News
How to paint the exterior of your newly built home
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.
News
Start clocking up those ‘Kingdom Kilometres’
With an increase in daylight hours there’s no better time to clock up the ‘Kingdom Kilometres’ on foot or by cycling along the county’s two new Greenways. The recently opened […]
With an increase in daylight hours there’s no better time to clock up the ‘Kingdom Kilometres’ on foot or by cycling along the county’s two new Greenways.
The recently opened Kingdom of Kerry Greenways between Tralee and Fenit and between Listowel and Abbeyfeale are already proving hugely popular with locals and visitors to Kerry.
Representatives of the tourism Industry, local public representatives, travel writers and influencers gathered in Kerry on Monday to experience the exciting new tourist attractions and welcome the arrival of the longer daylight hours as the clocks changed over to summertime.
Sarah Hanrahan, a social media influencer who posts about Irish travel and has more than 100,000 Instagram followers, described the experience.
“Ireland has some of the most amazing outdoor spaces. For a lot of my followers and other people, connecting with green spaces has become much more important to their overall sense of well-being as well as their health and fitness. It’s been really gorgeous to experience the Tralee to Fenit, and Listowel to Limerick Kingdom of Kerry Greenways; a fantastic trip sampling the warm hospitality of Kerry and a great reminder of the active holiday options that are right on our doorstep.”
The new purpose-built trails provide an accessible and inclusive experience for visitors of all abilities.
Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Mikey Sheehy and the Mayor of Listowel, Cllr Aoife Thornton, said that the greenways offer an exceptional recreational amenity for everyone to enjoy.
“The greenways are situated in some of Kerry’s most scenic landscapes and offer spectacular and safe off-road facilities for people of all ages to enjoy as the landscape comes into bloom. They also offer warm hospitality at the trail head towns of each route.”
Visit www.kerrygreenways.ie to find out more.
News
St Patrick’s Day parade winners announced
Killarney Valley Classic and Vintage Club has won the sought-after overall award in recognition of their colourful and action-packed entry to this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Killarney. Delighted […]
Killarney Valley Classic and Vintage Club has won the sought-after overall award in recognition of their colourful and action-packed entry to this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Killarney.
Delighted club representatives were presented with the Seán O’Keeffe Perpetual Trophy – in memory of the former Mayor of Killarney and parade stalwart – at a gala presentation of prizes in the International Hotel, Killarney on Tuesday night.
The award for the Best Interpretation of the Theme, which was Killarney: Experience More, went to the Wander Wild Festival who received the Michael Courtney Perpetual Trophy which is dedicated to the memory of another former mayor of the town who spearheaded the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations for many years.
The John ‘Killer’ O’Callaghan Perpetual Trophy for the Best Sporting Entry was won by Killarney Athletic AFC and the Peter Irwin Memorial Trophy for the Best Marching Group and Cultural/Arts Entry went to Millstreet Pipe Band.
The Best Sports Club was Spa GAA, the Best Children’s Group prize was won by Kilcummin Comhaltas and the Best New Entry was Killarney Rugby Football Club.
There was an international flavour to the Best Musical Entry which was scooped by the Glenridge High School Marching Band from New Jersey.
The prize for the Best Voluntary Group went to the Kerry Stars Special Olympics Club, the Best School Award went to the Fiona Crowley Stage School and the Best Activity Group was deemed to be Scorchers Cheerleading Club.
The Most Entertaining Entry went to the Killarney Tidy Towns group, the prize for the Most Original Entry was won by Liebherr Container Cranes and the Most Imaginative Entry in the parade was the Art House, Killarney.
The Most Stylish Entry prize was awarded to the Ukrainian community whose representative said they were delighted to play a part in Ireland’s national holiday and thanked the people of Killarney for the warm welcome they have received.
Other prizes presented on the night included the Best Window Display which went to Christy Healy’s on New Street who were celebrating 100 years in business on St Patrick’s Day, while the Europe Hotel and Resort won the Best Green-Themed Building prize.
The judges for the parade were Br Pat Lynch, Guardian, Franciscan Friary, Pam Brosnan, Killarney Musical Society and Denis McMahon.
The awards were presented by Killarney St Patrick’s Festival Chairman Paul Sherry, Mayor of Killarney Cllr Niall Kelleher, Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce Senior Executive Bridget O’Keeffe, and parade grand marshal Cathal P Walshe.
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