With extreme damp months of fog, mist, rain, icy cold winter, and damp springtime, the wonderful weather can be highly demanding on the buildings’ exteriors, and the summer isn’t much better either! So, what does all this mean for the homes, and why shouldn’t people have our external walls repainted every year rather than spending a little more cost on something more long-lasting? This article has a brief guide on everything you need to know about masonry wall pain alternatives.
So, if masonry paint isn’t an option, what to do instead?
Numerous exterior wall coatings like coloured render, pebbledash, tyrolean, and traditional masonry paint are available in the DIY paint markets. Still, these hardly offer decoration to the external walls, nothing more, so how to protect the external walls from the effects of the extreme weather?
Not Paint, but Wall Coatings!
The issue with most traditional wall coatings is that painting the outer walls of a house decorates them, not protects them; in fact, typical house paint typically contains a surprising amount of water.
When you paint your house’s exterior, you’re painting it with coloured water!
You do not need to be any scientist to realise that coloured water will not protect your home from water or rain!
Water can enter the property in various ways, and you may find yourself with damp, wet walls.
Leaking pipes or gutters can lead to improperly sealed windows, or missing roof tiles, which are very easy to notice and repair, but what if the walls allow water in?
You do not have to be a master builder to recognise that the condition is not good, and if it is not corrected soon, it will worsen, potentially rotting internal wood such as flooring, skirting boards, and door frames.
So, what happens if it starts to seep into my home’s walls?
If you reside in a house with a more traditional exterior wall coating, such as smooth render or pebbledash, your house’s walls will deteriorate with time due to weather damage, as previously mentioned.
If your property has bare brick outside walls, they can be harmed by the weather and suffer from exterior wall erosion, loose pointing, disfigured bricks, and other issues that will negatively impact your home.
If this is currently happening to your home, please take action as soon as possible.
What else is worse?
Cracks can also emerge as the elements attack your home and destroy the outside face of the external walls. They can be enormous or small.
If and when this happens, moisture will begin to seep into the wall, which will freeze in cold weather and expand, inflicting even more damage, much like an ice cube in one of those little plastic trays.
When a crack in the render lets water in, it freezes and pushes the rendering away from the wall.
This will then set off a vicious cycle in which the state of your house walls deteriorates, forcing you to spend significantly more money than if you had just had the property renovated properly in the first place!
List of the best alternatives
1. Wall Coatings
The ideal choice would be to spend a little extra to have a waterproof exterior wall coating applied to your home’s exterior walls.
Exterior spray applied wall coatings are similar to ultra-durable paints that have been continually refined and adjusted over the years to become the high-performance paints we see today.
They’re best described as a thick, dense coating that’s too thick to apply by hand or by a do-it-yourself painter, and they’re exclusively for professionals!
They contain significantly more components than standard house paint, and as a result, they require a special airless spray pump, such as a Graco president or monarch, to be applied at high pressure by a trained wall expert such as NPA. Never again paint.
This is the perfect option if you want a house painting estimate for something that will endure a long time.
An exterior wall coating system on your home can last up to 25 years longer than regular masonry paint.
2. Cladding
Why not do something special with your walls instead of just painting them? Cladding is a good substitute for masonry paint that may be used to enhance the interior design of your home.
Stone cladding, metal cladding, tile cladding, aluminium cladding, and other forms of cladding are available and serve diverse purposes and functions. Stone cladding panels are incredibly simple to install, almost maintenance-free, and age gracefully.
Cladding has dramatically transformed the wall application industry. It has proven the best option for a permanent solution for an inside wall that needs to be repainted frequently.
3. Panelling
Covering your wall with panels is another sure-fire method to brighten it up.
Wall art with a recess, knick-knacks, figurines, and other similar items can divert attention away from the wall behind them while also adding aesthetics and functionality to your home. They come in various colours and styles, giving you plenty of alternatives to choose from when deciding which one is right for your home.
Your visitors will never guess what’s behind all those panels.
4. Metal Wall Covering
Metallic wall covering is a modern idea that will make an impression. When done well, metal can dramatically transform a space from ordinary to designer, especially when matched with the right accessories.
A beautiful large-scale mural, metallic wall cladding, or even metallic wallpaper can create a one-of-a-kind backdrop that is sturdy enough to withstand the timing test. The possibilities are virtually unlimited, and they may breathe fresh life into your drab and lifeless walls.
5. Tile
Another approach to updating your walls is to tile them completely from floor to ceiling.
You can experiment with various tiles, including tile cladding, metal tiles, and tried-and-true ceramic tiles, proving tile an exceptionally versatile alternative. They are also highly long-lasting and simple to maintain. Moisture will never be a concern if the tiling is done correctly.
You can also experiment with various tiling solutions in various shapes and sizes to give your home a smart and contemporary appearance.
Conclusion
Most masonry paints are coloured water, so if your property is leaking water, putting something on the walls that contain even more water isn’t a good idea.
Still, the house may seem lovely for a year, but you’ll have to start over!
In conclusion, even the highest-quality exterior masonry coatings will not protect your home’s walls.
So, if your home is worth several hundred thousand pounds or euros, don’t you think you should spend a little extra to secure your investment?
So, consider the options listed above!
