rough plaster

gerrykkkdanbury

after a self build (4 years ago), my house exterior was plastered with ,white sand ,white cement and lime to a rough finish so we would never have to paint. but after 4 years it hasn't weathered the way i would like. it will stain and get dirty very easy and nearly impossible to get off (clean). anyone any ideas apart from painting . as a last resort i was thinking of whitewashing

rooferPete

Hi gerry......

I think your plasterer should have told you that a rough finish was bound to gather dirt, it's in the air we breathe so there is a lot bigger chance it will lodge in the rough finish.

As your base is good (all white) the power washer should work but if you are going to use one make sure you can control the pressure and start from the top down.

If the pressure is too high there is a good chance that you will just be spreading any dirt lodged in the finish, also you might cause any weak sections to break away.

If you get the walls to a clean finish you could try using a product called "Enviroseal" on the walls, if there is any green moss or lichen on the walls give them a coat of anti fungicide first, then apply at least two coats of "Enviroseal".

When the "Enviroseal" dry's out it should stop any dirt getting a proper grip on the surface, but it could still need cleaning every couple of years, not what you wanted but cheaper than painting every four years.

For the record your plasterer should have advised you to either dry dash or wet dash with white cement.