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PLASTERING CONCRETE WALL

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  • 18-02-2011 4:57pm
    #1
    me and the biz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 433 ✭✭


    Hi all,
    Just looking for some advise in relation to making my garden look better.
    Just moved into a new home with a typical square garden. I am surrounded on two sides with 6ft concrete blocks. Feels like im in a mini prison instead of my own garden. Was thinking of painting it cream or something but someone suggested that I plaster it first. Wondering if anyone has done this before? Will it improve the overall look? Will there be lots of maintenance? Can i get coloured plaster so i dont need to paint every year?

    Thanks


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    #2
    blackharvester
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭blackharvester


    you can paint the blocks, but plastred wall looks better than concrete blocks, and if you painted once you dont have to do it every year, but if you paint wall creamy and beside wall is flower bed your wall will get dirt after rain. did you think about wooden trellis? this could be another option for your garden


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    #3
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,729 ✭✭✭redser7


    Render will look much better but it depends on how much you want to spend and how long you want to spend if you are doing it yourself. It would be a very difficult thing to do if you are looking at DIY. If you are looking to transform your boundary quickly and cheaply then just paint the blocks. I weighed up all the options last year and in the end painted the blocks with masonry paint from Woodies. They usually have stock of 17.5 lts for under 50 euro (white and magnolia). The garden looks transformed. A great place to start if you are planning on improving the whole garden.


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    #4
    redser7
    Registered Users Posts: 2,729 ✭✭✭redser7


    ah it's all coming back to me now. You'll need more than one coat. Lash on the first coat as thin as you like. Second coat more thickly (maybe three if the block is not very smooth and is very porous - you want to fill all those tiny holes). I started with a masonry paint brush but I would still be at it if I hadn't changed to a roller, much much quicker. Do it during a dry spell. Block sucks up paint big time, but if it is any way damp it won't take the paint very well and you'll need more coats. If it's a sunny day, wear shades or you'll go blind!


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    #5
    Funsterdelux
    Registered Users Posts: 3,376 ✭✭✭Funsterdelux


    You can get coloured plasters or you can get dyes to put into the mortar/plaster mix.

    Or if you just add a nice bit of lime to the plaster it will look well too!


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    #6
    soundsham
    Registered Users Posts: 3,845 ✭✭✭soundsham


    render is best, coloured plasters etc are fine but more expensive and will still need painting as they get dirty too....no matter what a plasterer will tell you
    paint it first and see if you like it,you could always plaster it later
    I would recommend dulux weathershield its the best out there and comes in a huge range of colours,thin 1st coat with approx 15% water,apply second coat un-thinned,keep leftover in shed and 1 quick lick every year will keep it smart


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    #7
    me and the biz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 433 ✭✭me and the biz


    Thanks for the advice everyone!


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    #8
    Live at Three
    Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭Live at Three


    I want to do this also but I'm in a rented house. I don't know if the landlord would go for it. I know it will look great immediately but will he have to keep it maintained in future after we move out? Will it look worse with old paint than it did just bare?


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    #9
    Al Capwned
    Registered Users Posts: 5,721 ✭✭✭Al Capwned


    soundsham wrote: »
    paint it first and see if you like it,you could always plaster it later
    I would recommend dulux weathershield its the best out there and comes in a huge range of colours,thin 1st coat with approx 15% water,apply second coat un-thinned,keep leftover in shed and 1 quick lick every year will keep it smart

    If you paint first, and then decide to plaster, you will be looking at a slightly higher price, due to the fact that the paint will effectively seal the wall, thereby reducing the strength of the bond between the wall and the plaster, something that your plasterer will have to cater for.

    Also, something to consider if painting, is the tidiness of the pointing between the blocks.

    Hope this helps.
    Al....


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    #10
    Nonmonotonic
    Registered Users Posts: 422 ✭✭Nonmonotonic


    If you paint or plaster the walls you will just have a shiny new prison!
    Why not grow creepers to soften the appearance?


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