Coloring My New House

[painterscabin]

The cement stucco is finished, now comes the choice of what to color it with. Looking for tips on products available in thailand, Wheather cement pigments, stains but probably not paint because it does'nt let the stucco breath. So fire away, those of you with first hand knowledge. Thanks

[Naam]

it does'nt let the stucco breath

the problem with cement stucco in Thailand is that it doesn't breathe no matter whether you paint or not.

[happynthailand]

put a good sealer on before you paint the house,the paint seems to last longer ,and the paint doesn't peel off so easy.

[keeniau96]

Have built several houses in Phuket in the past ten years. Always applied two coats of best quality paint. The first acts as a sealer, the second goes on very smooth. Use the best quality, cheaper in the long run.

[painterscabin]

Have built several houses in Phuket in the past ten years. Always applied two coats of best quality paint. The first acts as a sealer, the second goes on very smooth. Use the best quality, cheaper in the long run.

Ok, I've read this post and the ones before,so, are you using cement paint or a latex. I've seen many cement paint adds in Thai building magizines, so even here looking for good feedback .

[MrRealDeal]

Cement Sealer is the first thing to use , stain is pretty much just a different type of paint , oil based paint does not have the same elasticity as latex which will shrink and strech with the heat and cold believe it or not and will last longer , oil based paints stains ect will crack first because they don't have any elasticity and look crappy sooner but stick a little better so removing the bad parts in 10 years is easier but it's more toxic and annoying to apply.

Flat paints will give you a much better appearence unless you know how to evenly and correctly apply a gloss paint , the more the sheen or gloss the more evenly it needs to be put on . otherwise you get parts that are shiner than the others and can look a little off. Flat or no sheen paints it makes no difference at all and will look perfectly even as long as it's covered. The bueaty of a flat sheen on the body of the house is that it makes a high gloss paint on the trim around the windows stand out much better and makes the house look better. The door painted in a high gloss for example on a flat body really pops out.

If you are in an area with bugs believe it or not an old painters trick is to add bug repellant to the paint so they don't fly into the paint as it drys. ESPECIALLY with a high gloss paint , because painting over the area with the bugs removed will create those high gloss areas I mentioned.

When using more than 1 coat of paint you should thin down the first coat if it's latex about 25 percent with water. Dont put oil over latex or latex over oil they have sealer in both.

Using a sprayer especially if it's heated is better with oil based paints with high gloss for the trim.

Using a brush and roller will apply the paint thicker which sounds good but it's really not as you really want as little paint as possible to cover so their is less to scrape later in life , it's a little more of a pain to cover the windows and everything with plastic when you spray it but it's really the best way to apply any kind of covering. Don't try to cover it on the first coat just spay it so it looks like you did a half assed job of it and apply another coat to fill in the rest. Basicly just go around the house twice and then a third time to fill in any "holidays".

My advice latex sealer and flat paint on the body , high gloss enamal\oil based on the doors and trim , use a sprayer for everything and have a beer chang when your done !

I don't want to be critical especially but using actual cement sealer is much better than 2 coats of latex because the sealer will protect the cement even as the paint peels and 2 coats of latex will not.

Edited September 17, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[bdw]

have a beer chang when your done !

Wow, very good post, so much so that when you are done reading it you need a beer Chang.

[villagefarang]

The most important step is to choose the most garish shade of pink you can find. As long as you paint your house pink everyone with think it is pretty.

After this important step, follow MrRD’s excellent advise.

[MrRealDeal]

Here is a tip for the trim if you have a lot of time to burn and want to make something really really cool ...... it's sometimes done on walls for rich people that have a lot of time to wait before moving in ....... Start with an oil based enamel of the color of your choice , paint it full strength , then thin it down with thinner , for a typical house you would start with 2 gallons , "marry them" .... actually you should always marry all your paint right from the start .... anyhow then fill the container to the top with "low heat" thinner and add another coat , keep doing that about 25 or more times until you are applying something that resembles thinner more than paint.

