A log house, a house made of a bar or other structure, where wood is used as a wall or facing material, needs external treatment with protective compounds. They protect the surface from rotting, colonies of fungus and mold. Paint for a house made of wood from the outside should give the facade an attractive appearance and protect it from destruction under the influence of environmental factors.
The need to paint a wooden house outside
Due to their performance characteristics, wood building materials need protection. They are deformed under the influence of temperature jumps, changing their size and shape, and also absorb moisture well, which creates favorable conditions for rotting and pest damage. In addition, wood is flammable.
Facade surfaces made of wood should be treated with substances that level the listed characteristics. To do this, you can use compounds that preserve the color of the material and emphasize its texture. Some residents prefer a different color of the wooden façade. This is advisable if the house is on the sunny side and is exposed to constant exposure to ultraviolet radiation, as well as for older buildings, the surface of which has begun to turn gray.
Requirements for paints
To paint a wooden house outside, it is important to choose the right composition. Like other materials for facade decoration, it must be resistant to precipitation and temperature fluctuations.
Also, the following product qualities are important for dyeing wood:
- Elasticity. Since wood changes size and volume when exposed to environmental factors, the paint coating must adapt to these fluctuations. At the same time, cracks should not appear on it.
- Resistant to abrasion, aggressive chemicals. The decorative coating must tolerate washing well.
- Chemical inertness.
- Good steam transmission. Moisture should freely come out of the wall thickness. In the opposite conditions, the wood begins to rot.
- Fire safety. The coating must not be flammable. Moreover, it must protect the walls from burning.
Antistatic properties should also be taken into account. This property helps to minimize the need for facade maintenance, as dust and fine dirt particles will less adhere to the surface.
Varieties of paints and their characteristics
You can paint the facade with different types of products that differ in their composition. It is important that they meet the requirements for wood compounds.
Antiseptics
Antibacterial impregnation can be selected as a stand-alone coating or a primer for painting. If this option is used as a finishing layer, it will need to be updated from time to time. This is done every 4-6 months. Without subsequent coating with paint and varnish, the service life of the antiseptic impregnation is short.
In addition to the antibacterial function, protective compounds can have others: fire retardant, water-repellent, UV protection and anti-cracking.Since wood is a material with high flammability, the facade must be treated with products that protect it from fire.
Acrylic paints
It is quite easy to paint a house with such a composition, it dries quickly. Acrylic products are produced in organic solvent or require dilution with water. The paints have excellent performance properties: they adhere well to the surface, have a stable saturated color, do not fade under the influence of the sun or wash out by precipitation, and are vapor-permeable. The coating easily transfers friction. Some acrylic products can be applied to façades even in sub-zero temperatures.
Alkyd paints
It is possible to cover the facade with such paint if the dwelling is located in an area characterized by humid air. It forms a water-repellent layer that does not fade under the influence of precipitation, heat or cold. However, the paint can fade from direct sunlight. It should not be applied to damp wood, otherwise the coating will bubble. The product does not penetrate deeply. Instead, it forms a dense film on the surface. It dries quite quickly, but has a pungent specific smell.
Oil paints
These formulations are attractive for their low cost, but are prone to fading and cracking in hot weather. They form a strong film. In this case, the natural color of the wood is overlapped. The film coating protects the wood well from moisture and from the absorption of various solutions.
Such products are made on the basis of drying oil. Their service life is shorter than that of other categories of coloring compositions. Although they do not allow moisture to pass through, this is associated with such an unpleasant property as a lack of vapor permeability. Because of this, rot may appear in the thickness of the wood. Such products dry for a long time, up to half a day.
It is better to use oil paint for an outbuilding or fence, and for a home, choose an option with the best performance.
Preparatory work
Before painting, you must remove the old wall covering (plaster or paintwork material), if any. For this procedure, you need tools with abrasive qualities: a metal brush, sandpaper or spatulas. It is possible to use a grinder with a special attachment. Since the operation is accompanied by the generation of large amounts of dust and small particles, it is necessary to protect the respiratory tract with a respirator and wear special goggles.
Paint should also be removed from the joints of boards or logs. For the operation to be carried out faster, it is first necessary to remove the platbands, gutters and shutters. Even if the coating is difficult to remove, it must be removed, otherwise, after applying new paint, it is likely to peel off. Also, dust and dirt are removed from the facade of the dwelling.
The surface must be sanded. If fungal or mold colonies or darkened areas are found, the upper layer of wood in these places must be removed. A putty is used to level the plane and eliminate defects. It must be allowed to dry to the end before proceeding to further work. When buying a putty, it is important to check that its composition is compatible with the chosen impregnation and coloring product.
A deeply penetrating impregnation is applied to the surface with a wide brush. Its composition is selected according to the environmental conditions and the characteristics of the building material. To preserve the texture of the wood, the mixture is applied with movements along the grain. The use of impregnation helps to improve the adhesion of the paint to the surface and reduce its consumption. Then the layer is allowed to dry to the end. If several impregnations with different properties are used, the last one is applied with a water-repellent one.
DIY painting a wooden house outside
It is recommended to start painting the facade under suitable weather conditions. The optimum air temperature is from +10 to +25 degrees. If the paint packaging does not contain data on its good tolerance to the cold environment during the application process, it is not recommended to carry out work at lower values.
It is necessary to paint the facade in the period from 10 to 18 o'clock in the afternoon, when the dew either has not appeared yet, or has dried up.
The mixture is applied in layers along the fibers. The next layer is created when the previous one dries. External decorative wood covering can consist of 3-4 thin layers.
The best manufacturers of facade paints for wood
The leader of sales in the Russian market is the Finnish brand Tikkurila. The company produces paints on different types of bases, characterized by high hiding power. Some products are specially adapted to the harsh winter conditions. The coating turns out to be durable, but sometimes it is noted that the paints have a rather high consumption.
The Slovenian company Belinka produces colorless protective compounds and products that paint the surface in the most common colors. The layer should be applied at one time, otherwise the joints will be noticeable.
ALPINA manufactures abrasion-resistant wood processing products that are also suitable for terraces. The company offers personalized computer tinting.
