How to tell if pebbledash is blown?

longwalks1

Our semi detached is pebbledashed on the outside on the upper floor, and we are thinking of getting it painted. A family across the street had theirs repaired, and then painted as it had 'blown' and it cost them £3,500 I think. How do you know if its blown and needs treating first? Or can it be simply painted straight over? (provided its not blown)

Is there a special paint for doing so?

glasgowdan

Tap it with a hammer...If it sounds hollow it needs cut out and patched.

For £3500 you could have the whole house roughcasting by a professional.

cherydee

I'm interested in any replies you get, as ours sound hollow when tapped and we've been having damp problems, all I keep thinking is how much is this going to cost. Our house seems like a money pit at the moment.
Someone that has been doing quite a bit of work on our house mentioned we should get 2 coats of Sandtex put on and we would prob need to spend £1,000 on scaffolding, but don't know if this is the way to go. I was hoping maybe a clear waterproof/weatherproof spray would work, not keen on the idea of painting.

longwalks1

cherydee wrote: »

I'm interested in any replies you get, as ours sound hollow when tapped and we've been having damp problems, all I keep thinking is how much is this going to cost. Our house seems like a money pit at the moment.
Someone that has been doing quite a bit of work on our house mentioned we should get 2 coats of Sandtex put on and we would prob need to spend £1,000 on scaffolding, but don't know if this is the way to go. I was hoping maybe a clear waterproof/weatherproof spray would work, not keen on the idea of painting.

Our local painter mentioned a clear, watery sealant first then a couple of coats of Sandtex too.
The family across the street had their treated (from what we could see anyway), and then sprayed a few times. But i dont fancy paying out £3,000 (or more) if its not needed

road2manchester

99% of the time the damp in the walls is the cause of blown render. Pebble dash is put onto cement render which is not breathable. Damp freezes and expands, the moisture can not get through the cement so it pushes the render/dash off. Putting a sealant over the dash simply adds to the problem.
Depending on the style of house, you might consider removal and replacement with a lime based or silicone based render. Brick effect, stone finish or stucco styles.
Repairs to dash depend on finding a match for the pebbles too.
If you go down the painting route, use water based acrylics and avoid 'never paint again for ever' style companies they use the same product but charge more than render. Scaffold is rarely £1000 for any standard semi, . Hope this helps