How to Prepare the Facade for Painting

The facade of the house is the “face” of its owner, so special attention is paid to the exterior decoration. If we take into account that proper preparation and painting of a house also affects the consumer characteristics of the material (extends their service life), then it becomes clear why the issue of painting facades has recently become very important and why people resort to help of painters and decorators in London. Before painting follow general instructions for preparing facades.

Inspection for mechanical strength

Practice shows that it is almost always necessary to improve the condition of the facade, with the exception of new buildings. Before painting begins, the facade is inspected for its mechanical strength. To do this, run a spatula along the walls, and if the coating peels off or crumbles, it must be removed to the base. There is another household way to test the strength: stick transparent stationery tape to the facade wall, and then tear it off after a minute. If the tape took a piece of the base with it, then the wall needs to be strengthened. If only the adhesive tape comes off, you can safely prime and paint the facade.

Varnish

If a facade that was previously coated with paint, it is necessary to find out what type of paint and varnish composition was used. After the type of material used previously has been determined, it is necessary to treat the old paint with an alkaline washing solution and clean off all flaking pieces. It is possible to paint areas previously covered with inorganic paint with an organic composition, but on the contrary, it is not worth doing.

Cleaning of mold

When preparing the facade for painting exterior painters recommend to clean the surface of mold, the deposited layer must be removed, and the fungus must be removed. The painted surface is treated with acrylic primer, which can be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2.

Remove dust

An old layer of paint and varnish material should not form dust, since its presence is a sign of peeling off part of the material. If the dust effect is present, it is better to clean the varnish or paint, coat it with a primer and then apply a new coating again.

If the surface of the facade has significant damage to the paint and varnish material, then it is easier to remove the old layer completely. The easiest way to do this is to use a sandblasting machine.

Putting and priming

Defects found on the surface are puttied. If two layers of putty are applied, you need to wait for each layer to dry completely, sand it with sandpaper and apply a primer. When planning to use acrylic paint, it is necessary to use a water-based putty, not an oil-based one.

Before applying the primer, the entire surface of the walls must be thoroughly washed and degreased with alkaline detergents and wait until completely dry. Washing the walls is done manually or using a high-pressure washer.

Now you can start painting the facade.