How to paint the old roof from slate, choose paint
Slate material is durable, its service life is at least 30 years, but all the same, over time, while maintaining its performance, it loses its visual appeal. The general appearance of the country house suffers, because the roof occupies a large visible space. Dark traces of constant contact with water look ugly and it is possible to get rid of them only with the help of paint. In addition to the effect of giving freshness, the paint will protect the slate from the harmful effects of the environment and will additionally extend its service life, as it eliminates microcracks and pores. Observing some rules, painting the slate with your own hands is simple. One of the conditions for the successful completion of this operation is proper surface preparation and a successful selection of paint for slate, which we will talk about with this article.
Content
- Surface preparation for painting video
- Choosing a paint for slate
- Acrylic slate paint
- Rubber slate paint
- Paint for slate Condor
- Slate painting video
Surface preparation for painting
Before painting directly, the slate must be checked for hidden serious damage by a thorough inspection. If some sheets are cracked, they must be replaced. Simultaneously with checking the surface condition of the slate sheets, the reliability of their fastening and, if necessary, additional reinforcement are checked. Then the most laborious procedure is performed to clean and polish the entire surface, in which dirt and dark deposits are completely removed. This work is carried out using an electric drill with a grinding nozzle. In addition, it would be nice to wash the slate with a powerful jet of water from an electric car wash.
After cleaning, you should immediately cover the surface with a special antifungal primer, after drying of which a liquid cement mortar (in the consistency of kefir) is applied to the roof. The solution must be applied with a brush (the roller is not suitable for this operation). After waiting for the solution to harden, the slate surface is primed again.
All pores and microcracks are repaired and you can begin the process of applying paint.
Choosing a paint for slate
The selection of paint is carried out taking into account what result you want to achieve a bright appearance with slightly worse durability or vice versa, excellent performance with calm and discreet colors. In the first case, acrylic enamel is used, in the second, rubber paint or, as it is also called, liquid plastic. Both options have advantages and disadvantages.
Acrylic slate paint
Acrylic enamel has a water base and fills microcracks well, protecting the slate from destruction. It also has water-repellent properties, which is important, since rain, unfortunately, is not a rare phenomenon in our latitudes and its detrimental effect on the roof surface is most sensitive.
When choosing acrylic paint for slate, you need to carefully read the annotation, since it indicates the conditions for its use and lists the surfaces where it should be applied.
Rubber slate paint
Many experts recommend rubber paint for slate, as a special composition that creates an elastic protective film on the surface, which eliminates the peeling of the paint. It is also good because it adheres perfectly to the slate and is convenient to apply.
The rubber paint for slate includes special pigments that do not allow color shades to fade in the sun, so there will be no dull gray color of the roof. A serious drawback of rubber paint is its toxicity, therefore, protection of the respiratory system and exposed areas of the skin during painting should be given increased attention.
Paint for slate Condor
Weatherproof acrylic paints for slate Condor (KONDOR), produced in Belarus under a German license and having excellent characteristics, as well as a good price-quality ratio, have proven themselves well. Condor paints are sold in all construction hypermarkets and many stores for summer residents.
Slate painting
So, the roof is prepared, the paint is selected, you can start painting the slate. And here an important question arises: is it possible to paint slate in wet and humid weather, will this not harm the quality of work? It will hurt! It is better to paint in dry and warm weather.
Reviews of those who painted the slate themselves indicate that the work done on a warm spring day gives the best results and that the paint lasts longer after spring application than if it was done in the hot summer. For painting, a roller, brush or spray is used, the paint is applied in two layers with preliminary complete drying of the first.
If all the operations are performed correctly, the old-new slate roof will last a very long time, and the paint will retain its color and will not fall off even after intense rainfall and temperature changes.
