If it’s that time of year, yet again, when your house exterior needs to be painted, it can be tempting to save money and buy some cheap paint, after all, paint is paint, right?
No.
As the old saying goes, pay cheap, pay twice, and that is the pitfall that you could end up with if you try and skimp on what is essentially something to benefit your largest asset, your house.
Using cheap exterior masonry paint might seem like a cost-effective choice initially, but it can actually be a false economy in the long run.
Reasons why investing in higher quality exterior masonry paint such a weatherproof wall coating, is a much better decision:
- Durability: Cheap paints often lack the quality ingredients that provide durability. They may not withstand harsh weather conditions, temperature fluctuations, UV rays, and moisture as well as higher quality paints. As a result, they can deteriorate more quickly, leading to a need for more frequent repainting and higher overall costs.
- Longevity: Higher quality paints are formulated to have a longer lifespan. They maintain their colour and finish for a more extended period, which means you won’t have to repaint as frequently. Cheap paints may fade, crack, or peel sooner, necessitating early repainting and more maintenance.
- Coverage and Application: Cheaper paints tend to have lower pigment concentrations and thinner consistencies. This can lead to poor coverage, requiring multiple coats to achieve the desired colour and finish. In contrast, higher quality paints often provide better coverage with fewer coats, saving you time and effort.
- Resistance to Elements: Exterior masonry paints need to withstand various elements such as rain, snow, sunlight, and wind. High-quality paints are designed to have better resistance to these elements, preventing premature deterioration, fading, and peeling. Cheap paints may not offer the same level of protection, leading to a compromised appearance and the need for more frequent repainting.
- Maintenance Costs: Although the initial cost of cheap paint is lower, the overall cost can be higher when you factor in the need for more frequent repainting and maintenance. The cost of labour, paint, and other materials can add up over time, making the seemingly cheaper option more expensive in the long term.
- Surface Preparation: High-quality paints can often adhere better to a variety of surfaces, even those that are slightly imperfect. Cheap paints might require more extensive surface preparation, such as additional priming or patching, to achieve a satisfactory finish. This can increase the overall time and effort required for the project. Basically, if you use a cheap paint, the job will take twice as long and look twice as bad.
- Colour Retention: Lower-quality paints may fade more quickly when exposed to sunlight, leading to a loss of vibrancy and an uneven appearance. Quality paints are formulated to retain their colour and vibrancy for a more extended period, ensuring a consistent and appealing appearance over time.
- Ease of Application: Higher quality paints tend to have smoother textures and better consistency, making them easier to apply evenly. Cheap paints might be thicker, thinner, or contain clumps, making application more difficult and potentially resulting in an uneven finish.
- Resale Value: If you’re considering selling your property in the future, investing in quality exterior paint can enhance kerb appeal and increase the overall value of your home. A well-maintained exterior with a high-quality paint job can make a positive impression on potential buyers if you plan to sell any time soon.
While cheap exterior masonry paint might seem like a cost-effective option upfront, it often results in higher long-term costs due to its shorter lifespan, frequent repainting needs, and maintenance requirements.
Investing in higher quality paint can save you money, time, and effort in the long run while ensuring a more attractive and durable finish.
Why Using Cheap Exterior Masonry Paint is a False Economy
Masonry paint can help give stone- and brick exteriors an instant refresh while simultaneously protecting them against harsh weather conditions and wear and tear for many years to come.
Wall coatings differ from paint in that they provide both decoration and protection for walls. As such, wall coatings tend to last more than their masonry paint counterparts with some offerings coming with 20 year warranties that extend the time between repainting.
Although a wall coating is a much better alternative to masonry paint, it is not something you can do yourself. It takes training, skill, and special equipment to apply.
Cheaper materials mean a cheaper finish
Masonry paints are essentially coloured water and offer zero protection from inclement weather.
By offering additional weather protection than regular paints do, external wall coatings help safeguard properties against the weather, while simultaneously improving their appearance and protecting from damp.
When selecting masonry paint, it is important to carefully consider its colours and finishes available to ensure it complements the overall aesthetic of your property. You should also decide between matt or soft sheen coating finishes depending on what durability needs exist for you.
Cheap masonry paints tend to break down and fade more rapidly, necessitating homeowners to repaint their properties more frequently than if they used a high-quality product.