What you will end up with is something that looks amazing as you are looking through 10 coats of thinner paint to the base coats , it sounds ridicilous I know and I suppose it is really, but trust me it makes the painted surface look like you paid a million bucks for it. It doesn't end up nearly as thick as you would think either.

In my younger days I worked custom painting millionares homes that were willing to pay 3 times the going rate in exchange for knowing it would end up perfect. The coolest one was the guy who owned Revlon make up , the colors he chose were just awesome and it was a house as a gift for his secratary ...... boy was she happy !

[MrRealDeal]

The most important step is to choose the most garish shade of pink you can find. As long as you paint your house pink everyone with think it is pretty.

After this important step, follow MrRD’s excellent advise.

My wife wouldn't let me ...... So I painted mine blue on the body and have red and white trim to resemble the Thai flag ...... unfortunatly everyone asks if it's supposed to represent the American flag or the Thai flag ! lol ...... I guess the lack of stars wasn't enough !

It's actuallty not done as I am going to paint the flag colors on the balcony faces that are about height wise flag size to stop the dumb questions !

Edited September 17, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Flat paint here in Thailand tends not to clean well and shows the dirt

Sprayers are a rare thing here

And some products Mr R D talked aobut are not avalable here at any cost.

They do have some Cool paints that do keep the home inside cooler, lighter colors as well

[MrRealDeal]

Flat paint here in Thailand tends not to clean well and shows the dirt

Sprayers are a rare thing here

And some products Mr R D talked aobut are not avalable here at any cost.

They do have some Cool paints that do keep the home inside cooler, lighter colors as well

Exactly what product would that be ? And a high quality latex flat paint will clean just fine , however you are correct that flat paint shows dirt more because of the lack of reflection.

Paint sprayers are easily bought at home pro however their use is rare because people don't use them not because they are hard to find or buy.

Let me just save you the trouble and say that every product I mentioned I bought at home pro and have used on my own house

Edited September 17, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[breadbin]

tile it.

Never have to paint again,

[painterscabin]

Well Guys, thanks. I know lots about latex, but I have'nt read about any ones experince with cement based paint. I can't name any brands off hand at the moment, but it would be good to here from someone that has use some,as well as stains. Like I said though, thanks to those that have posted.

[jbrain]

The most important step is to choose the most garish shade of pink you can find. As long as you paint your house pink everyone with think it is pretty.

After this important step, follow MrRD’s excellent advise.

I heard that bright blue is preferred over pink these days

[jbrain]

Flat paint here in Thailand tends not to clean well and shows the dirt

Sprayers are a rare thing here

And some products Mr R D talked aobut are not avalable here at any cost.

They do have some Cool paints that do keep the home inside cooler, lighter colors as well

Exactly what product would that be ? And a high quality latex flat paint will clean just fine , however you are correct that flat paint shows dirt more because of the lack of reflection.

Paint sprayers are easily bought at home pro however their use is rare because people don't use them not because they are hard to find or buy.

Let me just save you the trouble and say that every product I mentioned I bought at home pro and have used on my own house

The cool paints are Beger I guess, as I have seen many advertising on the Bangkok highways about.

When I built my new house,I learnt that there is a difference between a sealer and a primer.So first a sealer, which is virtually transparent,then 1 or 2 layers of primer and after that a 2 layers of quality latex.I used Dulux easy care for the inside, but thay have outside paints as well, and are happy with the result.

The important thing is that you seal the alkaline in the cement before you apply a topcoat.

[cheeryble]

Does anyone think latex paint is great.....until it isn't?

In other words it forms a skin, and if or when the skin starts to peel, you can't just scrape away a little bit......or if you do you can see the edge as you paint over it.

(having said that I have painted interior woodwork with exterior wood paint which seems to be of this ilk, and generally it's been durable and cleanable.

[WilliaminBKK]

Here is a tip for the trim if you have a lot of time to burn and want to make something really really cool ...... it's sometimes done on walls for rich people that have a lot of time to wait before moving in ....... Start with an oil based enamel of the color of your choice , paint it full strength , then thin it down with thinner , for a typical house you would start with 2 gallons , "marry them" .... actually you should always marry all your paint right from the start .... anyhow then fill the container to the top with "low heat" thinner and add another coat , keep doing that about 25 or more times until you are applying something that resembles thinner more than paint.

