Fillers can come in powder form, that you mix to the consistency you like before applying, or the ready made in a pot, ually 500g or 1kg.

[lupo]

Hi fudgieoto,
I've used the PVA wash that you mention, prior to internal, final, skims on repair/renovation jobs but not on external renders. Are you suggesting PVA wash as an aid for external repair work as well as internal? I'm just wondering about the breathability factor mentioned in this thread.
Lupo