Painting external border

[gimchee]

Hello,

Are painted borders going around the bottom of houses purely for decorative effect or do they serve another purpose? I'm curious because I'm painting the outside of my house and I was wondering if I should use a special damp proof paint for the border - especially the area below the DPC.

Many thanks,

Tony

 

[JohnD]

They may be over a sand-and-cement rendered plinth. This can be used to hide bricks that have been damaged by damp and frost. Leaky gutters contribute to it, as do soft absorbent bricks, and i believe a tar or bitumen coating round the bottom of the wall was used in some areas (e.g. cob cottages, or chalk blocks, especially if thatched) to prevent dropping water washing the house away. If you put one of these plinths on you need to go below ground level or it will look weird when garden work exposes the naked edge. Such a plinth must NOT bridge the DPC (though they sometimes do

If you feel the need to apply paint on the wall, use a "breathable" paint so it can lose some of the moisture. If you ever start to paint a wall, you will then have to paint it regularly, for ever.

I used to think that by applying an impervious coating to the lower wall, all the way down to the footings or slab, you would keep it dry, but I later learned that ground water will get in through the bottom of the wall.

 

[D.S.D]

Hi,

I believe it was started because you should only render down to the DPC.
This left an unfinished area at the bottom of the house so it was painted. So in answer to the question from a decorators point of view, its decorative........unless a builder knows any different. Paint wise I use Weathershield masonary because it seems to last longer. You could try any masonary paint but don't skimp on the quality. I have in the past used a coal tar paint. It lasts forever but is a bit naughty read the toxic signs on it. Hope that all helps .

 

[gimchee]

Many thanks for the helpful replies.

Tony

 

[Carmela]

I have an external rendered plinth at the base of my house which bridges the DPC by at least 100mm. The house was built in 1939. In a couple of places the render has blown. How should it be repaired? Or should it be removed?
Carmela