Exterior paint is as important as the interior paint, some might say it is more important than even the interior. Exterior paint is the first thing s person notices even before entering the house or even before looking at anything in the house. Exterior paint if done wrong can kill the appealing elevation of the house. There has been a lot of advancement in paint and the way the paint is applied. These advancements have made paint job more versatile and durable. Just like interior paint exterior paint also has its way of application and has a list of works that needs to be done before actually applying the final coat. There are three main types of paints that are applied on the exteriors.
- Weather shield
- Rockwall
- Graffi(pocha in local terms)
Weather Shield
After the plasters have all dried out the first step for weather shield is scrubbing the walls. Walls are thoroughly scrubbed to make the plasters on the wall smooth for paint application. After the wall are scrubbed thoroughly the first coat of weather shield is applied on the wall. Followed by the first coat, second coat of weather shield is applied and then the walls are checked for any uneven surface. Uneven surface on the walls are filled with plaster of paris fillings. Once the whole surface is even and fixed the final coat of weather shield is applied on the wall with the desired color and finish.
Current Weather Shield Prices in the market Pkr 20/- to Pkr 35/ per sqft
House with Typical Weather Shield Finish
Rockwall:
Plasters are scrubbed and cleaned all over the walls to make the surface smoother. After the walls are cleaned the first and most recommended step is to apply the base coat of rockwall. The materials used in base coat are acrylic, white sand is also used in the base coat, fungus control chemicals are also used to prevent the fungus from growing on the walls and then the timing chemicals are used in the base coat to extend the life of the paint. The application of the base coat is very important while applying the rockwall as it holds the rockwall and strengthens it. Moving on to the rockwall, the most important material used in rockwall is the marble chips commonly known as marble dana. Marble chips are a natural material that comes out of marble and is available in variety of colors. Artificial colors for marble chips are also available in the market but the quality and the strength is not as strong as the natural marble chips. However white marble chips can be dyed in different colors using titanium and white sand. Other than that acrylic is used in rockwall as well along with anti fungus chemicals and timing chemicals. The ratio of timing chemical depends on the weather. It will be used more in hotter weathers and a little less in colder weathers.
While applying the rockwall please make sure that the marble chips being used are not the artificial marble chips. The natural marble chips have much more strength than the artificial one. Secondly the dye for marble chips should be of good quality preferably German. The difference of price between Chinese and German is around PKR 1600/- per KG. Similarly titanium is widely used in paint works and is a vital material. It is recommended to use the better quality of titanium while doing rock wall or any sort of paint work. Titanium from Holland can be purchased for Pkr 3200/ to Pkr 3500/- per Kg and it can also be bought from China or Malaysia for Pkr 1200/- to Pkr 1300/- per Kg. Titanium is also made locally for Pkr 700/- to Pkr 600/- but the strength and durability of these titanium is below par. In some cases samad bond paste is mixed in acrylic to lower the cost but the strength is compromised by doing that and is not recommended at all.
Current rockwall Prices in the market Pkr 28/- to Pkr 35/ per sqft
Typical rockwall samples
Graffi work:
Last exterior painting method in today’s article is graffi also known as graphy/pocha locally. The only difference in Rockwall and Graffi is that the main material used in rock wall is marble chips whereas in graffi the main material used is white sand. This white sand was first being imported from USA but now has been discovered locally from Harappa and is widely being used. The procedure of Graffi is similar to Rock wall. First of all after scrubbing the walls base coat is applied on them. Base coat for Graffi paint is also similar to rockwall base coat. It includes acrylic, anti fungus chemicals to prevent fungus on the walls and timing chemicals to make it longer lasting and durable. After the base coat walls are then checked for any sort of uneven surface that is then covered with plaster of paris and scrubbed again to make it even and smooth. After being satisfied with the surface the final coat of graffi is applied. To get the desired colour in graffi sand is coloured according to client’s desire. Just as rock wall, graffi paint is in rough texture and its strength is dependent on its base coat and the quality of sand. The sand is available in different sizes, one in bigger size, normal and very thin sand. The choice of sand depends on the texture that is required on the wall.
Current Graffi Prices in the market Pkr 25/- to Pkr 30/ per sqft
Typical graffi samples
These are the three most common types of paints being used for exteriors. Workmanship plays a very important role in the application of the paint. It is duty of the contractor or a person in charge to make sure the above mentioned technicalities are performed and the quality is ensured.
