I have a south facing wall of my house that some fool decided would look good with 25 feet of glass block. It looks ugly and is a heat sink. Until I can replace the wall I need to find a way to cover the glass to cool it down and reduce the light coming in.
I've never worked with exterior paint before. I was thinking of painting a first coat a dark color to make it a little more opaque and then a light color to reflect the light. Lots of the grout is weak and leaked a bit last winter. I had planned to coat all the seams with an exterior varathane to seal them up as best possible.
Ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Finally something I am VERY expert at :) (I've been a house painter for over 23 years)
First, forget the dark color, what IS needed (!!!) is a primer made for glossy surfaces. And an exterior one at that. (tall order) Oil based is the way to go here.........] (Zinnzer Co. makes an excellent line of primers)
First CLEAN (grease/dirt free) the surface, and if you are feeling really anal, sand it all down lightly. (120 grit to 200 grit) Check the joints between the blocks, remove any that is crumbling.
Put down a THIN (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) coat of primer. opacity is not what you are looking for at this point, surface adhesion is. Color is irrelevant, and it will probably be white no matter what you want anyway. If it is translucent when dry, it's OK as long as it has covered the surface, it is fine. The primer is nothing more than a way of getting the paint to adhere.
Once dry inspect for any adhesion problems and or missed areas.
After this, apply multiple thin coats of a GOOD (!!!!!!!!) latex house paint. If ya can get away with it, something with a good gloss will work best in terms of lasting. (latex/acrylics are color fast)
Be forewarned no matter what you do, the surface after it is painted will be quite fragile. Fragile in that you will be able to take your fingernail and actually start to scrape some off if you try real hard. Just the nature of trying to paint a non porous surface.........
Don't expect it to last too long, done right 5 + years is VERY good.... (sometimes will last a lot longer, sometimes it will fail within a year, hard to tell)
Any more questions, E Mail me, I'm more than willing to supply any info you might need.
To be honest, I do NOT recommend painting the wall...................... (because you create a maintenance hassle from that point onward)
thx much for the super advice. would it make it any easier if I painted the inside instead? Would not have to deal with the weather that way.
or just hang curtains and wait until the wall is repaired....
I'm gonna need withdrawal therapy when I make the decision to channel any and all discretionary funds to remodeling this money pit. Money for models or a new bedroom....
Are these the square glass blocks about 8 inches square, that were popular in the 50's and 60's? Try to save them when you eventually rebuild the wall. These are sought-after, and well-paid-for collector's items.
Actually as another poster stated. If they are the old small blocks, than they do have a collector value. Same with OLD wood shutters and any other antique interior/exterior fixture.
But the glass blocks and wood shutters/doors, there is a significant market for in suburbs around major cities. (know for sure around DC, and NY cities)
That said, NO paint you put on will ever stick permanently, so no real issue here. (cept cleaning them down the road)
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.