Attaching ceramic house numbers

I want to attach a ceramic house number plate to a plaster wall with somewhat crumbly paint. This is an old house, and I assume the paint is some kind of traditional whitewash (though it is light pink in colour).

If I rub my hand on the wall some of the colour comes off.

I was given some Bostik PolyMax glue to attach the numbers. But I'm not sure if I should scrape away the paint where the numbers are to be attached, or if the glue will bind the paint under the numbers.

Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.

Reply to
Timothy Murphy
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Drop of old varnish, diluted with white spirit and applied to stabilise the paint layers perhaps? Then glue to that.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Screws?

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Well I expect the glue will bind to the paint but will the paint stay on the wall?

I'd make sure the surface I was glueing to is sound, removing anything loose or flakey. Do you have any of the paint to make good any bits that come off that aren't hidden by the numbers?

Also check that the glue is suitable for outdoors, OK it's not exposed to UV behind the numbers but what about long term damp and temperature changes?

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Cut a backboard of wood or marine ply the same size as the ceramic house numbers and screw that to the wall. Then glue the ceramic tiles to the backboard.

I did this but made the mistake of making the backboard from a left-over piece of uPVC soffit. I glued the tiles to the uPVC with 'NoMoreNails' - but after a few months the tiles dropped off and smashed! There was insufficient grip on the shiny surface of the uPVC...

Next time we visited my wife's sister in Spain we bought another set of numbered tiles and this time I punched a load of holes in the uPVC with a spike in order to create a surface that the grip adhesive could hold onto! It's been fine ever since.

Reply to
Ret.

Place numbers against wall. Draw round them. Chisel out. Apply cement and insrt the numbers. Tidy up. They should last a lifetime.

Glue on top of crumbling paint is pointless. Even if they dont fall off within a week they wont last well.

NT

Reply to
NT

All the ceramic "house number" plaques I've seen have two countersunk holes for fixing screws.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Not these - they are an artistic Italian set ...

Reply to
Timothy Murphy

That's what I'm doing. Well, not with a chisel. I'm just removing the whitewash/paint where the numbers will be.

Reply to
Timothy Murphy

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