What is the best primer and paint for a 10 yr old concrete wall with stucco finish that has some minor cracks?
Question:I wish to rejuvenate my 10 year old re-inforced concrete walls with stucco finish that has some hairline cracks where water may be getting into the walls, but otherwise, is in pretty good condition. i want to paint it to seal out the moisture in order to avoid spalding problems... An old friend who was a professional painter for many years had suggested that i should always use an oil-base primer for any wood or concrete surface that will be exposed to harsh weather elements, and the oil-base primer is compatible with either oil-base paint or lates paint... but the sales clerk at HomeDepot claims that todays latex paint and primer are much superior than yesterday's oil-base primer and paint... the HomeDepot sales clerk also claims oil-based paint may hve a better shine in the beginning, but the color fades very quickly... is there any anyone at Yahoo who has the technical knowkedge and experience to know who is correct?
Answers:
Having been a house painter for 12 years I would have to say that I second what your house painter friend told you...almost. Oil primers were the standard for outdoor priming for years and they would work well if you choose to use them. However, there are a number of newer products out there that are just as good if not better. Some are formulated just for concrete. Drylock is one of them. It's white in color and is very thick. So, it would also work to fill those cracks if they aren't too wide. However, I wouldn't suggest using it as a primer coat to be painted. I would use a primer coat over it before applying a top coat or two of paint. Another option is go back to The Home Depot. Behr (Home Depot brand) makes a primer and paint just for concrete that works rather well. Just stay away from the concrete stain as it is thinner then the primer/paint products and is designed to...well...stain the concrete to the desired color but will not help much with the cracks. Now a days latex paint products are king! They hold their color/sheen longer, they are more durable because of the latex (rubber) and, they clean up with water as opposed to the thinners used to clean up oil based products.
Hope this helps
Best thing is to contact one of the major paint manufacturers directly.
Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin-Williams, etc. all have websites with lots of information . . . and contact numbers or email addresses so you can get even more information.
NEVER buy cheap paint . . . in view of wholesale and retail margins, packaging and transportation costs, a $15 can of paint will seldom contain more than $2 or $3 in raw materials. You want to use the best paint available and, if you need to spend more money to get it, do so --- you won't be sorry.
Stucco is concrete, Ask about paint for concrete, and all of it is latex, latex is rubber. Which do you think would make a better seal? I would go with Latex every time on stucco. Two coats of primer and two of latex color. Consumers report did a comparison of Walmart paint a few years ago, and rated it with the best. It is all I use.
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