Painting Walls and Masonry

Painting walls and masonry

A conversation about painting a masonry

“You see that wall?”
“Yes”
“It needs a coat of paint”
“What sort of paint should I use?”
“Well this is a wall and on any sort of masonry a water based emulsion paint will do, perhaps even whitewash or Taro.”
“What's Taro.”
“Taro is a kind of paint those nice Indonesian people use. It is made from earth mixed with glue. It is cheap, covers well even on rough surfaces, it comes in a rather nice range of colours with a sort of earthy feel but does have a tendency to wash off in the rain.
“I am having a bit of trouble getting the paint to stick.”
“You have to make sure the surface is prepared properly. Rule number one about painting – prepare the surface, it should be clean, smooth, dry and with no loose bits.”
“It won't stick”
“Look with emulsion paint on a porous surface such as concrete or plaster you need to water it down a bit, add 10% water and mix well. It will soak in and give a good key for a second coat.”
“Second Coat?”
“Yes, you will need at least two coats to give a solid colour.”
“It looks a bit rough.”
“That's because you used cheap crummy paint. Pay a bit more and you will get a paint that will give you a good finish. A good quality average priced paint is Vinilex. If you want a really good paint that is easy to put on and really looks good you go for a better paint such as Dulux. Most of these paints are not good for outside use so for outside surfaces you need something like Dulux Weathershield that is water resistant and anti mould.”
“It still looks a mess.”
“The secret to a good paint job is to have tidy edges. You need a small brush say 1 to 2 inches wide and carefully “cut in” the edges. Then you use a larger brush to paint the body of whatever you are painting. If you are using a roller you should paint a good 4 or 6 inches wide strip around the edges with a brush so you don't get the roller too near the edge.”
“Roller?”
“If you haven't got a roller just use a brush”