What you will end up with is something that looks amazing as you are looking through 10 coats of thinner paint to the base coats , it sounds ridicilous I know and I suppose it is really, but trust me it makes the painted surface look like you paid a million bucks for it. It doesn't end up nearly as thick as you would think either.

In my younger days I worked custom painting millionares homes that were willing to pay 3 times the going rate in exchange for knowing it would end up perfect. The coolest one was the guy who owned Revlon make up , the colors he chose were just awesome and it was a house as a gift for his secratary ...... boy was she happy !

MrRealDeal, I want to master this -I've seen it and never understood the process. Can you tell me/us you marry if needed apply one coat then top up "low heat thinner" is Low heat thinner just a regular spirit ? I get the concept of filling the 2 gallons/litre back up to the top level and re-apply. I love it, never knew this trick-Many thanks for sharing.

[asiawatcher]

Painting to concrete, use an oil based paint and use some creosote as a thinner (1part : 10 paint) with this - to stop travelling termites. This will also help prevent mould. Then a final coat - also oil based, as plastic paints lift easily in Thai weather. If the concrete surface is already subject to the ever present black mould, paint on straight bleach and live it an hour to really kill off residue. Paint again on a warm day (should not be too much problem) and you should be right for about 8 - 10 years.

There was a paint used for sealing floors in workshops which I am not sure you can get - a paving paint. That does a great job of both sealing and covering in one coat and it is very tough, more expensive but less overall in time and extra paint costs.

The electricity departments use a paint called Ormonoid which is UV stable and seals in one coat and lasts longer than the house. They use it on power boxes in extreme conditions. Hope this helps.

[55Jay]

The most important step is to choose the most garish shade of pink you can find. As long as you paint your house pink everyone with think it is pretty.

After this important step, follow MrRD’s excellent advise.

And put on orange roof tiles after. Job done!

[MrRealDeal]

Here is a tip for the trim if you have a lot of time to burn and want to make something really really cool ...... it's sometimes done on walls for rich people that have a lot of time to wait before moving in ....... Start with an oil based enamel of the color of your choice , paint it full strength , then thin it down with thinner , for a typical house you would start with 2 gallons , "marry them" .... actually you should always marry all your paint right from the start .... anyhow then fill the container to the top with "low heat" thinner and add another coat , keep doing that about 25 or more times until you are applying something that resembles thinner more than paint.

What you will end up with is something that looks amazing as you are looking through 10 coats of thinner paint to the base coats , it sounds ridicilous I know and I suppose it is really, but trust me it makes the painted surface look like you paid a million bucks for it. It doesn't end up nearly as thick as you would think either.

In my younger days I worked custom painting millionares homes that were willing to pay 3 times the going rate in exchange for knowing it would end up perfect. The coolest one was the guy who owned Revlon make up , the colors he chose were just awesome and it was a house as a gift for his secratary ...... boy was she happy !

MrRealDeal, I want to master this -I've seen it and never understood the process. Can you tell me/us you marry if needed apply one coat then top up "low heat thinner" is Low heat thinner just a regular spirit ? I get the concept of filling the 2 gallons/litre back up to the top level and re-apply. I love it, never knew this trick-Many thanks for sharing.

Yes sort of ..... it's just thinner however "thinner" comes in different levels of "heat" use a low level ....... Obviously the "trick" is to just thin out the paint and you are eventually using see through coatings, so you get a finsihed product you are looking through because the top levels are transparent and you are looking through them to the base coats. You can pm me for more if you want ..... 2 gallons could be to little or 2 much ..... a better way to explain it might be to say that whatever you are coating should take 10 percent for the first base coat so the next coat is 90 percent paint and 10 percent thinner. if it doesn't end up that way ..... say you only used 5 percent ..... you should dump out some paint before you thin it out ..... otherwise you will make to much of a base coat. After that just fill it back to the top each time.... eventually it would come out the same but just take longer ........ The easiest way to apppy the top coats is with a "hot gun" or a heated cup gun sprayer because the thinner material gets the more a heated sprayer is needed to avoid runs unless you are really really experienced at spraying.

