House Painting

[tatom]

Ive read several threads here about painting and like everything else, everyone has a different recomendation as to the best brands.

I think the brand is not so important. I think most important is that the surface to be painted is dry and sound, and that weather is right. ( not painting in the rain or direct sun.)

I will repaint my house in a few months and welcome any ideas. The original paint is 14 years old and very sound. The painter was a real jerk, but really knew what he was doing with the paint. I will clean the surface first. I believe primer is a must? Any primer? I notice they have different kinds, 1 called contact primer, and another I dont remember right now. Then 2 coats paint?

There are a couple cracks big enough to put a coin in. Any suggestions for repairing them?

Tom Salarak Khon Kaen

[Beardog]

I think if you compare the wear ability you will most definitely find the cheaper brands are the cheaper brands & you get what you pay for.We used 4 types of paint on our first house. ICI Duluxe won hands down. # years later when we tore it down to build the dream house the Dulux paint was the only paint that didn't require a repaint if we would have resurrected the old house.Contact primer is the best & you can lay a coat of paint almost immediately after compared to alkaloid primer. Contact cost more but again as long as you are doing good prep work & have clean surfaces you are painting on either will work. I would suggest using the same brand of primer to paint. you can use mixed brands but you could have reactions- the same in automotive paint. At any rate if you are painting the outside use the companies better paint I would avoid like the plague TOA or 4 seasons bottom of the line paints. The interior is more forgiving but the humid conditions here are hel_l on outdoor surfaces.

This new house has mostly ICI duluxe weather shield on the outside & Toa Nano Shield on the inside. both have top end polymers to make the paint last so you don't need to paint every 2 years to have your house look great like when you first applied it.

Good luck & pleasant painting. Just finished tying up the last of the painting for this house.

full two coats of primer especially for an older house.

Edited September 18, 2010 by Beardog

[philliphn]

I sugest a big umbrela to cover your house from the sun when you paint.

Or you can get some flood lights and paint at night.

[Beardog]

I think if you compare the wear ability you will most definitely find the cheaper brands are the cheaper brands & you get what you pay for.We used 4 types of paint on our first house. ICI Duluxe won hands down. # years later when we tore it down to build the dream house the Dulux paint was the only paint that didn't require a repaint if we would have resurrected the old house.Contact primer is the best & you can lay a coat of paint almost immediately after compared to alkaloid primer. Contact cost more but again as long as you are doing good prep work & have clean surfaces you are painting on either will work. I would suggest using the same brand of primer to paint. you can use mixed brands but you could have reactions- the same in automotive paint. At any rate if you are painting the outside use the companies better paint I would avoid like the plague TOA or 4 seasons bottom of the line paints. The interior is more forgiving but the humid conditions here are hel_l on outdoor surfaces.

This new house has mostly ICI duluxe weather shield on the outside & Toa Nano Shield on the inside. both have top end polymers to make the paint last so you don't need to paint every 2 years to have your house look great like when you first applied it.

Good luck & pleasant painting. Just finished tying up the last of the painting for this house.

full two coats of primer especially for an older house.

Depending on the type of cracks in the walls will determine the remedy. If you got some pics you will get some advice on how to repair. There are also some good advice given on other posts. search for cracks in walls & see what you come up with or post how to repair cracks in walls.

[katabeachbum]

huge difference in quality, and for once quality often follows price

low cost / acceptable quality is Supercoat 5xx series. 3xx series washes/rains off the walls, but can be used on indoor ceilings

medium cost / good quality is Supercoat Nanotech

second ICI Dulux weather shieled, good quality

No water in paint, no paint in sunshine

shouldnt paint walls just heated by sunshine

[jackr]

As others, brand certainly does matter. Of course the preparation is a make or break but one also needs to consider a higher quality brand, and going for the entry level of a given brand is not a good idea. Dulux is probably the best. I did, however, use TOA Supershield three years ago and it went on real easy and is still as good as new... the self-washing type. Not cheap, but well worth it. Stay way from 4Seasons gloss (on fascia boards) outside - not good against the elements. Avoid diluting more than 10/20 %. If you catch the painters doing a 50/50, stop em, as the paint will lose its properties and you'll be at it again down the line.

