Exterior painting

Eamon Avis · Post by **Eamon Avis** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 10:52

At some stage I am going to have to paint the exterior of my property to keep up with the neighbours. The walls are rendered in a kind of stucco finish and I have noticed that some of the neighbouring houses have a planed finish to the stucco which looks very attractive.

It looks as though this would be done by some kind of power tool. Does anyone know what the process is called? Is it a DIY job or one for an expert?

john · Post by **john** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 11:27

Welcome Eamon. Are you the guy in red who rents cars!?

I know the type of finish you mean. We have it at john Towers. It's sprayed on by some sort of pressure pump.

As with all this sort of stuff,it rather depends on the size of house/level of "diy" expertise. I guess if you are a diy devotee,and the house is small,this job would be a breeze.

On the other hand if we are talking more sumptuous dimensions and you are the sort of DIY no-hoper as I am,then it'd be not advisable!

Eamon Avis · Post by **Eamon Avis** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 21:13

Thanks for the reply and welcome John. Just wait until I get my red paint in the pressure pump!

Roger O · Post by **Roger O** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 21:49

I'm pretty sure the finish you want is the one called crépi which is put on with a special machine. There are large professional ones and smaller ones which can be used with an air compressor. Some pictures:
http://images.google.fr/images?um=1&hl= ... d%27images
You can have it done in any colour you choose, provided within accepted "norms" available at your local mairie - so it doesn't clash with the rest of the houses around.
It can be left rough like this
http://www.linternaute.com/bricolage/am ... /crepi.jpg
or smoothed immediately after spraying which leaves it more like this
http://produits-btp.batiproduits.com/mo ... 210526.jpg
and in fact there are several variations - it can be hand-smoothed into various patterns, more or less flattened, etc. but of course this costs more than the simple spray "rough" finish.

You can buy a book on it in the entrance of Roy Merlin.
I know someone in Le Soler who is very good at it - but now semi-retired and have no idea whether he would be willing to come to Vallespir (depending on distance?). He doesn't speak English though. This man "crépied" the 28 meter garden wall of our previous villa in Le Soler and very nicely, too!

Probably someone else may give you another recommendation a bit nearer - but please send me a PM if you don't get any other suggestions.

jethro · Post by **jethro** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 22:05

The stucco or roughcast finish on the walls is probably crépi, which can be applied manually by a very strong person using a cheap tool from Leroy Merlin. It's better to hire a professional who will spray it on from a machine à projection and then go over it lightly with a plasterer's trowel called a taloche to make the attractive flattened finish of your dreams. I am fully clued up on these matters as I've just been quoted €12000 to do my house and I'm told this is not unreasonable, as scaffolding has to be hired, it can only be done between temperatures of 5° to 35°, it needs two guys to do it and it mustn't rain while it's being done. This restricts the season for crépi work and means the men have to coin it in during their window of opportunity.Leroy Merlin has a website which shows you all kinds of colours and flavours of crépi, and there is a Belgian website called infobéton.be which is very informative. The following firm has been recommended to me, but I haven't asked them to quote yet: GDS Façade, Cornella Del Vercol, téléphone 04 68 21 30 58.

Serge · Post by **Serge** » Mon 02 Mar 2009 22:09

Eamon,

I bet after all this it's starting to look like it might be alright as it is for a bit longer .............................

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 07:37

Eamon are you just needing your house painting over the top of your existing finish or is it a full render?
I have heard prices quoted for just painting the exterior of €5,000 and as Jethro says applying crepi is even more.

Eamon Avis · Post by **Eamon Avis** » Tue 03 Mar 2009 17:06

Kathy, at the moment the walls look like Roger's second link except they are stained from weathering so it seems that the house already has a crepi finish.
From Jethro's post it seems that if I want it repainted with the flattened finish it is a job for a professional so I have made a note of GDS Facade for when I have saved up some more pennies! Thank you all for the very useful information.

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