It's really important not to have to much paint after the first coat because each sucsessive coating takes less the first should drop the supply by 10 percent but the next will only drop it 6-7 percent because thinner material takes less to coat , so the really important part is to estimate the second coat and how much paint you really need ....... if you were way off the first time you would need to take out a lot , if not fine , if you used way more than you though you might even need to add some ...... most of the time you need to take some away not add. Once again all that would really happen is that it would take longer , but it's a long enough pain in the ass done properly trust me ! lol

Another thing that helps a LOT when you get on the 4th or 5th coat is "quick dry" it makes the material dry faster so you avoid runs ...... You CANT have ANY runs or you will see through to them ..... if you get one you should sand it out and start again ...... thats where quick dry helps ....... remember that the directions for the quick dry are for a normal material but you will be using a much thinned down material so you will need to use more of it to get the quick dry effect. I'm not sure what it's called in thailand but I'm sure they have it, it's a common product for professional painters. Use about 2 times the normal amount after the 6th coat. By the 6th coat you should have a good idea how much each coat will take and you add it to the cup sprayer not the sideline supply , and try and use only what you need because you want to dump the part with the quick dry .... which is good because that way you have less in the main supply and when you top it off again with thinner and it will thin out a little more.

Once you start you will get a feel for how it's working ..... dont be afraid to dump some out at ANY time if its to thick , I have dumped out 20-30 percent after the 2nd or 3rd coat before because it was obviously to thick ....... I didn't mention it but you should use high gloss paint for the best effect.

Edited September 19, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[MrRealDeal]

To clairfy if it's not clear.............. it's not to "much" of a base coat if you start with to much paint on the second coat ...... it's that you will have to MANY bases coats and that will make the thickness to the total job to much ..... if done properly the thickness doesn't come out much more than 4-5 coats of paint , but if your paint isn't thined out properly and you don't adjust on the second or 3rd coat it will be a lillte thick , which depending on what your coating might not even matter , the larger area you are covering the less the thickness matters. Or the less obvious it is anyhow.

When someone says ...." the paint is to hot " .... what they mean is the combination of thinner and paint makes it to difficult for them to apply without runs and it can leave bubbles , they used a thinner with to high a flash point ...... It normally is sold in 3 grades of "heat" or more technacally the flash point. Sold as low , regular and high , in the US, but in Thailand I think they use numbers instead just ask the salesman they will know.

Edited September 19, 2012 by MrRealDeal

[khunPer]

Well Guys, thanks. I know lots about latex, but I have'nt read about any ones experince with cement based paint. I can't name any brands off hand at the moment, but it would be good to here from someone that has use some,as well as stains. Like I said though, thanks to those that have posted.

I build a beach front house three years ago. My paint job seems to be lasting fine, even through rough monsun storms. I used the following:

1. Let the cement (plaster) "dry up" (cure) for at least one month, better three, before starting painting.

2. Seal all creacks (if any - using a water prof cement additive in the plaster, limits cracks).

3. TOA Quick Time Primer, two layers, leaving first layer to dry for a day or two.

4. TOA Super Shield semi-gloss acrylic paint, two or three layers. Let each layer dry up till next day, before painting second (or third) time. Super Shield paint has a Dupont technique, letting the paint breathe. Always use semi-gloss out door. If you not not like too glossy look, don't worry, it will quickly fade (within a year or two).

It is not worth using cheap paint, it simply do not last. The building constructor of my neighbourghs house, we were building at same time, used a cheaper primer and paint. It began to peel off before one year - admit, it is quite rought weather at the beach. Their building constructor had to redo the paint job and came to me, asking about how mine was done. Then they did the paint job again using TOA primer and Super Shield, and now it seems to last.