For the cracks, if not structural, I'd bung in some render... you can pick up premix in varying coarses. That putty / acrylic filler stuff is pretty useless, especially outside. It sinks and doesn't stand up to the sun. One may laugh, but I've had good results from car body filler.

[ignis]

If the house paint is 14 years old it must have been a good quality paint..

Myself repainted the house when it was a year old, outside used rubberised elastic semi gloss, that is 6 years ago and still looks new... Metalwork I bought 'Hammerite' [very expensive] again 6 years on it still looks new, others in the Village have repainted every 2 years.[so my Hammerite now looks cheap ] Inside downstairs have painted with semi gloss washable, every easy to keep clean, likewise the outside boundary walls... No I do not have the brown/ black stains everywhere like all the other houses in the Village, I just use a scrubbing brush and my boundary walls are white again 6 years on.. In the bedrooms just repainted in normal cheapish paint, bad move as have already last year had to fully repaint the stairs walls and the landing, but 2 of the bedrooms still look fine, the master-bedroom really needs painting again, so will use a much better quality paint this time.

[tatom]

Thanks for the tips. Beardog, you said 2 coats primer. Did you mean 2 coats paint?

As for diluting, is it best not to add water if possible?

[Beardog]

Thanks for the tips. Beardog, you said 2 coats primer. Did you mean 2 coats paint?

As for diluting, is it best not to add water if possible?

On the primer if you are real good on getting the old surfaces to be painted clean you can get away with one coat of contact primer. I would myself on an older house paint job use contact primer to get more bite into the old paint. Follow the primer directions & hopefully it will have some English on it! Usually it is 1 coat with contact primer. A full coat. Make sure to get all of the surface & not the Thai cheese way of leaving a little here & there not painted. On the main coat for sure 2 coats. I used 3 on some areas that looked thin. No need for water- the paint will be stronger & do its job way more effective with water based paints.All the water diluting does is save money & compromises the paints integrity.Oil based paints a whole different animal!

[gdhm]

If the house paint is 14 years old it must have been a good quality paint..

Myself repainted the house when it was a year old, outside used rubberised elastic semi gloss, that is 6 years ago and still looks new... Metalwork I bought 'Hammerite' [very expensive] again 6 years on it still looks new, others in the Village have repainted every 2 years.[so my Hammerite now looks cheap ] Inside downstairs have painted with semi gloss washable, every easy to keep clean, likewise the outside boundary walls... No I do not have the brown/ black stains everywhere like all the other houses in the Village, I just use a scrubbing brush and my boundary walls are white again 6 years on.. In the bedrooms just repainted in normal cheapish paint, bad move as have already last year had to fully repaint the stairs walls and the landing, but 2 of the bedrooms still look fine, the master-bedroom really needs painting again, so will use a much better quality paint this time.

This topic is VERY interesting and helpful.

1) Ignis, May I ask you a question. Are you saying you painted your outside boundary walls with Semi GLOSS paint (not Acrylic emulsion or the likes) or am being stupid in my understanding of what you said?

Please can you tell me what you used either way as clearly you seem to have got it right AND also advise what primer/sealer/undercoat you used.

Thanks

2) Hairline Cracks

I have 300 hundred or so HAIRLINE cracks on my 2 year old house walls (boundary and house outside and inside walls.

Reasons and ability of renderer concerned is all "Water under the Bridge".

In view of the number and how hairline 99% are. They are true hairline and not more sinister. I suspect render although having the correct render was not used to working on Q-con blocks. (having said that the boundary walls are cement block based and different rendering and by different workers . I am NOW aware of reasons why hairline cracks can occur but its too late now

Can Beardog, Ignis or anybody in the know, tell me if I had a DECENT (hopefully) painter

a) prepare the walls and primed appropriately

AND

2) paint/primer is NOT watered down at all if one of these "elasticized exterior paints by Dulux, TOA etc. (supposedly able to cope with 3mm (mine are 1mm)would be a successful and realistic solution to covering these fine hairline cracks and hiding any other new ones that may occur after painting. would they completely conceal the crack being there or would they leave a tell tale faint indent along the crack even if they did not split open in future.

I appreciate ANY professional would correctly offer best advice say dig out, fix not hide and fill cracks properly with the correct ratio mix of glue and appropriate filler.

Having accepted that I personally have little faith in quality work (base don my house build) SO... will quality elasticized paint do the job.

