A site user from Ireland wrote to us and asked the following……………

Hi Folks

I have coating on my external walls for the past 10 years and although I’m very happy with the product. I would like to have the walls washed with a power hose.

The company that will do this work want to use a high pressure hose that’s driven from a petrol generator and normally used to clean tarmac driveways of moss.

The company asked the question about applying high  pressure to the walls of the house to clean them as this might damage or remove parts of the coating?

What is your recommendations for cleaning the external walls of the house so that the coating will not get damaged?

NPA EDITOR: Thanks for emailing us. Although we have already emailed you our specific answer, (below), pls do NOT clean a textured coating with a powerful powerwasher. I have posted a link below to help you. please let us know how you get on and good luck!

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Power washing my Pro-tex coated walls

“G’day!”

Here’s a fab video we found in the Public domain, on youtube, which we wanted to share with you. It has been published online by Cement Australia and is well worth a watch, you could certainly learn a thing or two about rendering walls from our Ozzy mate here. Sit back and enjoy!

The above is of course copyright Cement Australia and NOT us! Thank you.

This video can be viewed in full screen and in high or low quality.

A site user writes…………

Hello,

I have a quick question regarding your wall coating.  What is the process for re-applying the protective wall coating after 25 years?  Does it need to be stripped and re-applied, or can a new coating be simply laid over the old?

Hi, thank you ever so much for your email, it’s always nice to hear from users of the website who talk with such enthusiasm about their houses.

It is very difficult for me to comment on a coating on a certain house as each job presents its own challenges and each house is different (one reason why exterior wall coating companies such as ours rarely have an “average” price list as no two houses are ever the same), however one thing is for sure, i am pleased to hear that you had a coating that has lasted for 25 years.

If I may, i would like to post this question on our blog to encourage other users to read and respond, although it would be posted anonymously, if that is ok with you?

In some cases, when the installation of the coating was conducted in a textbook fashion in perfect weather conditions with excellent quality coating materials and using a Graco president airless spray machine connected to a twin or single tool diesel compressor, then yes there is no reason why it cannot last for 25 years, in fact I myself have surveyed houses that have had a textured coating over 35 years ago (!), however admittedly it was waaaaaay past its sell by date, but (most of) the all coating was actually still on the house.

In that case, usually the best method is total removal and start again from scratch. This can sometimes mean the removal of the render, Tyrolean or pebbledash wall coating underneath the exterior wall coating also.

Basically in that case, the best way is to start from scratch and do the whole job again.

In some cases though, the coating and the wall surface underneath can be in such good order that, once satisfied the wall and coating are sound, the resins and solvents from the initial primer coat (sometimes called “slush coat”) that is introduced to the wall prior to spraying the top coating, will soften and bind the existing wall coating to the new coating being added, and the exterior wall coating surface will continue to perform for hopefully the next 25 years.

Removal is often the best way, but not necessary 100% of the time and again, the coating has to be analysed and the house has to be surveyed before a definitive answer can be given on your question, so please accept my apologies for this answer being somewhat generalised but I hope that you can understand why!

I hope this information helps you and I will email you any suggestions that other website users put forward, for your consideration.

Kind regards

Guy Alexander Bell. Bsc.(hons)
Surveyor
www.neverpaintagain.co.uk

How to paint an exterior wall.

This video is from “expert village”

Beware of scams.

I have been informed recently that a number of ex customers of a textured coating company called Tex cote, have been approached by con men who somehow have got hold of an old customer list of texcote customers from previous years.

They are approaching the customer out of the blue and saying that their company went bust, but there is repair or remedial work to do on the house, and they then con the home owner to have the house done again.

However……….

………………..no spray guns are evident with this wallcoatings installation crew, as they turn up with TRADITIONAL MASONRY PAINT and rollers and apply normal exterior wall paint to the property, and then charge the customer thousands for the privilege.

These people you should be warned, are nothing to do with the company they say they are from, and they are conning people. Several customers have also approached their local trading standards. If they approach you, do not sign anything or agree to have the work done but try and get some info from them, and also their vehicle registration details to forward to the police. Be very wary if anyone approaches you at your doorstep and tries to sell you work, don’t be pressured. Look on-line for legitimate wallcoatings firms and check them out first before agreeing to anything.

Time and time again I hear of scams against homeowners in the exterior wall coatings industry and it should stop now!!!!!!!!!!

PS, i have also noted that a company who are MEGA hard sell and who sign up people to HUGE APR loans for their trowel and roller wallcoating are trawling consumer websites like moneysavingexpert.com and threatening legal action to get the ACRES of negative material about them removed!! They are also posting positive comments online from bogus email addresses about how “happy” they are with the work, BE WARNED, this is another scam.

KEEP EM PEELED.

gb

ps please note we are not affiliated to the companies mentioned above.