How To Paint Exterior Walls

Painting exterior walls may seem like a daunting task, however with some guidance it is something anyone can do themselves. In this guide our team of experts walk you through the full process and detail everything you need to know, so you can create the home of your dreams.

Things To Consider Before You Start

Before you pick up your brushes, there are a few things to consider that will help ensure your project runs smoothly.

1. HOW MUCH PAINT DO I NEED?

Depending on the size of your house, completing a full project is often best carried out over multiple weeks. After all, finding multiple days in a row to complete the project is difficult.

Rain and lower temperatures should always be avoided when painting outside as it can affect the overall finish and the way paint dries. Due to this, planning ahead and completing work over days when the weather permits is best.

With larger properties, completing sections of the building at a time is recommended.

2. SHOULD I CHECK WEATHER FORECAST?

When it comes to exterior projects such as painting exterior walls, ensuring you have checked the weather forecast is essential.

The ideal weather conditions are warm, dry days. For most paints that are designed to be applied to exterior walls the temperature must be above 5°C when you apply them. This is because the water that needs to evaporate in order for the paint to dry is unable to do so. Similarly, it is recommended to avoid painting in direct sunlight when the temperature is above 25°C as this can cause paint to dry too quickly.

Remember to always chose dry days where this is little chance of rainfall. Generally, late spring into early summer is the best season to carry out exterior projects.

Finally, it is important to check the weather in order to know what the drying time of the paint you are using will be. Drying times are often based on 20°C – the lower the temperature, the longer the paint will take to dry.

Overall, always keep an eye on general season trends and short term weather updates in your specific location when starting your project and throughout.

3. CAN I PAINT EXTERIOR WALLS MYSELF?

Painting the outside of your home is absolutely something that you can do yourself. By following the guidance of our team of experts you can get results that even a pro would be proud of.

Not only will we give you all of the key information you need in this guide in order to paint exterior walls at home yourself, but if you ever have any issues or questions we have a dedicated Technical Team who are always on hand to answer any questions you may have.

4. ARE MY WALLS TOO OLD TO PAINT?

Any age of wall can be painted as long as it is prepared sufficiently before painting. When it comes to older properties, they can often require slightly more prep to get them looking their best, but with some perseverance you can achieve beautiful results.

What Paint Should You Use?

When painting exterior walls it is important to use the right paint for the job. ‘Masonry paint’ is a type of exterior paint that is specifically designed for use on exterior walled surfaces such as brick, render and stone.

If you are painting a silicone render, it is important that you use a silicone-based masonry paint as many standard masonry paints that are acrylic-based are unable to adhere to this surface.

Furthermore, if you are painting lime render you must use a masonry paint that is highly breathable due to the highly porous nature of lime render.

For more information on which masonry paint is best for you, read our full guide to masonry paint.

How To Paint Exterior Walls: Step-by-Step

1. USE THE RIGHT TOOLS

When painting exterior walls, your tools are essential not only for achieving the best results but also making the job easier for you. High-quality tools can allow you to paint more efficiently and prevents further work.

We recommend using trade quality decorating tools, particularly when it comes to your brushes and rollers and these are essential to making your life as easy as possible. When painting exterior walls, we recommend using a long-pile roller which has long-fibres that are designed for painting exterior walls.

Here’s a handy list of all of the tools you may need for your project;

2. CLEANING

Cleaning exterior walls is one of the most important parts of the process, however it can often be overlooked.

Cleaning is a two step process. Firstly, start by washing the masonry down with a pressure washer (on a low pressure), hosepipe or a stiff brush and hot water. This first step ensures that surface level dirt is removed from the wall and ensures that there is nothing that can prevent the paint properly adhering to the wall. If you are using a pressure washer, ensure you use a low pressure to avoid causing any damage to the exterior wall. If you are cleaning a lime render or sandstone, we recommend using a steam cleaning process to help limit damage and reduce the water absorbed by the highly porous surface.

Once this has been done we recommend applying an anti-fungicidal cleaner to the wall. Anti-fungicidal cleaners help to kill organic growth such as algae and mildew, helping to prevent this causing problems in the future.

Using a brush, roller or a garden pump-sprayer, apply an anti-fungal wash such as our Emperor Masonry Cleaner to the wall and simply allow this to dry until the surface is touch dry. Always make sure you use goggles and gloves when applying this and any other treatment to your exterior walls.

