Exterior Paintwork

In article , Andrew May writes

I've had top results with International 10 Year Exterior Gloss on window frames and would not hesitate to use it on a front door.

High gloss and microporous so should last. Goes on without primer with best results like that as you get the microporous benefits.

Not that readily available, not much of a colour range and not cheap but worth it in my view. I got mine at B&Q but their (s*it, s*it, s*it) site refuses to find it, despite a google site based search finding refs to it there.

In article , fred writes

Correction, they say to use International Exterior Primer Undercoat although I used it successfully without.

As you say, Google finds they used to list it

But it seems they don't list any International Paints products now.

Thanks, that looks like pretty decent stuff. I notice that Homebase no longer stock it either but am pretty sure that my local builders merchant does International paints. Failing that there seem to be several places that do it online. This is for a flat front door so no mouldings so I reckon it has to be a pretty good finish for it to look good. Oh, and despite the limited colours the do a burgundy which is the chosen colour.

Just a follow-up question to this. The paint is microporous which allows the wood underneath to breath. But does this imply that all old non-porous paint has to be stripped off first?

Andrew

I've seen nothing over the years to change my opinion that so called microporous paints are crap.

So what would you recommend for exterior woodwork?

A bog standard oil based high voc paint (with the proviso that nothing will stick to a bad substrate). I've had success over the years with wood hardeners, or fibreglass resin if it's cheaper. Once you have a sound surface that doesn't suck the life out of the paint, it goes on like a dream and stays there. For resin substitute car body filler if the wood is crumbly. Sorry, I don't know the state of your woodwork or how old it is. Does it face south?

Perfectly sound wooden front door. What I was after was recommendations based on experience of specific paints to use. Is high VOC paint still available?

Sure. I used a green "liquid gloss" paint from Crown for my front door. It smelt reassuringly nasty, took 24 hours to dry, and dripped everywhere if you weren't careful. Lovely. The aisles in the sheds are full of paint products, and they do their damnedest to confuse customers. I'd have gone to a trade outlet but I only needed a litre

Have you tried Sikkens Rubbol? It might just change your view , if you want it changing. We live in quite an exposed position and had new softwood windows about 12 years ago. Manufacturer specified Sikkens Onol primer and Rubbol satin top coat. This was followed. I check and do some very litttle touching up every year or two. South and east elevations needed full repaint - which constitutes wash down, light sand and one coat of Rubbol - after about 5 years. Others have been done as needed. There are a couple which are not very exposed which will be getting painted for the first time this year...weather permitting! It is expensive and it does make the wood windows look a bit like uPVC, which is what we were trying to avoid, but I am a convert. Any new exterior joinery gets treated the same. I do not know how well it works on previously painted timber.

Please reply to group - email address is not monitored Ian

I havent looked seriously but I don't see "microporous" mentioned on the Sikkens site. It's a silly term anyway because enough coats will block the pores

Dulux Trade Weathershield can suffer "plastic bag holding water" and is not over coatable (burn off).

Sikkens Rubbol AZ does not suffer the "plastic water bag" effect, does not flake, can be overpainted. However you need a sound surface because it can be intolerant and it does not like fresh putty (shells off). If you paint fresh hardwood which has high oil content wipe it with methylated spirits first (eg, Iroko).

Beware the high end Rubol (BZ or CZ or SZ) because they require kiln dried fresh wood to get their huge life.

International (Akzo Nobel) 10yr gloss is well regarded, it outlasted weather shield with ease.

Weathershield has an inferior gloss to Rubbol AZ year 1, but by year 4 Rubbol Az can look a little chalky (which is how it wears). Beware Rubbol is only removeable with mechanical means - a bit like Sikkaflex

Microporous paint... well the water does get UNDER Dulux weathershield after a few years :-)

All very interesting but, when all's said and done, any paint will last forever on a sound surface, and no paint will last long on a less than perfect surface. The best way to make a surface sound is wood hardener. I've seen Victorian paint on glass that's as good as the day it dripped on there. That's what you call a sound surface