My thinking is IF my next painter overstates his skills, will quality elasticized paint conceal what is essentially cosmetic hairline cracks (and not fundamental or structural issues).

I ask NOT because I am unprepared to have all the cracks dug out and fixed but because I NOW lack confidence in my identifying GOOD skilful local painters with the ability to actually permanently deal with my houses hairline cracks properly.

I have had a couple of hairline cracks near our main entrance (visually annoying) dug out and "fixed" on two separate occasions by different persons, only to reopen within months of repair the crack is still hairline and not wide than when it first appeared just not done correctly or with the right materials/knowledge

3) Contact primer. I am not a painter. What do I look for to ensure I know if I am buying Contact primer and not ordinary or lesser capability primer.

--

I 100% agree members advice on preparation, not using cheap paints or watering down.

With my house painted 2 years ago, paint is lifting off the bottom of my house exterior walls completely in places (due to rain dampness) and the paint all over has some patchy fading and in general looks and was beginning to look worse for wear inside 9 months. Of course the many hairline cracks are not helping as moisture gets in.

I have little funds to spare, BUT fully understand and agree with members GOOD ADVICE here, that skimping on preparation, paint quality or watering down is truly FALSE economy and the initial added expense of better preparation, not watered down quality paints will pay off after a few years, even in this cheap labour costs country. AND anyway who wants a recently painted house to look like it is in seriosu need of a repaint after only 1-2 years.

Thanks all

Dave

[Beardog]

If the house paint is 14 years old it must have been a good quality paint..

Myself repainted the house when it was a year old, outside used rubberised elastic semi gloss, that is 6 years ago and still looks new... Metalwork I bought 'Hammerite' [very expensive] again 6 years on it still looks new, others in the Village have repainted every 2 years.[so my Hammerite now looks cheap ] Inside downstairs have painted with semi gloss washable, every easy to keep clean, likewise the outside boundary walls... No I do not have the brown/ black stains everywhere like all the other houses in the Village, I just use a scrubbing brush and my boundary walls are white again 6 years on.. In the bedrooms just repainted in normal cheapish paint, bad move as have already last year had to fully repaint the stairs walls and the landing, but 2 of the bedrooms still look fine, the master-bedroom really needs painting again, so will use a much better quality paint this time.

This topic is VERY interesting and helpful.

1) Ignis, May I ask you a question. Are you saying you painted your outside boundary walls with Semi GLOSS paint (not Acrylic emulsion or the likes) or am being stupid in my understanding of what you said?

Please can you tell me what you used either way as clearly you seem to have got it right AND also advise what primer/sealer/undercoat you used.

Thanks

2) Hairline Cracks

I have 300 hundred or so HAIRLINE cracks on my 2 year old house walls (boundary and house outside and inside walls.

Reasons and ability of renderer concerned is all "Water under the Bridge".

In view of the number and how hairline 99% are. They are true hairline and not more sinister. I suspect render although having the correct render was not used to working on Q-con blocks. (having said that the boundary walls are cement block based and different rendering and by different workers . I am NOW aware of reasons why hairline cracks can occur but its too late now

Can Beardog, Ignis or anybody in the know, tell me if I had a DECENT (hopefully) painter

a) prepare the walls and primed appropriately

AND

2) paint/primer is NOT watered down at all if one of these "elasticized exterior paints by Dulux, TOA etc. (supposedly able to cope with 3mm (mine are 1mm)would be a successful and realistic solution to covering these fine hairline cracks and hiding any other new ones that may occur after painting. would they completely conceal the crack being there or would they leave a tell tale faint indent along the crack even if they did not split open in future.

I appreciate ANY professional would correctly offer best advice say dig out, fix not hide and fill cracks properly with the correct ratio mix of glue and appropriate filler.

Having accepted that I personally have little faith in quality work (base don my house build) SO... will quality elasticized paint do the job.

My thinking is IF my next painter overstates his skills, will quality elasticized paint conceal what is essentially cosmetic hairline cracks (and not fundamental or structural issues).

I ask NOT because I am unprepared to have all the cracks dug out and fixed but because I NOW lack confidence in my identifying GOOD skilful local painters with the ability to actually permanently deal with my houses hairline cracks properly.

