Painting pebble dash isn’t rocket science, but it can be hard work. As a Professional Decorator, it’s something I have done hundreds of times in the past. In this blog, I’m going to explain how to paint it.
I’ll cover everything (pardon the pun), including the benefits of painting pebble dash, the prep, the best tools, and the best paint. I’ll even write a quick section on spraying and explain the best way to hire the equipment needed.
Feel free to skim the blog and just pick out the information you need, but if you’re going to undertake the work yourself, then 5 minutes reading this blog is time well-spent. The information will be valuable to you, regardless of whether you’re painting bare pebble dash, or recoating previously painted dash.
The Benefits of Painting Pebble Dash
The most obvious point here is that bare pebble dash was once very popular and desirable, but now it seems very cold and dated. It looks much better once painted, but there are other benefits too.
I’ll get into which paint products you should opt for later, but certain paints help your house retain heat, which keeps your heating bills down during the winter. Paint also acts as a protective barrier between the weather and your wall, so the lifespan of your pebble dash is increased.
How to Prepare Bare Pebble Dash for Painting
The preparation method is slightly different depending on whether it’s bare or previously painted pebble dash, so I thought I’d section it, starting with bare.
One of the main hassles you have when painting bare pebble dash is the amount of paint covered stones that flick off with the roller, often making a mess. So, get yourself a stiff outside sweeping brush and sweep over the wall you want to paint.
This will do a couple of things; firstly, it will remove all the loosest stones, making the task of painting easier. It will also clean any cobwebs, bird poo, twigs, and anything else off your wall.
If your pebble dash is covered in algae (either green or brown), then you will need to treat it first by applying a fungicidal wash and then leaving it to dry (I’ll name my recommended product later).
Equally, if your pebble dash is covered in a thick layer of dirt, then you need to clean it off or it will hinder adhesion. You could do this with soapy water, a sweeping brush, and a hosepipe, or a pressure washer.
Aggressive cleaning isn’t required unless your pebble dash is particularly dirty. And if you do clean, you need to ensure the walls are properly dry before painting. Otherwise, you may trap moisture in the wall, which can cause problems further down the line.
How to Prepare Previously Painted Pebble Dash for Painting
Previously painted pebble dash is easier to deal with. You should clean any particularly dirty patches with a sweeping brush and a hosepipe, or a power washer. Then treat any areas affected by algae with a fungicidal wash. Water isn’t as much of a concern with previously painted pebble dash because your walls are less absorbent than they would be if they were bare.
Any flaking paint should to be removed. Ideally, you would do this with the edge of a scraper, but you can use a power washer, or a wire brush. The wire brush method is good, but you need to be careful splinters don’t embed themselves in the wall, as they will eventually rust and damage your paint.
The paint in this picture has failed because water has been trapped behind it. You need to scrape and remove any loose material before applying new paint.
How to Paint Pebble Dash with a Brush and Roller
I’ll explain how to paint pebble dash with a brush and roller first. Spraying is a lot less labour intensive, but it can be daunting unless you have experience.
You will need the following –
- A stiff paint brush
- Captain Chunk roller – 9inch
- A mini roller
- Access equipment (a ladder, scaffolding, or cherry picker etc.)
- Lots of dust sheets
- Paint
- Water
Cover Windows and Doors
Cover windows and doors with plastic sheeting and a good-quality exterior painters’ tape like Masq Red (a good-quality tape like this will help a lot when you come to paint).
Cover the Ground
Lay dust sheets or a similar floor protection along the wall you’re working on. I double-up on sheets right next to the wall to stop paint from reaching the floor if I stand on it. Cover a large area with the sheets because the paint does tend to flick a lot when painting pebble dash.
You should also move cars because the wind can catch droplets of paint and carry them quite a distance. I have seen cars get damaged over 100m away from where someone is painting.
Prepare the Pebble Dash
As explained earlier in the blog. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but prep really is the most important part of the job.
Dilute your Paint
If you’re using a good-quality product, then you need to dilute it when painting pebble dash. This will help you to work the paint deep into the surface and properly seal it.
Cut-in the First Coat of Paint
Work on one wall at a time. You need to cut-in around the edge of the wall with a stiff paint brush. However, as you apply the paint via brush, you should run a mini-roller over it before moving onto the next bit of cutting-in. This is to prevent the paint you apply via brush being thicker than the paint you apply via roller, which causes a defect called ‘picture framing’. This would spoil the whole aesthetic of your paintwork. You need to work the paint into every little gap, so really take your time, and don’t be afraid to dilute your paint further if needed.
Roll
Once you’ve cut-in around the edge of the wall, you should apply the paint to the rest of the wall with a roller. An Axus Captain chunk roller is the best for this type of work, but Purdy Colossus is good too.
Take your time, start at the top, and work your paint into every little gap. The first coat on bare pebble dash is always hard work, but it gets easier after that.
Apply the Second Coat of Paint
Allow the first coat to fully dry and then cut-in and roll again. Bare pebble dash sometimes takes one coat of primer and then two coats of paint, so just follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the product you’re using.
De-Mask
Remove all plastic sheeting, masking tape, and dust sheets. Move onto the next wall and start again.
How to Spray Paint Pebble Dash
Spraying pebble dash is much quicker and less labour intensive than coating it with a brush and roller. It’s relatively low-cost to hire a sprayer too. I’ll explain the basics here. You do need to be careful if you’re going down this road, but it isn’t rocket science.
