External paint - well done Dulux Trade Paint

[deema]

I think Dulux trade paint is really good, in fact I'd go so far as to say excellent.

I've started.....well trying between showers for the last few weeks to reprint the outside of my house. The house is almost exactly aligned North South, so the paint around the house experiences all of the worst weather. It's been almost 10 years since I last did it, and I'm delighted to find that the paint has stood up to the weather extremely well. The Dulux trade paint was oil based and was applied with two undercoats and one gloss. In reality I could probably have left it another couple of years at least.

With the exception of the M/T joints, where flexing has caused the paint to crack, it's almost as good as the day I did it. the windows are sapele and were installed c40 years ago long before I bought the house and unfortunately (in my view) they didn't paint the rebates where the glass sits, as a consequence as the silicone sealer has failed over the years.....most of the DG units are original..... I've found this out as I'm now into the replacement cycle of thoser that have fogged.........moisture is getting into the sashes. Equally they didn't paint the frame before it was installed and again as the butyl seal fails around the frame / wall water is getting in and causing the wood to swell with the seasons.....but not as badly as the sashes.

So Dulux trade paint is going on again, I had considered and was almost swayed to go down the linseed paint route. However, the price of the paint.....eye watering.....which is significantly more than trade paint and the additional time you need to leave between coats coupled with just how good and long the trade paint has lasted made the decision easy.

 

[bugbear]

I think Dulux trade paint is really good, in fact I'd go so far as to say excellent.

...The Dulux trade paint was oil based and was applied with two undercoats and one gloss. In reality I could probably have left it another couple of years at least.
....

So Dulux trade paint is going on again, I had considered and was almost swayed to go down the linseed paint route. However, the price of the paint.....eye watering.....which is significantly more than trade paint and the additional time you need to leave between coats coupled with just how good and long the trade paint has lasted made the decision easy.

In any case, you can't have a "full gloss" finish with linseed, if that's your preference.

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. I did my fascias etc. in my old house with Weathershield and repainted after fourteen years of not being touched - they were still perfectly OK, just the gloss had dulled a little.

 

[Jacob]

... the linseed paint route. However, the price of the paint.....eye watering.....which is significantly more than trade paint ....

It is pricy per tin, but it's very cheap in actual use because it goes a very long way and there's no need for thinners, paint brush cleaners etc. Also it's shelf life is very long - no solvent to evaporate.

 

[deema]

Hi Jacob,
I'm making a veranda for a static van soon, and the owner is interested in having it painted with linseed oil paint. Taking your point that it goes a long way....is it possible for you to give any indication?i.e you need about 1/5 the quantity of oil based paint (2 under coats and one top coat) for the same job?

 

[deema]

Hi Bug Bear, good point, I wasn't really bothered about full gloss, it didn't really come into the equation. I live in a converted Wesleyan chapel so linseed paint would have been more in keeping. Fortunately for me, the building isn't listed.

I may be wrong, but I believe to get the true potential out of linseed paint you really need to get back to bare wood. I believe that paint is only as good as the substrate it's painted on and anything between the linseed paint and the wood prevents the linseed soaking in and creating the barrier.

 

[Jacob]

....
I may be wrong, but I believe to get the true potential out of linseed paint you really need to get back to bare wood. I believe that paint is only as good as the substrate it's painted on and anything between the linseed paint and the wood prevents the linseed soaking in and creating the barrier.

I've painted it over modern paint and it sticks really well. It also seems to flow into the cracks and any bare bits of wood and seals the whole thing. Can't vouch for all paints but thats my experience. The flaking off paint was normal paint shop Leyland or something, on ali primer, which only lasted 2 years on a ledge brace battened shed door. The linseed paint on top has been good for 9 years.
Thats what got me so keen on it; it works as a remedial paint over cr&p paint jobs. That was before I'd tried it on new work.

 

[Jacob]

Hi Jacob,
I'm making a veranda for a static van soon, and the owner is interested in having it painted with linseed oil paint. Taking your point that it goes a long way....is it possible for you to give any indication?i.e you need about 1/5 the quantity of oil based paint (2 under coats and one top coat) for the same job?

Dunno couldn't put a figure to it but I feel that it really does go a long way and is probably a lot cheaper than modern stuff in the end. Not least because it's easy to touch up years later with just oil alone. It sticks extremely well and just needs a bit of a wash down before putting oil on, or more paint.
I can honestly say that except for one or two tiny spots it has stayed firmly stuck on everywhere I've used it, over the last 9 years.

NB it is very different from modern paints and you need to follow the instructions - not least that you need to brush it on/out very thinly. And there's no undercoat though you can use the oil alone as a primer, but isn't always essential. Most things you can put paint straight on.

 

[RogerS]

Agree totally with Jacob. I'm in the process of using linseed oil on some of the windows in our renovation project. The one thing that I do find difficult is applying a thin enough coat to prevent pooling and wrinkly skins because it's damn messy to try and get it off to fix the wrinkles.

As a slight digression but which may be of interest to some is a small video I took of some of the cement mortar that the numpties applied in the past over the original lime mortar. Cement in an old stone property is the kiss of death. It traps all the moisture behind it causing the lime mortar to disintegrate and the wall to remain soaked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ZIvji1nEw

Also a convert to burnt sand mastic instead of butyl frame sealants. Old school !

 

[Jacob]

Agree totally with Jacob. I'm in the process of using linseed oil on some of the windows in our renovation project. The one thing that I do find difficult is applying a thin enough coat to prevent pooling and wrinkly skins because it's damn messy to try and get it off to fix the wrinkles. ...

I had this prob first time I used it and solved it by lightly sanding/rubbing off the wrinkly bits with old sand paper on a cork block (clogs up fast no need to waste new sand paper). Since then have learned to brush it out thin!

 

[AES]

@Jacob & RogerS:

As we're going off topic (can't get Dulux here), here's a serious question - I'll be refurbishing a garden 2 seat bench soon. Oak slats on a cast metal frame. I think the slats were originally oiled (before my time).

Can I use linseed oil paint on it? (e.g. if someone wearing white trousers - AFTER it's dried! - are they going to get a red bum - SWMBO's talking about red)?

And how long will it last reasonably (will be covered when there's snow on the ground)?

TIA

AES

 

[Jacob]

I've painted a Welsh settle with it and it's in daily use. No prob with the paint. Ditto some handrails outside - it doesn't come off on your hands. It's proper paint!
It'll certainly last longer than any modern paint but I couldn't put a figure on it.
One of it's big advantages is ease of maintenance - if it needs reviving it just needs a wash down and it doesn't take long to go over it with oil, or another coat of paint. Putting it on is an unskilled job as long as you brush it out thin. No scraping, burning off, other preparation necessary.

PS I see you are in Switzerland AES. Allback paints are Swedish where the weather is more severe.

 

[AES]

Sounds good Jacob, just the job, thanks.

Not heard of the brand you mention, but Dictum in Germany (not exactly on my doorstep, but "within range" without resorting to post/courier) has a full range according to their catalogue - all sorts of colours, and if I remember, those come from Sweden - I haven't got the Dictum catalogue to hand right now.

I suspect a visit to their Munich store is on the cards soon-ish (my wife has friends there anyway and their store is always worth a visit).

AES

 

[Jacob]

Had a quick look and Dictum looks very similar.

At the risk of seeming over enthusiastic - I just revived an old pot of Allback linseed oil putty, gone hard, in the microwave. Worked beautifully - soft and lump free!
Maybe modern putties have hardeners etc?

 

[AES]

OK, thanks again Jacob.

AES