I have had a couple of hairline cracks near our main entrance (visually annoying) dug out and "fixed" on two separate occasions by different persons, only to reopen within months of repair the crack is still hairline and not wide than when it first appeared just not done correctly or with the right materials/knowledge

3) Contact primer. I am not a painter. What do I look for to ensure I know if I am buying Contact primer and not ordinary or lesser capability primer.

--

I 100% agree members advice on preparation, not using cheap paints or watering down.

With my house painted 2 years ago, paint is lifting off the bottom of my house exterior walls completely in places (due to rain dampness) and the paint all over has some patchy fading and in general looks and was beginning to look worse for wear inside 9 months. Of course the many hairline cracks are not helping as moisture gets in.

I have little funds to spare, BUT fully understand and agree with members GOOD ADVICE here, that skimping on preparation, paint quality or watering down is truly FALSE economy and the initial added expense of better preparation, not watered down quality paints will pay off after a few years, even in this cheap labour costs country. AND anyway who wants a recently painted house to look like it is in seriosu need of a repaint after only 1-2 years.

Thanks all

Dave

Hi Dave,

Rimmer gave me some good advise for cracks. Bosny brand makes a crack filler that works good kind of a rubberized mix in the spackle.But if the are more than hairline cracks you will be pissin in the wind. My contractor that built the new house showed me something that shouldn't work but it did.( on the old house) He sanded an area down to cement & re rendered it. Of course if you have a bunch of cracks this would not work at all.(cost wise)The reason why the paint is coming off the bottom is probably more to do with not fully applying the primer all the way down to the bottom. I bought 12 extra brushes for the crew & tips as well to paint ALL the surfaces. In addition I help paint some myself.

The contact primer will say right on the can if it does not it is probable an alkaloid base primer. I had to use high pile paint rollers to hide the ill effects the first house we built. Good ol Somai might as well shown up with a meat cleaver & a framing hatchet.

The contact primer acts the same as midcoat adhesion or jamzit used in painting autos & works killer for repaints as well as new structures. Try Bosny first in a red label tub. Available at most places Home pro, Homeworks ,Homemart as well as many mom & pops shops.

Wait a month if you have the time & see how some test areas work. That (if you have the time )will give you an idea if it is worth redoing the hairline cracks before painting.

I tried Just for kicks a tray of watered down(10%) of Dulux & I really could see the difference. It dulled the paint & took 4 coats & was splotchy. So that answered that question. Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers Barry

Edited September 20, 2010 by Beardog

[Pib]

I think if you compare the wear ability you will most definitely find the cheaper brands are the cheaper brands & you get what you pay for.We used 4 types of paint on our first house. ICI Duluxe won hands down. # years later when we tore it down to build the dream house the Dulux paint was the only paint that didn't require a repaint if we would have resurrected the old house.Contact primer is the best & you can lay a coat of paint almost immediately after compared to alkaloid primer. Contact cost more but again as long as you are doing good prep work & have clean surfaces you are painting on either will work. I would suggest using the same brand of primer to paint. you can use mixed brands but you could have reactions- the same in automotive paint. At any rate if you are painting the outside use the companies better paint I would avoid like the plague TOA or 4 seasons bottom of the line paints. The interior is more forgiving but the humid conditions here are hel_l on outdoor surfaces.

This new house has mostly ICI duluxe weather shield on the outside & Toa Nano Shield on the inside. both have top end polymers to make the paint last so you don't need to paint every 2 years to have your house look great like when you first applied it.

Good luck & pleasant painting. Just finished tying up the last of the painting for this house.

full two coats of primer especially for an older house.

If you use ICI paint on concrete walls "definitely" use primer. I used ICI Dulux WeatherShield Maxima SemiGross on my lawn/preimeter walls. The walls were in good condition, cleaned well, no loose paint, painted when dry, etc. Primer was not used in all locations. In the locations where primer was used, the ICI paint stuck to the walls just fine during the dry and rainy season; but on those places where primer was not used, the paint would bubble-up/come loose during the rainy season in some large spots usually on the top half of the wall. The ICI paint retains it's color in an outstanding/long-term manner, sticks good, and very stain resistant on a wall which included primer. But I got better "wall sticking" power using low cost 4Seasons paint than I did with top quality ICI paint. Would have continued to use 4Seasons paint except it's "wall sticking" power in a damp enviroment has a lot to be desired, color retention is poor for brighter colors, and it can turn green/black pretty fast when continously damp/where a wall gets a lot of water runoff. In my opinion, ICI paint is very good "when also using primer."

