Emperor Stories: Explore Emily’s Terraced Transformation

When Emily decided it was time to revamp the exterior of her 19th century terraced home near Manchester, she wanted to do more than refresh the colour. The walls had begun to show damp patches, a common issue in older, solid-wall homes.

In this edition of Emperor Stories, we spoke to Emily about how she and her partner took on the challenge themselves, what they learned along the way and the difference it’s made since.

Turning A Problem Into An Opportunity

Emily’s home had faced ongoing challenges with damp patches, with moisture soaking through to the internal side of the wall, a common problem for solid wall homes where older render allows rain to absorb faster than it can dry out.

The damp patches not only affected how the render looked from the outside, but were also making it harder to heat the room from the inside.

The house was already covered in pre-coloured pink render but it was fading. Emily decided to use Emperor Masonry Paint thanks to its super hydrophobic properties and high breathability, an ideal solution for tackling penetrating damp issues while giving a newly painted finish.

“We didn’t want to cover the problem. We wanted a paint that helped the wall deal with moisture properly.”

Emily chose Rose Pink for the project, a close match to the existing pink render, but with a slightly brighter hue.

To add a crisp, clean contrast, she picked Light Grey for the window sills and other trim, offering a tone that balanced the depth of the Rose Pink while keeping the softer pastel look.

“We decided not to apply masking tape to the windows as with it being a pre-1900’s terrace, the walls weren’t all straight. We instead used a 3″ paint brush to ‘cut-in’ around the edges and a 9″ long-pile roller for the rest of the walls.”

A Sunny Weekend Of DIY

Waiting for a sunny stretch of weather, Emily and her partner began their project one Saturday morning.

“Truthfully, we were a bit worried about doing a project like this by ourselves, but we love a DIY project and wanted to take on the challenge.”

“We started by making sure the wall was clean, by hosing it down and applying some of the Emperor Exterior Cleaner. The temperatures meant the wall was dry in a couple of hours which helped us get the first coat done on the same day.”

Over the course of the weekend, Emily and her partner then applied two coats of Emperor Masonry Paint, first tackling the lower elevation of the terraced house, before moving on to the higher elevation. Splitting the project up into bite-sized chunks like this can not only make the project easier to carry out, but is also a great way to make it feel a little bit more manageable.

“We would definitely recommend using an extension pole. Even at ground-level it makes applying paint so much easier.”

“We also found that the second coat was much easier than the first, partly because the surface had already been painted meaning the paint flowed easier, but also because once you have the rhythm it takes no time! If anything, we actually found it easier than a lot of the interior decorating we have done.”

A Transformation That Worked Inside and Out

The results spoke for themselves. The Light Grey trim around the windows and drains added the perfect finishing touch, giving the home a playful, welcoming feel.

Most importantly, the penetrating damp began to ease. Once painted, the render began to repel rain and Emily noticed the damp patches gradually drying out in the weeks after application.

Like many homeowners find, tackling damp had a bigger impact than expected on the whole house.

“It looks so much fresher and has really given the front of the house its shine back. We really love the balance of colours across the front with the red door and green ivy.”

“One thing you will have if you paint the outside of your home is lots of neighbours stopping you to say how nice it looks.”

“Most importantly though, looking back we didn’t quite realise how many problems were linked to the moisture getting through the wall. It wasn’t until we painted the render with Emperor that we fully understood what a difference it makes keeping the outside of the house dry.”

“It’s so nice to not have to worry every time it rains now!”

Emily’s Advice For You

If you’re considering a similar project, here’s Emily’s top tips  for doing it yourself.

1. “Plan ahead and wait for a good stretch of weather, it makes all the difference to the timescales. We found that with nice warm weather, the wall could be cleaned and painted on the same day, then the second coat could be applied the day after.’

2. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The technical team at Emperor were really helpful and made sure we had all the information we needed before we started. It really does make you feel better when you can ask someone to confirm what you are doing is correct.’

3. “Have fun with it! The process is really rewarding and seeing the transformation makes it all worth it. We were already quite house proud, but now every time we see the house it gives us such a nice feeling.”

Ready to start your own transformation? Order your sample of Emperor Masonry Paint and take the first step on your journey in protecting your home for the future.