Looking to revamp the outside of your home but don’t want to spend a fortune? Then consider giving your property a fresh coat of paint! Exterior masonry paint is cheap and easy way to transform the outdoor aesthetics of your home, increasing curb appeal and making it stand out in the neighbourhood.
Not everyone paints the outside of the house but it can provide some breath-taking results, allowing you to highlight certain features and create smaller details that provide a gorgeous finish to your home.
However, it’s important to understand what type of paint you need! Most people need a reliable masonry paint that provides the desired finish while also protecting the surface from the elements. This ensures that the paintwork lasts for many years and won’t need to be constantly touched up, which can be quite a nuisance when dealing with the entire exterior of a house!
Check out the reviews below of some quality exterior paints, while there is also handy guide for how to use the paint and tips for choosing the right one!
Dulux Weather Shield Smooth Masonry Paint
Dulux are one of the biggest paint manufacturers around and their exterior paint remains one of the most impressive available. This is because you get a 15-year guarantee of protection, which is about as good as it gets for an outdoor paint.
Unsurprisingly, the paint offers comprehensive protection from all the outdoor elements. The high-performance acrylic resin provides complete protection from UV rays, dirt, mould, and rain, so you never need to worry about the paint job getting damaged or looking dirty after a while.
It dries very quickly too, becoming waterproof 30 minutes after application, so you don’t need to worry about the rain interrupting you. It needs a few hours before a second coat can be applied though, while you should always avoid painting when it’s below 10 °C as it takes longer to dry when its colder.
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Leyland Granocryl Smooth
- Suitable for Masonry and Render
- Smooth Finish
- UV Resistant
- Dirt Resistant
- Mould Resistant
- Rainproof
Leyland Granocyl is a fantastic exterior paint for all kinds of masonry surfaces including brickwork, roughcast, and rendering. The formula is highly resistant, withstanding mould, dirt, rain, and UV rays, ensuring that the paintwork looks great for many years.
The paint offers a 10 guarantee of protection, offering great value for money, while the high elasticity of the paint ensures minimal chipping, flaking, and peeling over that time frame.
You get a nice range of natural masonry colours too, including sandstone, red brick, and magnolia, along with classic colours like black, white, and grey. So, it’s easy to find a colour that creates the desired finish on the property.
The breathability is somewhat lacking though, so it’s best to use this paint with a primer to ensure better application and reduce the risk of mould developing over time.
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Crown Sandtex Ultra Smooth Masonry Paint
- 15 Years Guaranteed Protection
- Resists Dirt and Mould
- Resists Peeling and Flaking
- Rainproof in 1 hour
- Smooth Finish
The Crown Sandtex Ultra Smooth Masonry Paint is suitable for larger renovation projects that require lots of paint but not at the cost of quality. You get 16m2 per litre, so a single 7.5 tub goes a long way (up to 120m2), helping keep costs down while providing an excellent finish on various masonry surfaces.
Adhering after a few hours, the pant is highly flexible after it dries, meaning less chance of peeling and flaking over the years. The paint is also resistant to dirt and mould, so expect the colour to have plenty of staying power – there’s a reason it comes with a 15-year protection guarantee!
There is only a white colour currently available, which is admittedly limited, although it’s still a premium quality paint that is a fine choice for anyone to happy with white.
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The One Paint
- Multi-Surface: Suitable for Masonry, Wood, Metal, and Plastic
- Primer and Paint
- Covers 12m2 per 1 litre
- 12 Colour Options
If you need a versatile paint that can be used masonry and many other materials, then the One Paint is worth checking out. This multi-surface paint can be applied to various surfaces included masonry, wood, plastic, and metal, with it being suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
It’s also a two in one solution, offering both a primer and paint in one product. This means that you only need to apply a single coat on most surfaces and it can be used on top of an old layer of paint, so it’s perfect for people that want a quick and easy paint solution.
Because it’s not exclusively a masonry paint, you get a wider range of colours and finishes compared to most other brands, with 12 colours and 3 finishes available. This includes matt, gloss, and satin finish, along with a nice range of colours like red, blue, green, dark grey, charcoal, black, and white.
