Painting work Advice needed: walls & Parapets

Hi All,

Looking for some advice.

With current situation of avoiding social gathering, looking to get into DIY and maintain our lovely block of flat but pretty clueless so looking for direction, recommendations please.


Here that are some of the wall that touch refreshing and need to a bit of maintenance so to avoid a bigger job later.


What should be the steps by steps and what material would we need to make it fresher.

Any specific brand recommended? I believe Sandex as masonry paint? Would any from tool station / screwfix will do? Or do we need to look for specific product like trade product rather than the one that are sold in DIY like homebase / B&Q


What should be the steps by steps and what material would we need to make it fresher.

Was thinking that wall need to be washed down first from algaes (any specific Solution?, then sanded to removed any loose paint and then couple of coat of Paint)


What should be the steps by steps and what material would we need to make it fresher.


Many thanks,

I would always recommend buying paints from a proper decorators' merchant. They will tend to sell the better quality "trade" paints. The margins on the paints are so low that there is seldom much difference in prices between local stores.

Some of the DIY sheds, such as Wickes do occasionally have good deals on multi purchases of Dulux Trade Weathershield masonry paint.

Apropos removing algae- dilute bleach is often sufficient.

Masonry window sills, I prefer to use oil based gloss paints because they can be washed down to keep them clean. You can't keep standard masonry paint clean.

Hi Opps,
thanks for your feedback and all the info provided.

Would you say that the below option is not suitable? as this was my initial thought - by proper decorators merchant, do you mean like brewers rather than the like of wicjkes ,toolstations, screwfix or b&q

https://www.toolstation.com/sandtex-ultra-smooth-masonry-paint-10l/p88723

https://www.toolstation.com/sandtex-ultra-smooth-masonry-paint-10l/p96816

re masonry window sills, i am correct to understand that Sandex and the link above are not oil? but water base?

you mentioned "oil based gloss paints" any link of some product that you recommend by any chance?

Many thanks,

I don't personally use Brewers very often as there isn't one near me but, yes, that is the kind of place that I choose to use. That said I do buy stuff from Toolstation as well. Their price for the Sandtex is pretty much the going price.

Masonry window sills- I normally use Dulux Trade Weathershield gloss but I now see that the windows on the ground floor do not open- meaning that they probably won't be washed very often anyway.

Your two choices of Sandtex should be fine.

In image one, you can see signs of rust. I guess there was once cast iron railings that have been cut back. Rust will continue to bleed through waterbased masonry paint. Consider touching them in with something cheap like oil based under coat if you have any before applying the masonry paint (once the UC has dried).

Thanks Opps