By Tony Griffin, Manager Pat McDonnell Paints Tralee

We get a lot of queries at Pat McDonnell Paints this time of year, as the weather improves, from customers wanting to paint the exterior of their newly built house.

Painting the exterior of your home not only transforms it but will also help to protect it from weather damage.

This is a really exciting time for any new home owner but we recommend that you always leave freshly coated surfaces to dry out fully for about six months before sealing it with any kind of paint. Once the surface is dry, have checked the weather forecast and picked your colours, here are some simple steps to follow!

Step 1: Preparation

Cover the ground with dust sheets and tape where it’s needed, this will ensure your new paths are kept clean of paint spills! Next, dust and clean all the surfaces for painting so that they are free of dirt, grease and other contaminants that might impact the finish and lead to problems further down the line. The surface may need to be powerwashed first and cleaned fully with an anti-fungal wash like Farbex Exterior Fungicidal Wash, especially if there are any traces of algae or mould. Scrape down the walls so there are no uneven surfaces and fill any cracks or holes with an exterior filler like Prestonett Exterior Filler. Mask surfaces you wish to protect, like your window and door frames with a good quality masking tape like Deltec Masking Tape Extreme.

Top Tip:

It is important to check if the surface needs a sealer before painting. You can do this by running your hand along the wall and seeing if it leaves a chalky or powdery residue on your hand. If it does then your walls need to be sealed.

Step 2: Sealing

If your walls need to be sealed then priming is one of the best ways to ensure that your walls are well protected and that your exterior paint will adhere to them. We recommended sealing new walls with Ralston Wall Primer which has been diluted with water by a ratio of 1:1. This means if you have a five litre can of Ralston Wall Primer, you will dilute it with five litres of water. Always ensure you mix the paint thoroughly before painting and apply this to your wall as you would a normal paint. Leave to dry for approx. four hours and once dry you can paint as normal as per our application steps below. If your walls don’t need to be sealed you can skip this step!

Step 3: Applying the paint

It is important that you use a Masonry Paint when doing the exterior of your home, made in Ireland Dulux Weathershield Smooth Masonry Paint is perfect for our unique weather. We recommend diluting your first coat of masonry paint with water by 10%. This makes the application easier and aids absorption. Ensure you mix the paint thoroughly before painting and apply starting from the top and working your way down with the aid of your cutting in brush, masonry brush and a roller designed for the job; we recommend the Corona Tuff Pro 9” Sleeve. Leave the paint to dry for approx. twp to four hours depending on the manufacturer's instructions. Once dry you can paint with the remaining coats without thinning the paint. Apply a second coat of your masonry paint and again leave to dry for approx. two to four hours between coats. We recommend always applying at least two coats for that perfect finish and to ensure durability and a third coat may be needed depending on the surface.

Tip: Always remove masking tape after a few hours as the tape glue might dry and damage the fittings and windows.

Equipment:

Don’t forget the tools for the job, we often have customers loosing valuable dry weather time because they have forgotten a brush or roller. Below is a list of the equipment you need for this job.

4” Harper & Green Masonry Brush
2” Wooster Soft Tip Brush for cutting in
3 x Harper & Green 12×12 Drop Covering Sheets
1 x Corona Tuff Pro 9” Sleeve
1 x Wooster 9” Roller Frame
Deltec Masking Tape Extreme
1 x Harper & Green Blue Roller Bucket
1 x Harper & Green 2 Piece Yellow Extension Pole
Correct ladder or equipment to safely access the eves of the house and facia and soffit.

You can find more tips and how-to-guides on our site www.mcdonnellpaints.ie or call in store and speak with a member of our team.