cracks in the cement
Hi folks, I have been taking advantage of the magnificent weather. Ideal painting weather , dry , 70F , with a light breeze. So I have been painting. I need some help on a little problem . The outside walls are cement. They have not been painted for 40 years or so. I have removed all the loose paint and got rid of moss etc. I am left with non flaky cement , all be it a little rough and pitted. The walls are sound. I managed to get a good deal on ' dulux weathershield ' which is an English paint. Its not cheap , but I thought it pointless to skimp on paint. I have light cracks which I could not hide on the first watered down coat. The cracks have been caused by old paint that split and let the elements in. They are very fine and not deep at all, almost to shallow to fill. THey form little spiders web shapes almost. What can I do about these ? Will another coat or two make it look better ? The trouble with so many cracks is that filling them all in can make the wall look worse. Its rather like touching in a car hood with 100 or so paint spots. I cannot afford the time or money , to re - cement the surface. Infact its in pretty good shape for its age. Help !! Thanks. Kevin
Kevin, Did you say forty years? Give the poor wall a break and love it, cracks and all! After forty years the cement is intitled to a few hairlines wrinkles. It earned them all! New isn't necessarily the best way to look. Lots of folks spend their weekends trying to make paint crack and craze to get an "antique" look with character! Just enjoy the patina on your wall and the magnificent painting weather. Regards, Nancy
Hi Nancy, The house is actually 83 years old. Laura , my wife is of the same view as you. Infact she never noticed the cracks in the first place !! I am probably getting a bit obsessional about it. Its funny to think I am up a ladder trying to rub out a bit of ' character' , whilst your side of the pond , people are attempting to create it. I very much enjoyed you reply, thanks. I will post up a photo when its finished.......with or without the cracks. Kevin Belgium
Hi folks, Just thought I would throw my two cents worth into this topic. I discovered a product that is called Surface Bonding Cement. Which is a combination of cement, fiberglass strands and some mystery product that is reported to be a waterproofing agent. You mix this stuff with water and trowel it on the surface of "less than beautiful" concrete walls and foundations. It is especially geared for the "do it yourself" individual who wants to build a house but lacks the time and skill for laying down block in the traditional method of mortared joints. The block is dry stacked butting the blocks up against each other without using mortar in between them (first course is bedded in mortar on the footing) once everything is level and square, you wet the blocks with a hose and surface bond all the block and let it dry. TA DA your finished. You can pattern the surface bond with a sponge or make swirls or just leave it smooth. It is also great for beautifying old blocks or bricks that have seen better days and can't afford to hire a "pro" to fix it. You can't mix up any more than you can use up in thirty minutes at a time because if it sets up, you can't use it anymore. Which means it lends itself just great for those of us who only have a short time after work to work on our projects and of course our days off. The advantages: It is faster and easier than mortar A 50 pound bag covers 50 square feet It adds an "R" factor to your wall which means it insulates It adds waterproofing It adds fire retardant benefits It is also reported to add soundproofing It is stronger than mortar or cement You don't have to hire a contractor to apply it You don't need an Engineering Degree The Disadvantages: It's a dusty product until you wet it down (wear a dust mask) Worldwide availability is unknown (at least by me) It is more expensive than mortar or cement ( I paid about $18.00 per bag) I think the price is worth it since I didn't have to spend 4 years in college for that Engineering Degree <g Roiann "The Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic was built by Pros"
Thanks Dale, We are reaching a compromise on this. The front of the house and the terrace are going to be treated to more ' restoration ' of the walls than the rest. The house is about 11 metres tall ( 36ft approx ), and certainly in the higher areas I will not bother doing anything with the cracks. We spend a lot of time in the terrace from May - Oct. So it makes sense to get that looking really good. I now have the job of finding something suitable to ' get me ' up 36ft. Hiring scaffolding is very expensive. I can hire one of those mini lift jobs. You tow them home with you car , and then set it up. They are $100 a day !!! I am not so keen on using a ladder its just to much hard work. Kevin