Painting exterior pebbledash

[simonb88]

Have a 1930's bungalow with a dorset pea pebbledash full of cracks.
Intend to clean and seal before painting. Would a PVA/water 5:1 mix give me a good bond? Or should I buy a specialist sealer?
From reading these forums I'm going for dulux trade weatherseal smooth paint but I have seen the self cleaning paint and was wondering if that was any good.
I really want to only have to paint the house now and again so would doing it with expensive self cleaning paint be the best option?

 

[misterhelpful]

My personal favourite is Sandtex Trade, which has excellent coverage and hiding properties, but you can't really go wrong with Dulux Weathershield either. Pliolite resin paints, like Leyland Truguard, are also very good but can be a little trickier to apply.

Practically all masonry paints now have 15 year guarantees, some of which are self-cleaning, and those properties generally last 'up to' 8 years.

Whichever paint you choose, it is always best to use the sealer recommended on the tin but most suggest just watering down the first coat which is fine. PVA is widely regarded as a no-no for painting over, but I have found it works fine if diluted correctly.

The most important part of the job is the preperation. Fillers and paintable mastics are fine for surface cracks, but any blown (hollow sounding) render should be removed and repaired before painting.