This adds up in additional labour and material costs over time while decreasing lifespan – thus making using cheaper paint an ill-conceived investment over the long term.
This is the main issue, whether you use cheap masonry paint or top branded paint, it has a short lifespan.
Painting your home every other year will soon see the costs add up.
Unlike an exterior wall coating, which because it lasts for 20 years, actually saves you money, even though it is marginally more expensive to start with.
Less coverage is achieved with masonry paint
Exterior paints must withstand various weather conditions such as damp, freezing winters and high UV levels in summer; to combat this, thicker coatings with greater levels of protection than standard emulsions are designed.
These will typically provide less coverage than standard masonry paint, although this varies based on the type of masonry paint being used – acrylic or mineral binder are among several options used, while different textures like pebbledash may reduce coverage significantly in comparison with smooth surfaces.
As this can result in multiple coats of masonry paint being necessary, which costs money over time, to reduce this issue, invest in a good quality sprayer and learn to use it correctly before starting to paint your house.
There are plenty of online resources that can assist with this, while practicing on scrap timber before moving on to your actual house is best.
Less durability with cheap paint
Masonry paints are specially-formulated to protect stone or brick built surfaces from the elements, offering protection from their potential harm. Most are water-based for easy clean-up and application via brushes or rollers (though some work well with paint sprayers too) but most paint is purely decorative.
For optimal masonry paint results, look for one which features crack and mould resistance as standard as well as UV protection. Furthermore, look out for one with a breathable finish as this will allow walls to breathe and prevent moisture build up on walls.
That is if you are hell bent on painting your own home, which is not recommended, and is much harder than you think.
Picking out the ideal masonry paint can be challenging when considering all its variety of colours and finishes; it should match both your house style and surrounding buildings, climate conditions, as well as your budget.
When selecting one that’s suitable, take time to consider all aspects of its use – style of home, climate conditions etc.
Choosing quality products means saving money in the long run by eliminating the need to repaint exterior walls repeatedly.
Less colour
Masonry paint may contain resin that provides some level of protection, but unlike traditional paint it only serves to safeguard the surface of your house from weathering and damage without hiding cracks or adding colour – meaning if you use cheap exterior masonry paint it could cause your brickwork to deteriorate more rapidly than expected, leaving your home looking run down and run-down.
This type of masonry paint is also highly breathable, allowing moisture to escape the brick surface rather than pool under it and cause damp and discolouration issues.
Proper preparation before beginning is key; masking off windows, doors and any other areas you don’t wish for paint on is key to ensuring excellent results; for rough surfaces like brickwork it may help with applying the paint with a masonry brush to help apply.
More maintenance
Exterior painting requires more than simply adding your chosen colour to the walls of your house.
Masonry paints must perform exceptionally well and protect brickwork (and thus your home) against weather damage, hence why high quality masonry paints like Weathershield tend to cost more, but honestly, and speaking as a professional house painter, don’t believe the hype, they will NOT last for years.
When looking to purchase masonry paint, the best place to do it is from its manufacturer directly.
Remember when spraying masonry that proper preparation and technique is absolutely crucial.
Masking windows, shutters and any other objects not intended to be painted as well as covering them with dust sheets or plastic sheeting to cover plants or shrubs that might be affected by overspray is vitally important. Get some practice in with scrap wood or pieces of masonry before beginning!
If you want value for money, choose an Exterior Wall Coating.
If you do not wish to waste your money, especially on having the exterior of your house repainted very other year, consider a long term solution.
It may cost a bit more in the short term, but investing in a wall coating brings many benefits such as:
- No fading, chipping, delamination, cracking or peeling
- Resists rain, snow, dirt, mould and pollution
- Lowers your home heating bills, saving money.
- A 20 year written guarantee
- Conceals cracks, scruffy pebbledash and uneven walls.
- Cures condensation and penetrating damp.
- Never fades, with beautiful shades, textures and colours.
- Stops erosion, cracks, flaky paint and damp issues
This also comes with a full repair service before the coating is applied.
Such repairs can include render repairs or a full re-render, replacing bald or cracked pebbledash, removal of old and flaky paint, damp proofing, mould removal, brick re pointing and so on.
All work comes with a 20 year guarantee and is available in most areas of England and wales.
To get a quote for a wall coating, give us a call, on 0800 970 4928 or email the team today.