Its that time of the year, winter is drawing to a close and the cold callers will be on your doorstep or phone trying to hod wink you.
If you have unpainted brick walls they will try to convince you that the bricks are porous and that you need to use a clear sealant. By way of demonstration they may pour water onto the wall. Yes it will soak in, it is supposed to. This is normal, they absorb the water and then release it when the rain stops.
They are trying to rip you off, plain and simple.
Alternatively if you have painted walls they will try to sell you a textured styrene based wall coating. They will tell you that standard masonry paint is just coloured water and that it offers no protection, that their product will cure ALL of your damp problems, that their product is guaranteed for 15 years or more, that you will never paint again, that you will save on heating bills.
Again all lies.
They will have flashy websites that are designed to trick you into thinking that they will do the work themselves- often they are just referring sites.
Some only give you a guarantee if you pay for insurance before the work starts.
One in particular firm even goes as far as saying that builders who pebble dash your houses are doing so because they know it will fail and they are generating future work. That firm tries to look legit by saying that it is trying to clean up the industry- they are also one of the firms that subs out all the work and makes you pay for insurance to get the guarantee.
They will offer a free quote, if you agree they will travel miles to come to see you. Then the hard sell will start. If you accept the price they will start within two weeks, lest you change your mind.
They will target the old and vulnerable sometimes offering extremely cheap credit, as low as 0.99%, just to close the deal.
They will work all year round even though the paints should be used under specific conditions.
Typically you will end up paying between £6000-£10000 for 2 men taking a week to prep, mask and spray your home.
Sadly many firms offering these finishes are scum. Not all but far to many.
My advice is to avoid the lot unless a friend recommends them, you have seen previous work and have access to all of the T&Cs. Go to the companies house website and see how long they have been trading and how many times they have changed their names. Then google the company name and look at forums like the moneysavingexpert for feedback from others.
The products used do have their merits and if applied properly they might outlast masonry paint but for most home owners it will be significantly cheaper to repaint with standard paints. You will end up with an equally suitable finish and a healthier bank balance.
If you have unpainted brick walls they will try to convince you that the bricks are porous and that you need to use a clear sealant. By way of demonstration they may pour water onto the wall. Yes it will soak in, it is supposed to. This is normal, they absorb the water and then release it when the rain stops.
They are trying to rip you off, plain and simple.
Alternatively if you have painted walls they will try to sell you a textured styrene based wall coating. They will tell you that standard masonry paint is just coloured water and that it offers no protection, that their product will cure ALL of your damp problems, that their product is guaranteed for 15 years or more, that you will never paint again, that you will save on heating bills.
Again all lies.
They will have flashy websites that are designed to trick you into thinking that they will do the work themselves- often they are just referring sites.
Some only give you a guarantee if you pay for insurance before the work starts.
One in particular firm even goes as far as saying that builders who pebble dash your houses are doing so because they know it will fail and they are generating future work. That firm tries to look legit by saying that it is trying to clean up the industry- they are also one of the firms that subs out all the work and makes you pay for insurance to get the guarantee.
They will offer a free quote, if you agree they will travel miles to come to see you. Then the hard sell will start. If you accept the price they will start within two weeks, lest you change your mind.
They will target the old and vulnerable sometimes offering extremely cheap credit, as low as 0.99%, just to close the deal.
They will work all year round even though the paints should be used under specific conditions.
Typically you will end up paying between £6000-£10000 for 2 men taking a week to prep, mask and spray your home.
Sadly many firms offering these finishes are scum. Not all but far to many.
My advice is to avoid the lot unless a friend recommends them, you have seen previous work and have access to all of the T&Cs. Go to the companies house website and see how long they have been trading and how many times they have changed their names. Then google the company name and look at forums like the moneysavingexpert for feedback from others.
The products used do have their merits and if applied properly they might outlast masonry paint but for most home owners it will be significantly cheaper to repaint with standard paints. You will end up with an equally suitable finish and a healthier bank balance.