[stgrhe]

If you use ICI paint on concrete walls "definitely" use primer.

Whether the ICI paint, or any other paint is used, on concrete walls it is highly recommended to use a sealant first before applying the primer. Masterseal 525 or Lanko 226 are good sealants.

[Beardog]

I sugest a big umbrela to cover your house from the sun when you paint.

Or you can get some flood lights and paint at night.

This is 4 seasons with not enough primer used watered down. It lasted 6 months & was flat no shine to it whatsoever & I wish you could see the paint just flaking off everywhere. to the left of this photo shows what the entire house did.even at best with primer & not watered down the paint is definitively cheaper.The house had 4 companies of paint & 4 seasons while it was the cheapest, it was first to die. the house was only 200,000 baht & the paint was piss poor. You get what you pay for. I just don't care to repaint before 5 years on any house project. The house was built to low & got hit in the last flood.When it came time to move in the new house I decided instead of using the TSP I brought back from America to just rip it down & use the land for more fruit trees. Great choice Here is what a few more baht buys. Not knocking you but In paint you get what you pay for. Same in auto paint you can get a earl Schrieb $19.99 PAINT JOB (NOW $150.00) that is a synthetic paint

lasts 6 months if you are lucky or a Dupont Duluxe- or a Ditzler German paint & have a 10-15 year paint job. I have vehicles I painted 17 years ago on their 5th rub out that still looks great.The synthetic they use in heavy machinery is synthetic & needs a yearly repaint& it is expected to get beat up from dirt rocks asphalt etc. so synthetic not a bad choice. The spare add on was 4 seasons & had no water added & died the same time. Not only the flooded area but the middle & top as well. to me it is the difference of a Yugo auto & a Toyota Camry it is a given the more expensive paint lasts.The new house is about 2 meters higher as the land was built up & the topography is higher , that & the house is elevated by a meter extra. Although knocking down the old house wasn't in the plans the 176 sq. meter pad is all we need & then some!

[jackr]

Guys, it's perfectly normal to water paint slightly to allow it to go on smoothly and for a more even finish, which is crucial in this climate. One is deluding oneself if you think you're getting a better finish by not doing so... ask a professional (Western) painter/decorator and also check the can as even the manufacturers recommend it. I have always done this, both inside and out, but not to save money, purely for the points outlined above, and always get a good finish. Although, as I say, something like 10 or 20 percent, not more. Gloss (enamel; for wood frames, fascias) does not get watered down . For smoother application one uses a tincture of mineral turpentine, not thinners.

[Pib]

I sugest a big umbrela to cover your house from the sun when you paint.

Or you can get some flood lights and paint at night.

This is 4 seasons with not enough primer used watered down. It lasted 6 months & was flat no shine to it whatsoever & I wish you could see the paint just flaking off everywhere. to the left of this photo shows what the entire house did.even at best with primer & not watered down the paint is definitively cheaper.The house had 4 companies of paint & 4 seasons while it was the cheapest, it was first to die. the house was only 200,000 baht & the paint was piss poor. You get what you pay for. I just don't care to repaint before 5 years on any house project. The house was built to low & got hit in the last flood.When it came time to move in the new house I decided instead of using the TSP I brought back from America to just rip it down & use the land for more fruit trees. Great choice Here is what a few more baht buys. Not knocking you but In paint you get what you pay for. Same in auto paint you can get a earl Schrieb $19.99 PAINT JOB (NOW $150.00) that is a synthetic paint

lasts 6 months if you are lucky or a Dupont Duluxe- or a Ditzler German paint & have a 10-15 year paint job. I have vehicles I painted 17 years ago on their 5th rub out that still looks great.The synthetic they use in heavy machinery is synthetic & needs a yearly repaint& it is expected to get beat up from dirt rocks asphalt etc. so synthetic not a bad choice. The spare add on was 4 seasons & had no water added & died the same time. Not only the flooded area but the middle & top as well. to me it is the difference of a Yugo auto & a Toyota Camry it is a given the more expensive paint lasts.The new house is about 2 meters higher as the land was built up & the topography is higher , that & the house is elevated by a meter extra. Although knocking down the old house wasn't in the plans the 176 sq. meter pad is all we need & then some!

