Video guide accompanying this article.
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 a 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 walls are scrubbed thoroughly the first coat of weather shield is applied on the wall. Followed by the first coat, a second coat of weather shield is applied and then the walls are checked for any uneven surface. Uneven surface on the walls is 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 colour and finish.
Current weather shield prices in the market: PKR 20/- to PKR 35/- per sqft
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 the base coat are acrylic, white sand, fungus control chemicals to prevent fungus from growing on the walls, and timing chemicals to extend the life of the paint. The application of the base coat is very important while applying rockwall, as it holds the rockwall and strengthens it. Moving on to the rockwall itself, the most important material used is marble chips, commonly known as marble dana. Marble chips are a natural material that comes out of marble and are available in a variety of colours. Artificial colours for marble chips are also available in the market, but the quality and strength are not as strong as the natural marble chips — though white marble chips can be dyed in different colours using titanium and white sand. Acrylic is used in rockwall as well, along with anti-fungus chemicals and timing chemicals. The ratio of timing chemical depends on the weather — more in hotter weather, a little less in colder weather.
While applying rockwall, please make sure the marble chips being used are not artificial — natural marble chips have much more strength. Secondly, the dye for marble chips should be of good quality, preferably German — the difference in price between Chinese and German dye is around PKR 1,600/- per kg. Similarly, titanium is widely used in paint work and is a vital material. It is recommended to use better quality titanium for rockwall or any sort of paint work. Titanium from Holland can be purchased for PKR 3,200/- to PKR 3,500/- per kg, or from China/Malaysia for PKR 1,200/- to PKR 1,300/- per kg. Titanium is also made locally for PKR 600/- to PKR 700/-, but the strength and durability of this titanium is below par. In some cases, samad bond paste is mixed into acrylic to lower cost, but the strength is compromised — this is not recommended at all.
Current rockwall prices in the market: PKR 28/- to PKR 35/- per sqft
Graffi Work
The last exterior painting method in this article is graffi, also known as graphy/pocha locally. The only difference between rockwall and graffi is that the main material used in rockwall is marble chips, whereas in graffi the main material used is white sand. This white sand was first imported from the USA, but has now been discovered locally from Harappa and is widely used today. The procedure for graffi is similar to rockwall — after scrubbing the walls, a base coat is applied first, made of acrylic, anti-fungus chemicals, and timing chemicals to make it longer lasting and durable. After the base coat, the walls are checked for any uneven surface, which is then covered with plaster of paris and scrubbed again to make it even and smooth. Once the surface is satisfactory, the final coat of graffi is applied. To get the desired colour, the sand is coloured according to the client's preference. Just like rockwall, graffi paint has a rough texture and its strength depends on the base coat and the quality of the sand. The sand is available in different sizes — larger, normal and very fine — and the choice depends on the texture required on the wall.
Current graffi prices in the market: PKR 25/- to PKR 30/- per sqft
These are the three most common types of paints used for exteriors. Workmanship plays a very important role in the application of the paint. It is the duty of the contractor or the person in charge to make sure the above technicalities are performed correctly and the quality is ensured.
Prices updated: January 2022