Screwfix Masonry Paint

[Mike Faithfull]

Anyone have good/bad things to say about the several different kinds (and prices!) of masonry paint in the catalogue? Front of the house could do with being painted before the cold/wet really sets in ......

[Woodspoiler]

Looking into this myself at the moment.

Pliolite resin-based paints are supposed to be superior. They are often (always?) spirit-based and have smaller particles which penetrate the masonry better, so the paint bonds better. They are also designed to continually shed a microscopically thin outer layer, making them self-cleaning. Or so the blurb says. They tend to be more expensive but also tend to have a longer guarantee than standard water-based paints.

I'll probably go for someting like that as the paint is for a difficult location with respect to moisture. Screwfix only does it in white but other colours are available elsewhere. I just got a free MacPherson colour chart from

The MacPherson Pliolite product is available in many shades. Can't yet vouch for its quality though.

W.

[Mike Faithfull]

(useful info snipped ...)

Mmm .. interesting. I couldn't decide between the Leyland Truguard and the Screwfix Textured paint when I asked the question ... The Truguard stuff, being solvent-based, will need an £8 can of thinners to go with it for cleaning rollers and brushes that would not be required for a water-based paint though, and cost *is* an issue ... Decisions, decisions ...

[Woodspoiler]

Truguard stuff,

Either use a cheap roller/brush and throw them away afterwards, or see if you can use white spirit.

I just checked up on the MacPherson product at

(I have no connection with this company). The tech. data sheeet says to use turps/white spirit for cleaning.

How long will you be staying in this place? 5-10 years may not justify the extra for a better quality product. Beyond that it may delay the need to repaint, thereby saving money and hassle in the long run. The self-cleaning aspect may also be worth a few quid more - I don't know if typical water-based paints have this feature.

The only other tip I can add is that gloss finishes show up surface imperfections more.

W.

[BillR]

Relative had outside of house painted recently. The contractors left all the rollers and brushes behind. When I phoned them about this they said they regarded them as disposable, the cost of the solvent was not an issue but the time was...

[Mike Faithfull]

I can understand why it makes sense for a contractor, but time is less of an issue for me. However, as they will probably cost less than the thinners anyway, using cheap rollers and brushes and treating them as 'consumables' is a great idea!

[PoP]

With cheap brushes you need to wash them in Grecian 2000 first otherwise the hairs fall out ;)

PoP

[stuart]

Looks like this is based on a styrene butadene resin, which is a rubbery type. Standard SBR from builders merchants is water based, and has very good water resistance, so the solvent based version might be even better. I'll get the shade card myself I think.