2. PREPARATION

The surface you are painting must be sound. Water will find its way into any holes or cracks, so making sure it is watertight is crucial for long-term protection and to ensure the paint can perform as effectively as possible.

There are a few ways you can check to see if you need to make any repairs to your exterior walls. If you have a rendered wall simply tap the surface to see if there are any signs of detachment from the wall. If the render sounds hollow, this is a sign it isn’t adhered to the masonry beneath and could need to be hacked off and repaired.

Take time to check there are any holes or cracks as these should be repaired. A masonry repair filler will be effective at filling any cracks on the masonry. Start by removing any loose debris from the hole or crack. Once clean simply work a good-quality masonry filler back and forth into the defect using a filling knife. Once you have filled this and allowed to dry fully, sand this back to your desired finish using sandpaper.

If your exterior walls have been painted before, it is important to check that this paint is still in sound condition. If the paint is peeling in areas, ensure you remove this using a paint scraper until you have a ‘firm edge’, where no more paint can be removed. To make the edge as smooth as possible lightly sand the area using sandpaper.

If you are painting a textured surface and had to make repairs that aren’t quite matching the existing surface, our Emperor Textured Basecoat is ideal to apply at this stage. This basecoat allows you to create a textured surface that helps to cover imperfections such as cracks and create a seamless finish.

3. PRIMING

Potentially the area that can cause the most confusion for homeowners is the process of priming. Priming involves applying a treatment to bare, unpainted walls in order to help the paint stick to the wall and aid long-term performance.

Primers are often confused with the term ‘stabiliser’ or ‘stablising solution’. A stabliser is a product that helps bind chalky masonry surfaces in order to create a solid base for them to be painted. A stabilising solution and a primer serve the same purpose meaning there is no need to apply both a stabilising solution and a primer. Any bare masonry that isn’t painted must be primed before you paint.

You do not need to prime surfaces that are painted or silicone renders that are pre-coloured, so you can move on to the next step of the process.

Simply apply a primer such as Emperor Exterior Primer to the exterior wall using a brush or roller and allow to dry.

5. PAINTING

Once your exterior walls are dry, clean and sound, it is time to start the painting. When it comes to painting exterior walls, it is always best to start at the top of the area you are painting and work your way down, which helps to prevent paint drips.

For easier application, our Technical Team recommend adding 10% water to the paint you are using for your first-coat, which helps the paint apply easier to the surface and helps create a solid base for your second coat.

Using a paint brush, start by ‘cutting in’ around the edges of the wall and any exterior trim such as windows.

After you have cut in any edges, use a long-pile roller to apply the paint to the rest of the wall. In order to get the best finish, we recommend using long vertical strokes which help to apply the paint evenly.

TOP TIP: The rougher the texture of the exterior wall, the lower the coverage of the paint you are using will be and the more paint you will need. As a rule of thumb, a heavily textured surface such as pebbledash will reduce a paint’s coverage by up to half.

Once your first coat is applied, simply repeat the process with your second coat. It is important not to dilute your second coat with water.

And that is it! If you are using Emperor Masonry Paint you can put your feet up knowing it will last a minimum of 25 years thanks to our lifetime guarantee.

Image: @thehousethatalicebuilt

Frequently Asked Questions

HOW MUCH PAINT WILL I NEED?

The amount of paint you need will to paint exterior walls depends on the size and texture of the wall space! But not to worry – you can use our size guide to calculate this – and ask our Technical Team if you still aren’t sure.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO FIND THE RIGHT COLOUR FOR ME?

Finding the right colour is important, so we’ve put together a colour inspiration gallery which can guide you to what shade is best for your property. We’ve found that our most popular colours are White, Off White, Witney Cream and Warm White, but you can choose for yourself by ordering a colour chart, sample pots or colour cards.

DO I NEED TO DO THIS MYSELF OR CAN I GET HELP?

There is always the option to hire a professional. Our paint is already popular amongst painters and decorators but any high quality decorator is more than equipped to work with our paint, just let them know what you want.

WHERE CAN I GET TRADE QUALITY TOOLS?

We stock all of the necessary tools that you will need for your project that have been gathered from some of the top trade tool suppliers in the UK. These tools are not only trade quality, but also hand-picked to be specifically designed for use on projects like painting exterior walls.

We hope this guide has helped explain how to paint exterior walls at home yourself. Ready to start you project? Order your colour chart with free delivery on all orders.