Substrates and Surfaces - Exterior

How Do I Paint Fir?

Fir is a widely used wood, known for its straight grain pattern and workability. This material is not only very strong, but also fairly inexpensive and easy to work with.

Priming

Ultra Primer

Topcoat

Valtti Opaque

Stain Options

Valtti Plus Kesto (water-based)
Valtti Color (solvent-based)

If you require more advice on painting over fir, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message to our technical team.

How Do I Paint Fletton Brick?

Fletton brick is highly porous and needs to be properly primed to prevent future cracking and peeling of paint films.

It is a very difficult substate to paint and we recommend seeking technical advice for your project.

1. Surface Preparation

All surfaces must be clean, dry and free from anything that will interfere with the adhesion of the materials to be applied. Remove loose material by scraping or brushing with a stiff bristle brush to a sound edge. Prior to painting, the moisture content should not exceed 18%.
Remove all visible signs of organic growth and treat the areas with Tikkurila Mould Removal Solution in accordance with the technical datasheet. Allow to dry.
Rake out and re-point any unstable pointing with a suitable cement mix. Allow to cure.

2. Patch priming

Patch prime all bare and filled areas with Hydrosol Masonry Primer in accordance with the technical datasheet

3. Priming

Prime all areas to be decorated with one full coat of Hydrosol Masonry Primer in accordance with the technical datasheet.

4. Decoration

Decorate with two full coats of Finngard Opaque

If you require more advice on painting over fletton brick, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message to our technical team.

How Do I Paint Galvanised Steel?

Galvanisation or galvanising is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting.

The problem with painting galvanised metal is that the surface when new is very shiny and smooth, making it difficult for paint to stick to the surface. It also has surface contaminants (oils, greases, residues, etc.) left on the surface from the manufacturing process that interfere with the adhesion of paints. You need to tackle this with the right products and preparation to make sure it stays put. You’ll notice on surfaces that haven’t been treated properly, that the paint will peel and blister very quickly.

Priming and Preparation

If you want to paint a galvanised surface, you need to prepare it properly with thorough cleaning and a good primer where required.

New Surfaces:

Thoroughly wash with an alkaline cleaning solution using a Scotch-Brite pad to scrub the surface. Once cleaned, thoroughly rinse down with fresh water and allow to dry. Now you’re ready to prime with one of Tikkurila's suitable primers:

Rostex Super Akva
Rostex Super Metal Primer
Otex Adhesion Primer
Temaprime EE (for professional use only)
Temadur 10 or Temadur 20 (for professional use only)

Weathered Galvanised Surfaces (12 months +)

If the galvanised metal you’re intending to paint has been left out in the elements for 12 months or more then the tricky cleaning process of removing all the manufacturing contaminants has been carried out for you. All you need to do is clean any dirt and grime that has built up on the surface and apply one of the aforementioned primers

Previously Painted Galvanised Surfaces

You’ll want to remove any old flaky paint with a non-metallic abrasive (sandpaper) and wash down as you would with newly galvanised surfaces (see above). Once it’s ready, you should apply one of the aforementioned primers to any bare galvanised surfaces.

Painting and Decoration

Once you’ve prepared your surface and primed it if required, you are ready to apply a topcoat. The selection of topcoat will depend on the ultimate use. Suitable topcoats from the decorative range include:

Everal Aqua 10, Everal Aqua 40 or Everal Aqua 80, depending on the sheen level required
Panssari Akva
Panssarimaali

If your project is more industrial in its nature, we recommend looking at products from our industrial range which include:

Temalac FD20, Temalac FD50 or Temalac FD80, our range of single pack alkyds.
Temadur 10, Temadur 20, Temadur 50 or Temadur 90, our range of 2 pack polyurethanes

If you require more advice on painting over galvanised steel, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message to our technical team.

How Do I Paint Glass?

