Painting external of house

rebelontour

Hi,

I am looking to paint the outside of my house for the first time this year. I will be doing it myself as the quotes I have are very pricey. The house is 3500 sq ft and partly rough rendered. I rckon I will need movable scaffold to do the high parts. I will be painting it white. It has not been painted before. Is there any particular type/brand of paint people could recommend please or any other advice also appreciated.

Thanks

irelandspurs

What sort of prices were you getting.

rebelontour

I am over the border so price in sterling was £2000. Thanks

dmc17

Dulux Weathershield is as good as any. Thin out the first coat with water and then give it 2-3 more full coats if you want it to look right and last. Pick up one of these brushes and a good 12 inch long pile roller like this(don't buy those crappy foam/frizzy ones). A good big paint tray and extension pole. If you have these few essential items correct it will make life easier. You may want to cover windows and roll the walls slow and steady to minimise any overspray.

rebelontour

thanks a million for that..a great help...really appreciate it

irelandspurs

You will get Johnstones stormshield at a better price and Just as good.

arthur daly

dmc17 wrote: »

Dulux Weathershield is as good as any. Thin out the first coat with water and then give it 2-3 more full coats if you want it to look right and last. Pick up one of these brushes and a good 12 inch long pile roller like this(don't buy those crappy foam/frizzy ones). A good big paint tray and extension pole. If you have these few essential items correct it will make life easier. You may want to cover windows and roll the walls slow and steady to minimise any overspray.

I would second what dmc said about getting a good roller,it will make the job a whole lot more easy and the chances are you will need a stack of cheap crappy falling apart to one decent one.

thesteve

How long has it been unpainted for? I've seen houses sit with initial plastering for years before painting and always wondered if the reddish fungus that grows has to be treated / power washed off before the house is painted?

Calahonda52

Why paint it at all?

74merc

I painted our house this time last year, it was built in 2011 and was never painted before.
I went with Johnstone's Pliolite paint which is oil based. The reason being that I didn't have to wait for clear weather, as it was weather proof within 20 minutes.
I used an extension pole on the roller which got me up as far as the first floor eaves.
I hired a cherry picker for the weekend to paint the bits I couldn't get to with a ladder and extension pole.
It took me about 4 weeks all in, but I only did a few hours at night.
Total cost was about £750, versus £2500 quoted by a painter.
The place I bought the paint discounted it heavily by approx 30%, so don't let the high price tag put you off.
One thing to consider is that a water based paint will require a primer plus 2 coats on new render, whereas the oil based paint doesn't need a primer, but will still need 2 coats.

rebelontour

thanks a million for that. with the Johnstone's Pliolite paint, the house is broken into two sections, part of the house is rough rendered and part is smooth finished. Would that do both or is it just for a rough render finish?thanks again.

74merc

I would say the same paint would do both, but you might need a different roller to suit the surface. Best to ask in a trade place, don't bother going to the likes of B&Q.

cerastes

74merc wrote: »

I painted our house this time last year, it was built in 2011 and was never painted before.
I went with Johnstone's Pliolite paint which is oil based. The reason being that I didn't have to wait for clear weather, as it was weather proof within 20 minutes.
I used an extension pole on the roller which got me up as far as the first floor eaves.
I hired a cherry picker for the weekend to paint the bits I couldn't get to with a ladder and extension pole.
It took me about 4 weeks all in, but I only did a few hours at night.
Total cost was about £750, versus £2500 quoted by a painter.
The place I bought the paint discounted it heavily by approx 30%, so don't let the high price tag put you off.
One thing to consider is that a water based paint will require a primer plus 2 coats on new render, whereas the oil based paint doesn't need a primer, but will still need 2 coats.

how much to hire a cherry picker? is that included in your cost?
was thinking of doing the work myself, but working off a ladder on my own would be significantly sped up by using a lift of some kind.
I enquired about a scissor lift but was told 250 a day plus delivery.

74merc

I got the cherry picker for £85 for the weekend, from Saturday morning to Monday morning. It was a tow along one so I picked it and and dropped it off at the depot. That was included in the total cost.

sky6

I'd give it a coat of Stabilizer all over before painting. This will prevent any of the paint blistering and lifting in a couple of years time. Well worth doing.

There's also new coatings on the market now which might be worth considering. I don't know anything about them only what i was told. But I believe there supposed to last a lifetime. Saves painting every few years if true.

cerastes

74merc wrote: »

I got the cherry picker for £85 for the weekend, from Saturday morning to Monday morning. It was a tow along one so I picked it and and dropped it off at the depot. That was included in the total cost.

Christ I was quoted 250 plus delivery for a scissor lift (in euros) I must check around, as I was thinking of painting and redoing/cleaning gutters and all off a ladder doesnt sound the best.
I think a cherry picker would be handier.
I wasnt aware of tow away types, I'll need to sort a tow bar seems like it could be handy.

Chemical Byrne

Do not work off a ladder.
It would be murdersome and dangerous.

€3000 sounds reasonable for to paint a decent size house when you consider the work that goes into it. Provided it is a good quality paint and competent individual who knows what they're doing.

cerastes

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Do not work off a ladder.
It would be murdersome and dangerous.

€3000 sounds reasonable for to paint a decent size house when you consider the work that goes into it. Provided it is a good quality paint and competent individual who knows what they're doing.

Exactly, Ive no intention, I plan to keep looking for a reasonably priced cherry picker hire or scissor lift (which is cheaper?)
Handier and quicker than going up and down ladders and safer.