Hiring a Sprayer
The first thing you need to do is hire a sprayer. Rather than going to a regular hire shop, if you’re inexperienced with a sprayer, it’s probably better to talk to someone like Eurospray Direct online.
You send them a quick contact note, and they’ll come back and have a conversation with you about the job you’re doing etc. and advise you on the sprayer. You’ll want a fairly powerful airless sprayer for pebble dash, but they’ll sort all that out with you. They’ll also arrange the sprayer to be sent out and picked up. It’s very painless.
Sheet up as you Would Normally
There’s no difference in the way you sheet up, except you might put a couple of sheets on the floor around the corners of the wall to catch overspray.
Cover windows, doors, fascia boards etc with plastic sheeting and Masq Red Painters’ Tape. Remember your tape line needs to be sharp between the surface you want to paint and the surface you don’t.
Spray the First Coat
Heavily dilute your paint with clean water, prime your sprayer, and opt for a 515 tip. Keep the pressure low(ish) and have the tip of the spray gun close to the surface as you’re spraying. Always were a mask.
Don’t worry too much about getting the paint even. Cover the surface from top to bottom of the wall with paint. Point inwards when it comes to external corners and point downwards when you come to the bottom of the soffits. Tricks like this help you cut down on overspray.
Back Roll
If you’re an experienced sprayer than you might not need to do this. However, when spraying pebble dash, it’s often advantageous to run a dry paint roller (Captain chunk or Purdy colossus) over an area that you’ve just sprayed. This works it further into the surface, and spreads the paint so it’s more even.
Apply the Second Coat
Spraying deposits more material than a brush and roller does, so the second coat is even easier when spraying. You often just need to give it a quick once over with a light spray.
The Best Paint for Pebble Dash
I’m going to give you two paint recommendations here; one is a good-quality trade product, and the other is a premium option. But one bit of advice I can give you when doing any exterior painting work is not to skimp on the quality of your paint, particularly when painting pebble dash.
This type of job is very labour-intensive, so you need it to last. Cheap paint doesn’t last as long as quality paint does. Cheap paints can trap water and cause damage, the colour can fade, it’s more susceptible to algae, and it can flake off over time.
Cheap Vs quality paint is usually the difference between needing to repaint 4 years or every 20 years, so choose wisely.
Emperor Masonry Paint
This is the premium option. Emperor Masonry Paint is silicone-based, which means it’s very breathable (doesn’t trap moisture), and it’s hydrophobic (it repels water). Moreover, because of the quality of the resins, the life expectancy of Emperor Masonry Paint is a whopping 25 years!
There is another benefit too. Because Emperor Masonry Paint is water repellent, it keeps your property dryer than it would be otherwise, which retains heat, and cuts down on your energy bills.
Oh, and because it’s water repellent, it’s classed as “self-cleaning”. Any dirt that sticks to the paint is likely to be washed away next time it rains.
Emperor Masonry Paint is expensive, and you’ll need to apply one coat of primer and two coats of paint if painting bare pebble dash, but it’s genuinely worth every penny.
Dulux Trade Weathershield
This is a much cheaper option, but it’s one of the best standard trade masonry paints available. The opacity is absolutely bob on, so bare pebble dash can be fully painted after two coats.
It’s durable too, and showerproof 30 minutes after being applied, which is another bonus. It’s nowhere near as breathable as Emperor Paint, which means if your wall contains moisture, then the paint will flake off over time.
It’s good for recoating previously painted pebble dash. I still think it’s a false economy using a standard trade masonry paint for jobs like this, but if your budget doesn’t allow you to opt for Emperor, then Dulux Trade Weathershield is probably your best bet.
GK Concentrated Fungicidal Wash
This is the best fungicidal wash I’ve used. It’s very effective, isn’t harsh on the substrate, and algae seems to stay gone after you’ve used it. You can apply GK Fungicidal wash to a painted surface and by the next day the algae will have gone. Leave it for two years and none of the algae will have grown back. It’s amazing really.
Any fungicidal wash will do a job, especially if you’re going to paint over it anyway. But this one is genuinely a step above the others.
FAQs
Is painting pebble dash a good idea?
Painting pebble dash is a great way to make your home look more modern and extend the life of the pebble dash.
Can you use masonry paint on pebble dash?
Good-quality breathable masonry paint is perfect for use on pebble dash.
How long does painted pebbledash last?
This depends on the type of paint that you use. If you use a good-quality silicone-based masonry paint like Emperor, then it will last for a couple of decades before you need to repaint it.
Can you use a roller to paint Pebble Dash?
A long-pile roller like Axus Captain Chunk or a Purdy Colossus is perfect for painting pebble dash.
How to seal pebbledash before painting?
A lot of people use stabilising solution in the hope of sealing the pebbles, so they don’t fly off when you’re painting. However, this doesn’t work, and it can cause adhesion issues between the non-porous pebbles and your paint. Instead, you should prime the wall as per the paint manufacturer’s instructions like you would any other masonry surface.
Final Thoughts
I’m not exaggerating when I say that painting pebble dash is labour-intensive. In fact, a lot of other Painters and Decorators refuse to take on this sort of work. I don’t mind it though. Painting bare pebble dash is transformative for a building. It’s like taking something from the 20’s and making it look brand-new. I love it!
Weathertex trade masonry is a decent quality trade paint and highly breathable v Dulux , covers great and self cleaning it’s similar price to Dulux weathershield.
Well worth a try.