September - Home-Dzine

a place to callhomeYour home should look as good on the outside, as it does on theinside. With the correct preparation you can have a good lookinghouse - for longer.Thanks to Prominent Paints and Decorating Centre, we transformed adrab, weather-worn exterior into an attention-grabbing home.29

In this feature we’re goingto show you that blisteredor peeling paint, cracksweathered wood andgrungy exterior walls canbe transformed in a week.Read on the find out whatwe did to this home.CABTHIS PAGE: Before, during & afterpreparation.This property needed someintensive TLC to turn it into agood-looking home on theoutside.With all products supplied byProminent Paints and DecoratingCentre, we took one week fromstart to finish.30

B. Loose orcrumbling plasterIn an older homeyou will frequentlycome across loose orcrumbling plaster thatBeventually falls off thewall. In this newer homethe plaster has becomevery soft underneath the paint, possibly asa result of incorrect mix when applied.A. Damp onwallsThe problem iseasily identified bybubbling or peelingpaint in the area.AIn our projectthe house is situated on a slope, with thefoundation being more exposed at the backof the house and resulting in damp below thefloor slab.At the front of the house the land is slopedtowards the walls, putting more of a strain onthe existing DPC and resulting in rising dampfrom a buildup of water. Additionally, thegarden beds are situated against the walls andare slightly higher than the DPC.SolutionAll loose and flaky paint wasremove along the damagedlevel using a paint scraper.The surface of the plasterwas brushed down with awire brush to remove dry,sandy rendering. Luckilythe damage was not tooextensive and only chasingout and repairing cracks needs to be done.At the front of the house the paint wasremoved as above. To prevent future damageit will be necessary to lower the level of the soilso that it sits lower than the DPC.SolutionRemove as much loose or crumbly plasteras possible from the area with a wire brush.If you need to reapply plaster, mix tothe required consistency. Click here forinstructions on ratios forexterior plaster.Spatterdash is appliedto the surface to berepaired (one part ofcement to one anda half parts of coarsesand with enough waterfor a slow pourableconsistency). Themixture is thrown forciblyon to the wall, using a brushwith long, stiff bristles. Thespatterdash should coverthe damaged surfacecompletely and forma rough texture. Allowto dry for at least threedays.See instructions on nextpage for apply plaster overthe spatterdash.Using a paintbrush, applyProminent Bonding Liquidto the plaster surface. Doread the instructions, as theBonding Liquid needs to bemixed with thinners beforeuse.31

CB. CracksCracks in exterior wallsare common and easilyrepaired.SolutionUse a hammer and chisel to ‘chase’ along thelength of the crack, widening slightly to providea better surface for the crack filler to adhere to.Prominent ProGold Crack Filler is ready mixedand easy to apply with a paint scraper orspatula.For deep cracks, apply in layers of 5mmthickness, allowing each layer to dry thoroughlybefore applying the next layer - until level withthe surrounding wall.PlasteringUsing a rectangular plasterer’s trowel, pushplaster onto the wall using heavy pressure tocompact the plaster and ensure full contactwith the surface. The plaster layer should beslightly higher than the wall surface. Once theplaster starts to stiffen, it should be struck off toa level surface using a light striker board.Use a wood float to remove ridges made bythe striker board. At the same time fill in anydepressions and float flush with the surroundingplaster.32Lightly sand for a smoothfinish, or use a sea sponge orstiff brush to stipple or brushthe surface of the crack filler- while wet - to match the anexisting textured finish.