Strange External Renders and peeling plasticky paints

[L1zzy]

Any ideas - I think I have now found a decent builder/Lime chap - Will tell U more once I've seen the quality of his work in August. But when he came to asses the work I wanted him to do he started to peel away the (temptingly easy) layers of plastic exterior emulsion paints that have been applied over teh years to my cottage. I hastily told him i was going to try to address the problems But NOT TILL NEXT YEAR by which point he'd only stripped a sq meter or so off. Underneath we saw what we think may be Sandtex - sort of buff with little shiney microscopic crystals in it. He said I can let you have some lime wash to cover up the bit I've peeled off. My question is what would you do ?? - would you hand strip the entire exterior of its plasticky paint given that there's hollow sounding patches - this would then take me down to the ? sandtex . Would you then apply white limewash? I ask only because in most places this ? Sandtex is firmly adhered to the original Greenstone and Brick and I have neither the money nor the desire to further damage by Sandblasting.As always your views are welcome.

 

[CHRIS]

How about a Karcher type presure washer and once you peel a piece of exterior paint off you can get right up to it and it should just peel off - will make a hell of a mess but no chemicals etc involved, just watch out for the water police if you live in the SE!!!!!

I dont know about you but I cant resist spraying these things at the wife

 

[L1zzy]

I like the sound of that - mind you I don't have a wife but 3 cats might be just as much fun!!

Honestly I will have a think about the pressure washer idea as I think it would come off in sheets pretty easily then I could just focus on the more stcuk on bits - ah mee I see the 2007 list of jobs starting already1 :roll:

 

[Moo]

Or - if you're being watched by the Water Police - a wallpaper stripper would probably do the job.

 

[NT]

Pressure washers can in some cases cut through skin. Cats, being smaller, have thinner skin. Try and stay out of the dock.

NT

 

[Gervase]

Aye, do take care - my beloved removed a large chunk of skin and flesh from her instep with a pressure-washer a couple of years back. Judging by the language she used, it jolly well hurt, and the scar is still there!

 

[L1zzy]

mmm food for thought I haven't used a pressure washer before so hadn't realised they were 'that' powerful. Last thing I want is skinned cats (albeit that they drive me nuts!!)

All points gratefully received as usual - thanx chaps