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Rustins Masonry Paint
- Matt finish
- 30-minute dry time
- Covers 14m² per 1 litre
This exterior paint from Rustins doesn’t look like much at a quick glance, yet upon further inspection it’s actually one of the highest quality paints available. As result, it will cost more to use the paint but the final results are almost unrivalled, so if you have some cash to spare and want a wonderful finish, this could be the paint for you.
Drying 30 minutes, the acrylic-based paint is offers 14m2 for every litre, so it may require a few tins to get the whole outside surface painted. You need to wait longer for a second coat, roughly four hours, although it adheres so well that it may not need one.
A single coat offers excellent coverage and the matt finish looks attractive but also blends nicely with other colours and tones in the landscape.
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How to Use Masonry Paint
Applying a new coat of masonry paint will transform the outside of your property if done correctly, so check out these tips for how to use masonry paint:
Prepping the Surface
- It always important to prep a surface before painting it, whether inside or outside, so you’ll want to do a few things to make sure the outside surface is suitable for painting.
- If the exterior surface material is fresh, such as a new wall or render, then you need to give plenty of time to dry and cure before painting. Wait around four weeks before applying any paint to a new surface, otherwise the finish can appear powdery.
- For existing walls, make sure that you thoroughly wash the entire surface area to remove all loose debris and dust. A pressure washer is a good for this, especially when cleaning a surface that is already painted, as it helps remove old paint, dust, and other particles on the wall.
- You want a clean, smooth surface as this ensures that the paint properly adheres to it.
- Check for mould too and apply a suitable treatment (like bleach) if necessary.
- Repairing Damaged Surfaces
- A good masonry paint should fill and cover minor surface imperfections like cracks and splits, so may not need to do much repairs before painting.
- However, if there is a large crack or notable signs damage on the surface, it’s a good idea to use a sealant treatment. Leaving defects on the surface often makes paint less durable and results in an uneven finish, so always complete any repairs to damaged surfaces if needed.
Related: Exterior Wood Paints
Use a Primer
While optional, it’s always a good idea to use a primer on the surface as it provides a great base coat that makes the paint look much better and more uniform. It may also be necessary for anyone painting over an old masonry paint, otherwise the new coat won’t look as good.
A primer also helps the paint to better adhere to the surface, which can be needed when there is excess dust and chalk on the walls.
Painting the Exterior
- Once you’ve chosen a paint colour its time to apply it. The best way to apply masonry paint is by using a sprayer, as this provides a thin yet even layer across the entire surface area.
- It can be applied to larger areas much quicker than a brush or roller and given the large surface area you’re painting it makes sense to go with a sprayer to save time and effort.
- Another tip is to have someone behind you with a roller brush. After you spray the paint on the surface, use the roller to spread the paint more evenly throughout the area. This technique provides a wonderful finish although will require an extra pair f hands.
- You can use just a roller but it’s to take a lot more time and effort. Paintbrushes can be used but they don’t apply a nice and even coat due to the rough texture of masonry, so avoid this when possible.
Choosing a Masonry Paint for Render
- When painting a render you need to carefully choose the masonry paint. Render requires protective paint that can repel water, meaning the paint needs to much thicker, resistant, and flexible than standard masonry paint.
- The thicker the paint the better. Thick paint offers plenty of protection, so you will need a paint that is thicker than average, preferably somewhere around 100-170 microns. Most standard paint for exterior masonry is around 50 microns, so anything thicker than this is recommended for render.
- Because render cannot repel water without a protective layer of paint, you must choose a suitable product when painting new render.
- Don’t overlook the importance of water repellent masonry paint for a render, as the surface material cannot keep moisture out on its own, so if you don’t cover it with a water repellent paint the render could end up damaged, which is the last thing atone wants considering how much it costs!
- It’s also a good idea to look for paints that resist mould, dirt, and stains, which help enhance the render’s long-term durability. Nobody wants their new render to be covered with dirt stains after a year or two, so always choose the right paint for the job.
You may also be interested in reading our Cuprinol Garden Shades review.
Last update on 2023-04-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API