It is that time of the year, and you’re likely looking at preparing a few items around the house, including your exterior painting. However, upon further inspection, you find cracked exterior walls, but you’re unsure exactly how to fix them.
Fixing cracked walls is incredibly important to maintain the longevity of your home, as well as to prep your home for exterior painting in the future. This blog will discuss the different types of cracks and how to fix them before painting.
The first thing to consider is the type of crack you might have on your exterior walls. Two main types as seen by painters, decorators, and those who work in construction are; stepped and vertical.
A stepped crack is typically seen in the corners of buildings and is caused by faults in the foundations from movement over time. However, a vertical crack is easier to spot and might run off the vertical exterior of the wall. This typically happens because of a lack of support from the property or even water damage.
Some cracks can extend beyond 15 mm, sometimes even more extensive than 25 mm, which indicates a more significant problem.
You have identified precisely what type of crack you are dealing with. Now, it’s time to look at how to fix it. One of the most popular ways people fix cracks on the wall before exterior painting is through crack stitching.
Crack stitching is the process of installing two stainless steel helical bars within the wall that will hold together the split ends of the wall itself. This will also restore the wall’s integrity and eliminate the potential for future damage. Here’s how to complete crack stitching on your wall.
The first step is to rake out the mortar joints to insert the helical bars. This is necessary to prep the area and ensures that the foundation’s next repair will ultimately be one of long-term prevention, not short-term support. You can use a unique grinding tool to ensure the area is prepped correctly before exterior painting.
Now that the mortar joints are all prepared, the next step is to apply a special grout to prep for installation. This will ensure that the helical bars remain in place and the wall will look smooth and polished.
The next step is to insert the helical bars into the grout, letting it act as a stitch to hold them all together. This is ultimately the most important, and it is necessary to ensure that the repairs maintain the original shape of the wall and better support the structure.
Now that you have put in the helical bars, you can repaint and repoint the area near the top of the spiral wall so it appears that there is no fault in the structure at all. This can also be used around corners, even if a crack repair needs to be done.
Platinum Paints can handle your home or commercial painting and decorating both interior and exterior painting. As experienced professionals in West London, we have served the local communities for years and combined 20 years of experience as a team.
Contact us today to get a custom quote for your property and learn more about how we can upgrade your space.
