External painting - does cream paint last longer??

carolyn · Post by **carolyn** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:34 pm

We are about to have the outside of our villa repainted. It is currently white, but it has been suggested to us that the cream coloured paint that is increasingly popular, seems to look better for longer? That is - the black and green dribble marks that appear down the walls are less pronounced. Does anyone have experience of this? Its hard to judge when you look around the area as you never know when a building was last painted. Maybe it is the quality of the paint? Opinions/experiences would be welcome

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:19 pm

Think the main difference is in the quality of the paint. There is a lot of difference in paint price and (usually) quality, as you will find out if you simply browse a DIY store. The problem is that quotes for painting are usually accepted on price, so the paint used is often not the best quality. The alternative is to paint the property "moss green".

Farol · Post by **Farol** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:31 am

My advice is:

1. Ensure you get a good quality plastic based EXTERIOR grade paint - ideally an elastic one. It is considerably more expensive than the cheap interior/exterior paints you can buy but will last longer, cover more cracks and be more crack resistant. If you are having a painter do the work specify the grade of paint you want and check that they use it.

2. Invest in a pressure washer. If the paintwork is sound then a quick blast from a pressure washer gets rid of algae, dirt, streaking, etc and will give you another couple of years out of the paint. However, if the paint is flaking the pressure washer is the quickest way of preparing for a re-paint.

e-richard · Post by **e-richard** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:02 pm

Farol wrote:... It is considerably more expensive than the cheap interior/exterior paints you can buy ....

It never ceases to amaze me how huge the range in prices can be. The most expensive paint costing over 5 times what a cheap 'n nasty one will cost.

Then, if you use the cheaper versions, it will look cr*p, and you'll need to repaint every year at least. Avoid it

aussie · Post by **aussie** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:19 pm

Does anyone know the name in Portugese for a good quality exterior paint like the ones mentioned above. Where is the best place to buy it. Has anyone tried painting their own villa and what has your experience been. Got a quote for 5000 euro to paint a 4 bed villa. Is this about standard price?

Farol · Post by **Farol** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:56 am

I have painted my own place. Really easy but spring or autumn are the best times. Too hot in the summer and too damp in the winter.

The paint I used was Membrana Elastica by Tintas VIP which is widely available. I got mine in Izzy (what was Maesto Maco) - available in white or creme. Can't really remember price but I think it was in the order of €60 for 20 litres.

With this paint one coat is enough if you are just overcoating sound paint but 2-3 if current paint is poor.

As a comparison I had tried a cheap paint on the garden wall and even 3 coats did a poor job of covering sound old paint.

Well worth paying extra.

You need a large rectangular paint bucket with a grill in it (available from same place as paint) plus rollers and an extendable pole. This seems to be what all the professionals use and it makes it really easy. Poles can go up to 3 metres.

Pressure wash the walls first as this removes all the grime, algae, flaky paint, bird lime, etc.

The paint will cover small hairline cracks but you might need to fill bigger ones.

If you have other problems with the current surface you can also easily buy sealers and waterproofers to prepare the wall if required.

Having got our place up to a decent finish I hope to do a wall a year rather than all at once.

With the pressure washer and roller on a pole the job was a lot quicker and easier than I thought it was going to be.

ceh · Post by **ceh** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:07 pm

We bought internal paint from CIN (opposite the Fatacil in Lagoa)at the beginning of the New Year week in 2007 and it was excellent, following some earlier threads on the Forum. It wasn't cheap but was the best paint either of us had used etc

When I opened the can exactly a year later to resume painting - yes a bit of a long break from it but.....- it was absolutely fine.

Don't what their external paint is like but definitely a case of you get what you pay for etc

carolyn · Post by **carolyn** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:26 pm

Thanks for all the tips. Our decorator has suggested Barbot paint which he says is especially good for coastal situations. Does anyone have any experience using this?

Also no-one has voiced an opinion on colour - which was the original reason for my post. Maybe no-one has noticed any difference and it is simply down to paint quality - as suggested by Barry? Dont think we'll try his suggestion of 'moss green' though

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:29 pm

Agree about CIN the cheap stuff from what was mestre maco jus does not compare.

Lesley Jean · Post by **Lesley Jean** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:30 pm

Our house is painted cream as it is the colour I preferred but I must say it still looks good three years down the line, where as the blue around the windows has faded so yes I think it does look better and wears better than white.

Our house in UK was white when we bought it but after winters of green growing on it we had it painted cream and now just needs a pressure wash down each year.

BobT · Post by **BobT** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:42 am

Farol wrote:I have painted my own place. Really easy but spring or autumn are the best times. Too hot in the summer and too damp in the winter.

The paint I used was Membrana Elastica by Tintas VIP which is widely available. I got mine in Izzy (what was Maesto Maco) - available in white or creme. Can't really remember price but I think it was in the order of 60 for 20 litres.

With this paint one coat is enough if you are just overcoating sound paint but 2-3 if current paint is poor.

As a comparison I had tried a cheap paint on the garden wall and even 3 coats did a poor job of covering sound old paint.

Well worth paying extra.

60 euros for 20 litres is cheap paint. I agree not the cheapest which around 20 euros. CIN is about 150 euros after a bit of discount. It is howeve much better paint. it covers better, and hence you dont need as much for the same area. Ihave no interest, and resent paying that mcuh but experience says it's worth it.

As for cream B white. Any light coloured paint will suffer from staining. With good paint it will wash off more readily.

As an aside if your house is painted white, you will need to apply for permission at our lovely helpfull Camara, or you could get some sh*tty neighbour reporting you. In effect like planning permission for an extension.

VON VON · Post by **VON VON** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:25 pm

Does anybody have any opinions on the ROBBILAC [think thats the spelling anyway something similar] paint and what is the best sealer to paint on before hand so that the paint doesn't peel/flake off too quickly.??

widge · Post by **widge** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:19 am

Just paid 6000 euros to have our 4 bed villa redecorated. This included all metal work and ballustrades in the garden. Took 3 weeks & came with a 2 year guarantee (whatever that means)!

aussie · Post by **aussie** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:43 pm

Was this for the outside only. What paint did they use and who did it for you?

widge · Post by **widge** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:44 pm

Aussie,

The company is Neopaint - Servicos de Pinturas
based in Portimao Tel 808200666 email cportugal@certapro.com

Outside only but its a big building.

Walls
1 coat primer Cinolite Incolor
2 coats Novaqua AC

Gates etc.
1 coat primer Alunapoxi
2 coats Sinterin - color

They did a very good job!