My experience with 4Seasons paint is it fades fast on exteriors and even when used with primer/sealant in wet locations, like along the bottom of the wall, it peels/bubbles easily. And when used on perimeter/lawn walls black/green mold growth occurs easily. 4Seasons paint is fine in a dry location...probably best reserved for use on interiors even when the paint says it's for exteriors.

[gdhm]

Hi Dave,

Rimmer gave me some good advise for cracks. Bosny brand makes a crack filler that works good kind of a rubberized mix in the spackle.But if the are more than hairline cracks you will be pissin in the wind. My contractor that built the new house showed me something that shouldn't work but it did.( on the old house) He sanded an area down to cement & re rendered it. Of course if you have a bunch of cracks this would not work at all.(cost wise)The reason why the paint is coming off the bottom is probably more to do with not fully applying the primer all the way down to the bottom. I bought 12 extra brushes for the crew & tips as well to paint ALL the surfaces. In addition I help paint some myself.

The contact primer will say right on the can if it does not it is probable an alkaloid base primer. I had to use high pile paint rollers to hide the ill effects the first house we built. Good ol Somai might as well shown up with a meat cleaver & a framing hatchet.

The contact primer acts the same as midcoat adhesion or jamzit used in painting autos & works killer for repaints as well as new structures. Try Bosny first in a red label tub. Available at most places Home pro, Homeworks ,Homemart as well as many mom & pops shops.

Wait a month if you have the time & see how some test areas work. That (if you have the time )will give you an idea if it is worth redoing the hairline cracks before painting.

I tried Just for kicks a tray of watered down(10%) of Dulux & I really could see the difference. It dulled the paint & took 4 coats & was splotchy. So that answered that question. Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers Barry

It helps me an awful lot Barry many thanks .

I do have time if it helps get my walls right at last.

Fed up with seeing hairline cracks almost from start of rendering and painting of my 2 years ago new built home.

I had anyway planned to do a test area of elasticized paint to see if a possible solution, but obviously it would only be a few months' test so if OK I still would not know if a probable longer term/many years' solution based upon that test alone (although of course if it did nto work or was or unimpressive from start to a few months the test would reveal that)

Regards Dave

[gdhm]

I think if you compare the wear ability you will most definitely find the cheaper brands are the cheaper brands & you get what you pay for.We used 4 types of paint on our first house. ICI Duluxe won hands down. # years later when we tore it down to build the dream house the Dulux paint was the only paint that didn't require a repaint if we would have resurrected the old house.Contact primer is the best & you can lay a coat of paint almost immediately after compared to alkaloid primer. Contact cost more but again as long as you are doing good prep work & have clean surfaces you are painting on either will work. I would suggest using the same brand of primer to paint. you can use mixed brands but you could have reactions- the same in automotive paint. At any rate if you are painting the outside use the companies better paint I would avoid like the plague TOA or 4 seasons bottom of the line paints. The interior is more forgiving but the humid conditions here are hel_l on outdoor surfaces.

This new house has mostly ICI duluxe weather shield on the outside & Toa Nano Shield on the inside. both have top end polymers to make the paint last so you don't need to paint every 2 years to have your house look great like when you first applied it.

Good luck & pleasant painting. Just finished tying up the last of the painting for this house.

full two coats of primer especially for an older house.

If you use ICI paint on concrete walls "definitely" use primer. I used ICI Dulux WeatherShield Maxima SemiGross on my lawn/preimeter walls. The walls were in good condition, cleaned well, no loose paint, painted when dry, etc. Primer was not used in all locations. In the locations where primer was used, the ICI paint stuck to the walls just fine during the dry and rainy season; but on those places where primer was not used, the paint would bubble-up/come loose during the rainy season in some large spots usually on the top half of the wall. The ICI paint retains it's color in an outstanding/long-term manner, sticks good, and very stain resistant on a wall which included primer. But I got better "wall sticking" power using low cost 4Seasons paint than I did with top quality ICI paint. Would have continued to use 4Seasons paint except it's "wall sticking" power in a damp enviroment has a lot to be desired, color retention is poor for brighter colors, and it can turn green/black pretty fast when continously damp/where a wall gets a lot of water runoff. In my opinion, ICI paint is very good "when also using primer."

