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Painting & Decorating

Painting existing and repaired cement rendered steps and wall

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.44 PM

Hello, can anyone please help me. I have been voluntarily working for some older people. I found someone who was going to fix/repair the rendering of all the exterior steps & small walls for what the (94 year old lady) thought was a decent price. Yes they hacked off any loose render & chipped it back at any big cracks etc. They started to render with sand & cement, but then said that the sand was too course so had to go & buy softer sand etc. It was then mentioned about rather than wasting the materials that they could do other jobs to the property to use the materials for an extra fee. The lady who has dementia agreed to the extra work to be done as well. Once the rendering at the front of the house step fronts/wall etc had nearly been finished, I was told that the materials were not included in the price & it was for labour only. I don't have money, but I ended up having to pay for the materials myself. I'm not completely moaning about everything, as to me, what was done seems to look okish I think, but not sure if other people in the profession would say it's good. She or me cannot afford for them to carry on to finish the job by painting it, so I am trying to see if I might be able to help out by finishing it myself. Anyway, to get to the points I wanted to ask:- As there is still older paint & new repaired cement render, can I paint over both using the same paint? If so, what is the best cheapest paint I can use? The job doesn't need to be finished 100% professional & last for absolutely years tbh as it's a tidy up for street appeal mainly, as she probably won't still be living in the house in a years time. I'm looking for the easiest/quickest /cheapest way to finish this off, so any decent advice & information would be gratefully appreciated.

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4 Answers

Total outdoor solutions

Rating: 5 out of 5

Llangefni

Sandtex masonry paint £20-£30 for 5lt will do it …. Oldest trick in the book to get more work is the .. left over materials

Answered28 October 2022

Conan porch

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tiverton

This person sounds like a cowboy who is taking advantage. If he was supplying the materials and he has given a price the materials should have been included. If you had agreed a day rate for labour it's a bit different. Any masonry paint should do but the more you pay generally means better quality.

Answered28 October 2022

Ken Dean Decorating Service's

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Doncaster

There is no cheap fix you will need stabilising solution firstly applied then2 or 3,coats of exterior paint spandex hope this willhelp

Answered28 October 2022

DP Decorating

Rating: 5 out of 5

Braintree

Hi , you will need to use masonry paint on the the render. i would recommend thinning the paint with water for the first coat, so it sinks into the substrate to seal it up. Check what the manufacturer recommends on how much to thin the paint for the first coat & 2nd & 3rd. Ideally you will need to paint the render at least 3 times. I usually mix up 4parts water to 1 part paint for the first coat using dulux Weathershield masonry paint. Then mix 3 parts water to 1 part paint for the second coat. Finish on a 50/50 for mix the 3rd coat. Hope this helps.

Answered10 November 2022