How To Paint The Outside Of Your House

Painting the outside of your house is one of the most effective ways you can transform the appearance of your home, enhance its kerb appeal and protect it from the unpredictable Great British weather. We know that taking on a project of this size can feel daunting, but with the right steps anyone can transform their home themselves.

Whether you have brick, render or pebbledash, this step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to tackle your project, so you can get a professional and durable finish that lasts for years to come.

Things to Consider Before Painting

Choosing the right masonry paint

When it comes to painting the outside of your house, using the right masonry paint is essential if you want to make your hardwork worth it.

Not all paints are made the same. Despite popular belief standard masonry paints can absorb moisture over time. This coupled with a generally poor breathability causes water to build up. This moisture can cause a number of issues including peeling paint, damp and green growth.

The key to ensuring your newly painted home continues looking its best for years to come is using a paint that is designed for long-term durability. Our Emperor Masonry Paint for example has a 25 year proven performance from independent testing, where it showed no signs of deterioration in appearance or performance. Due to this, we offer a lifetime guarantee for complete peace of mind.

Want to know more about how masonry paints can differ? Read our full guide to masonry paint.

The weather forecast

The weather can play a huge role in how well your project goes, particularly here in the UK.

The ideal conditions for painting your house are warm, dry days with temperatures between 10°C and 25°C. These temperatures reduce the risk of the cold preventing the paint from drying, and ensure you aren’t painting in high temperatures where the paint can dry too quickly.

We always recommend if the temperature is above 20°C to avoid painting in direct sunlight. It is also important to keep an eye on your weather app to get an accurate forecast and check for any showers that are due.

Ultimately, providing the temperature is above 5°C and there is no rain due, you can paint the outside of your house, but picking a clear, dry spell to complete the project can help reduce the risk so you can focus on the job at hand.

How much paint you will need

Before you begin your project, accurately calculating how much paint you’ll need is a simple task that can ensure your project runs smoothly.

Always check the instructions of the masonry paint you are using to see what its coverage is. This is usually in m² and tells you how large an area one-coat of paint will cover based on a smooth surface.

As a guide, smooth surfaces require 5–6m² per litre of Emperor Masonry Paint. When the surface is textured, such as roughcast or pebbledash, this will reduce the coverage rate. The heavier the texture, the lower the coverage rate will be. Our team of experts generally advise that a heavy texture such as pebbledash will reduce the coverage of a paint by half.

Step 1: Gather Your Tools & Materials

Having the right tools for the job will not only give you the best results, but will make achieving them easier. Here’s a list of things we recommend you’ll need to paint the outside of your house.

• Masonry paint
• Primer (if required)
• Fungicidal cleaner
• Long-pile roller
• Extension pole
• Masonry brush
• Paint scuttle or tray
• Dust sheets
• Masking tape
• Wire brush
• Sandpaper
• Masonry filler (for repairing cracks and holes)
• Pressure washer or hosepipe

While it can be tempting to buy cheap tools, this is often a false economy. Cheap tools can make decorating more time consuming, physically harder and are less likely to survive past their first use.

Spending a relatively small amount extra can get you tools that will save you time and best of all can be reused again!

Step 2: Choosing your exterior paint colour

Deciding on the right colour is just as important as choosing the right masonry paint. Here are some tips from our team of experts to help you decide.

Always take into consideration the direction in which your house faces the sun, south-facing homes receive a more golden light, making colours seem slightly warmer, whilst north-facing houses receive a blue-ish light, making colours seem slightly cooler.

Warmer shades like ‘Witney Cream’ or ‘Pale Stone’ suit more traditional properties because the softer tones make the house feel more innkeeping with its history.

Courtesy of @zipdec (left) and Alastair Friend (right)

In contrast, ‘White’ and ‘Light Grey’ bring a more contemporary edge because of their clean, minimal look. These cooler, neutral tones are often used for modern styles to give a more structured, polished appearance.

Courtesy of @thathousethatalicebuilt (left) and Andrew Barnett (right)

When picking colours, we recommend always testing real paint samples.

On-screen representations and printed colour charts do not reflect the true colour. With a real paint sample you can see how a paint colour will look directly on your home and on each side of your house, so you can be 100% colour confident.

Step 3: Clean and prep

Proper preparation is often overlooked because it’s not the most exciting part of the project, but it’s the most important. Good preparation is often what sets apart professionals and the average DIY’er, not only improving the finish but how durable it is.

We know it can be tempting to rush into painting, but steps like cleaning, repairing and priming are the secret to success when it comes to painting outside walls.

Clean the surface

Before you pick up your paint brush walls must be free of dirt, algae, mould and loose paint.

• Use a pressure washer, hosepipe or brush to remove surface level dirt
• Apply a fungicidal wash like Emperor Exterior Cleaner to kill organic growth
• Allow the surface to dry fully

Repair cracks or damage

Inspect your house for cracks or flaking paint and repair them before painting. This ensures the surface is sound, so your paint can create a strong adhesion to the outside of your house. If you don’t repair cracks, water can enter the wall and cause damage over-time.

• Remove any flaking and loose paint back to a ‘firm edge’ where no more paint can be removed
• Use a high-quality masonry filler to fill cracks or holes – once dry, sand back to your desired finish

Protect Surrounding Areas

Before starting your project, cover any surfaces that you don’t want paint to get on. While most masonry paints are water-based, if they get on to paving, UPVC or wood, they can be difficult to remove once dry.

• Apply masking tape to window frames and doors (you can get tape with a 30 day lifespan which can last for your full project if you are painting over multiple weeks)
• Lay dust sheets over patios, tarmac and plants – surfaces are much easier to cover than clean

Apply Primer If Necessary

If you are painting any bare, unpainted surface you must apply a primer before painting. If you don’t prime a bare surface, not only will the paint struggle to adhere to the wall, but it can soak into any porous surfaces, requiring more coats of paint.

When applying Emperor Masonry Paint, any bare surface must be primed, excluding pre-coloured silicone render.

Step 4: Start to paint your exterior walls

Now that your walls are cleaned and prepped, it’s time for the exciting part!

Gather your tools

Gathering everything you may need will speed up the process and ensure you get the project done efficiently.

First coat

Start by cutting in around the edges, windows and doors using a masonry brush. Then, use a long-pile roller to apply the first coat of masonry paint in long, even strokes to avoid any patchiness. Using an extension pole not only helps you reach difficult areas but also reduces strain on your arms.

Our experts recommend starting from the top of the wall and work down. This avoids dripping paint running down and ruining the work you have already done.

It is also recommended to add a small amount of water (around 10%) to the first coat can help it spread more easily.

Second coat

Before starting your second coat, you must allow your first coat to dry. When looking at the instructions of your chosen paint, it will give a drying time and a recoat time. The drying time (usually 1-3 hours) is the time before the paint is touch dry. The recoat time (usually 5-10 hours) is the time before you can apply your second coat. The key difference is that when a paint is newly touch dry, the inside of the paint film is still wet.

Once the first coat is completely dry apply a second coat. This layer should be applied without diluting in order to ensure the paint can perform as designed.

If you use Emperor Masonry Paint a third coat will not be required. Some masonry paints may require a third coat depending on their coverage and opacity.

Remove the tape before the paint fully dries to and clean your brushes and rollers immediately with water.

Before & After – @thehousethatalicebuilt

Final Thoughts

Painting your house outside doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With proper planning, quality materials and the right technique, you can achieve a finish that even a pro would be proud of.

Ready to start your project? Get started by browsing our colour inspiration gallery or ordering your sample with free delivery on all orders.