Gee another wonderful precise informative and highly useful post . Thank you Pib ever so much. Nothing like user experience/knowledge.

I will certainly take on board this info for my 2.5 - 3 metre boundary walls. Some of the adverse symptoms you mention I am already experiencing.

To be honest the builder did not use durable quality paint and one of his workers told my wife (late in the day) to expect to repaint after 2-3 years max.

Regards Dave

[gdhm]

If you use ICI paint on concrete walls "definitely" use primer.

Whether the ICI paint, or any other paint is used, on concrete walls it is highly recommended to use a sealant first before applying the primer. Masterseal 525 or Lanko 226 are good sealants.

Thanks also.

Please may I ask you if the sealant can be painted over sound/pretty sound previous acrylic emulsion paint on my walls or does that need to be specially prepared first and if so in what way?

Which season is best to do all this and painting? Is it the cool dry season. How long is best to allow it before high heat or heavy rains expected? I suppose in my usual long winded way ,I am asking, assuming a typical weather year, what month/months are the very best to a repair/prepare/seal/paint etc. exterior house and boundary walls (live in Khon Kaen, Isaan).

Regards, Dave

[ignis]

As for a painter, sorry no idea as did it all myself,,

The paint I used on all the exterior walls, 3 different colours... Nippon Plus Colour Shield... Covers Cracks, Washable, Waterproof, Semi-gloss.

Bedrooms I used Duluxe. all 3 bedrooms are 2 colours, all 3 diffident 2 tone colours.

Kitchen I used Nippon Plus Colour Shield, washable, semi-gloss in Pillar box red.

Front room used Nippon Plus Colour Shield, washable, semi-gloss.. Vivid blue over beige.

For me the Colour Creation Nippon Paint [much more expensive] is better than Duluxe

[gdhm]

Guys, it's perfectly normal to water paint slightly to allow it to go on smoothly and for a more even finish, which is crucial in this climate. One is deluding oneself if you think you're getting a better finish by not doing so... ask a professional (Western) painter/decorator and also check the can as even the manufacturers recommend it. I have always done this, both inside and out, but not to save money, purely for the points outlined above, and always get a good finish. Although, as I say, something like 10 or 20 percent, not more. Gloss (enamel; for wood frames, fascias) does not get watered down . For smoother application one uses a tincture of mineral turpentine, not thinners.

Interesting Jackr but now I am a little unsure what is best. If the manufacturer is not suggesting any wateirng odwn on the can ar eyou sugesting 10% or so anyway or only if manufacturer recommnends?

and

is it normal for most decent manufacturers like ICI to make a recommendation on their cans if beneficial?

Thanks Dave

[Pib]

Usually, when a manufacturer identifies the percentage of water which can be added (i.e., 10%, 30%, etc) to water-based paints, it's just to allow smoother/easier painting "if" the paint seems to be too thick for easy application depending on temperature, humidity, age of paint. Unfortunately, some house painters will thin the paint/add around 30% water to minimize their material costs if you don't watch them.

Just don't add no more water than the paint label identified maximum "if" you need to add water. Personally, I almost always add 10% water (if the paint label identifies 10% or more is acceptable) just to get a smoother flow and ability to cover more area....and I would never go beyond the 10% percentage even if the paint label said up to 30% was OK...but that is just me. And yes the more water you add does dilute the paint/pigment level which may affect its lasting power/color...just don't add more than the manufacturer says is OK and you should be OK. I've been unable to tell the difference color wise or lasting power wise between an undiluted/thinned paint (per manufacturer's label) compared to the same paint undiluted/unthinned. But as mentioned, that just been my experience when I do my ever few years house/perimeter wall painting.

[gdhm]

Usually, when a manufacturer identifies the percentage of water which can be added (i.e., 10%, 30%, etc) to water-based paints, it's just to allow smoother/easier painting "if" the paint seems to be too thick for easy application depending on temperature, humidity, age of paint. Unfortunately, some house painters will thin the paint/add around 30% water to minimize their material costs if you don't watch them.

