Repainting a rendered house with peeling paint, Longton

What did the customer need?

The homeowner needed the rendered walls of their house repainted because the old masonry paint was failing badly. The house has a rendered upper storey over brick, and the paint was peeling off in large sheets on every elevation I worked on. Bare grey render was showing through, and cracks ran down the rear wall below the windows. They wanted the outside looking tidy again, with a finish that would hold up rather than start flaking within a year or two.

What condition was it in?

It was in poor condition, with widespread peeling paint and cracked render. On the rear and side walls, more of the old paint had come away than was still attached. What remained was often loose underneath and lifted easily with a scraper. Several cracks ran through the render, the longest dropping from a first-floor window sill down towards the brick. Left as it was, any new paint would simply have peeled off again along with the old layer underneath.

What preparation was needed?

The walls needed scraping back, crack filling and stabilising before any paint went on. This was a Full redecoration rather than a Refresh, because the old paint had failed and the surface had to be made sound before repainting.

Which paints and materials were used?

I used Sandtex masonry paint in the colour Ivory Stone, applied over a stabilising solution. Sandtex is a masonry paint made for exterior render and brickwork. The cracks were filled before the stabiliser went on, so the whole wall was sound and even before the first coat. Ivory Stone is a soft off-white that sits well against the dark brown windows, gutters and roof tiles on this house.

What was the result?

The render now has a clean, even finish with no peeling paint or visible cracks. The rear wall shows the biggest change, going from patchy grey and cream to one consistent colour. Because the whole surface was stabilised first, the new paint is bonded to sound render rather than to old paint or dust. That preparation is what will help the finish last. The job took 8 days in total and was done without scaffolding.

Questions about this job