Step 1

Before you can paint glass with any success, take the time to clean it thoroughly. Use hot and soapy water in combination with a clean cotton cloth. Wait for the glass to dry completely before you proceed. Also, bear in mind that to avoid smudging the glass with your fingers, it’s wise to wear latex gloves while you work.

Step 2

Prime with Otex Adhesion Primer.

Step 3

Paint with suitable topcoat. The topcoat chosen will depend on the location and finish required.

For example, if it is interior glass in a kitchen cabinet, our Helmi range will be most suitable:

Helmi 10, Helmi 30 or Helmi 80, depending on the sheen level required

If it is exterior glass, a product like Unica Akva will be most suited for topcoat.

If you require more advice on painting over glass, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message to our technical team.

How Do I Paint a Previously Painted Gloss Exterior Wooden Surface?

Painting over gloss paint on doors, windows, gutterings, downpipes and fences isn’t difficult, but it does require some time to produce a clean and consistent finish. Start by lightly sanding the gloss paint and then cleaning the surface so you can remove the glossy surface that makes it difficult for paint to adhere to. Then, apply a base coat of Tikkurila's Ultra Primer or Otex Adhesion Primer to help your paint stick to the surface.

Topcoat Options

Ultra Matt
Ultra Classic
Valtti Opaque
Unica Semi-Gloss Enamel
Unica Akva
Miranol
Everal Aqua 10, Everal Aqua 40 or Everal Aqua 80, depending on the sheen level required

Use at least 2 coats of paint, and allow each coat to fully dry in between applications.

If you require more advice on painting over previously painted glossy surfaces, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message to our technical team.

How Do I Paint GRP?

GRP stands for Glass Reinforced Plastic. It is also called fibreglass, composite plastic or FRP. It is strong, extremely light and highly versatile. GRP can be tough to paint over as it needs to be suitably prepared and primed for topcoats to properly adhere and stick to the surface.

Prepare surfaces by ensuring they are clean and dry, free from anything that can interfere with the application or adhesion of materials and Tikkurila products to be applied, removing loose and failing material by scraping or brushing with a stiff bristle brush to a sound edge.

Feather the sound edges with a fine grade abrasive paper, removing all visible signs of organic growth and using Tikkurila Mould Removal Solution to treat areas before allowing them to dry

Use methylated spirit to ensure the surface is free from any contaminants and anything that could interfere with adhesion, frequently changing the cloth, before priming overall with one full coat of Otex Adhesion Primer.

Apply the primer in accordance with the technical data sheet and allow to dry.

Finish with two full coats of Panssari Akva. Follow the minimum drying times (depending on conditions as per the technical data sheet) between coats.

NB. Valtti Opaque and Unica Semi-Gloss are also suitable as topcoats if preferred

If you require more advice on painting over GRP, give our technical team a call on 0131 334 4999 or send a message here.

How Do I Paint Exterior Hardwoods?

Treating wood can be a minefield with so many products to choose from - not to mention the array of characteristics found in different types of timber.

Typically more care is needed with softwoods due to weaknesses like knots, splits, lack of durability, blue stain, etc, but the tendency with hardwoods is to retain the natural grain appearance, often resulting in under-application of coating, and subsequent earlier breakdown.

That said, some hardwoods can be very difficult to paint because they have an oily surface (see notes below). The key before an application is to remove all surface oils using cellulose thinner and rinse with clean water.

Prone to tannin bleed

Coloured timbers such as oak, Western red cedar and idigbo are prone to tannin bleed. Degrease with cellulose thinner and ensure the timber is thoroughly coated all round (with particular attention to end grains).

Contains acidic tannins which discolour with metal fixings

Hardwoods including Oak, Western Red Cedar and Idigbo. Degrease with cellulose thinners and avoid the use of steel (ferrous) fixings.

Contain oils/gums/extractives (slow drying and poor adhesion)

Hardwoods including Teak, Iroko and Keruing. Degrease with cellulose thinners and allow extra drying time.

Priming Options

Intermediate

Pinja Flex Isolator (exterior blocking primer)