Just don't add no more water than the paint label identified maximum "if" you need to add water. Personally, I almost always add 10% water (if the paint label identifies 10% or more is acceptable) just to get a smoother flow and ability to cover more area....and I would never go beyond the 10% percentage even if the paint label said up to 30% was OK...but that is just me. And yes the more water you add does dilute the paint/pigment level which may affect its lasting power/color...just don't add more than the manufacturer says is OK and you should be OK. I've been unable to tell the difference color wise or lasting power wise between an undiluted/thinned paint (per manufacturer's label) compared to the same paint undiluted/unthinned. But as mentioned, that just been my experience when I do my ever few years house/perimeter wall painting.

Thanks again,

One final clarification. I assume if I go for one of the specialist elasticized paints designed to deal with hairline cracks/imperfections coverage)that I should NOT dilute with water in any way. I'm assuming that adding any water (even only 10% would fight against/jeopardize the flexibility properties in the paint.

Regards, Dave

[Pib]

Go with whatever the paint label states is OK, to include dilution up to X-percentage if required/desired. Go with no dilution to give yourself a warm fuzzy.

Also,don't be surprised if after a few months those current hairline cracks/imperfections start reappearing and new ones appear as there is a lot of paint advertising hype in how well supposedly elastic type paints actually work and hide current and new cracks/imperfections. Hiding cracks claims just seems to be one of the current gotta-do-advertising things for paint manufacturers. A person can't really complaint when the cracks appear/reappears as the paint manufacturer/vender will just say the crack was too large, had moisture in it, etc...etc...etc.

Using good primer will probably do a better job of hiding/filling in hairline cracks than topcoat paint.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Pib

[juehoe]

Repainting my house in Hua Hin:

• Facade, 2 coats TOA 7
• 320 Baht per square metre (plus VAT)

One of my neighbours used TOA 7 and is very satisfied with it.

[sunholidaysun1]

I have an old Thai style house, top half wood. It was built with old wood to start with as it has only been built 15 years ago but the wood looks older. My problem is that whatever varnish /wood stain previously used, all has practically disappeared , leaving bare wood with some colour in places , other areas are very flakey .

What do I put on the old wood first before painting . I think the wood would be like a sponge and soak up anything to start with. Do I use several coats of a contact primer , or does the contact primer go on first , followed by an undercoat ? How many coats do I use ? Then a top coat Semi Gloss ? is this best to use or will a gloss be too shiny.

I have someone sanding all the wood down and cleaning the surface before doing anything .

Many thanks in advance

[falkan]

Has anyone used Jotun? what were the results?

Want to repaint/renovate the 10-year-old house and went to Home Works and the seller said that Thai buys TOA while falangs buy the slightly more expensive Jotun paint

I do not mind paying a little extra just to get the best, which pays off in the long run..

I was recommended the following products

Indoor

Jotashield Primer 07 one time

Jotun Majestic two times

Outdoor

Jotashield Primer 07 one time

Jotashield Extreme two times

For minor cracks Jotun Jotashield Flex

pricelist

Jotashield Primer 07, price THB 1,275 1 gallon, 18 litres

Jotun "Majestic" for interior, price is THB 1,755 per 1 gallon 9 litres

Jotun "Jotashield Extreme", price THB 1,925 per 1 gallon 9 litres

Edited August 27, 2011 by falkan

[falkan]

How often do you paint the house 2 3 5 10 years and what brand do you use?

[sezze]

I used Dulux over the complete house .

Inside Easycare and Pentalite , ceiling Homematt , Bathroom + soffits outside Inspire .

Outside Weathershield Ultima .

Primer overall was weathershield primer .

Not a drop of water was used for thinning the paint and the paint did not drip anywhere .

Result , well , it is still not long enough on to make an estimate .

Would i use it again . Outside , yes . Inside the Easycare i would change for a cheaper type of Dulux like the Pentalite or the Inspire ( last one is cheap , but does have the Dulux brandname and is plenty good enough for inside ( it is outside paint )) .

[Pattel]

I live on the top floor of an old condo. I've been thinking of painting the roof (over my condo) white to help reflect some of the heat. Eventually I am going to renovate the condo (built in wardrobes ,lowered ceilling [insulated] ) but thats a couple of years away. In the meantime cutting down on the AirCon would help.

Any suggestions as to what paint /primer to use.