Adding a new coat of paint is very much a team effort

If you’re a construction professional who has been tasked with the exterior maintenance of a residential estate, here are a few things to consider before you set any painting work in motion…

When it comes to maintaining an estate, it’s important to know that many such developments are run by a body corporate or homeowners’ association. These bodies are there to exercise their responsibility when it comes to basic maintenance and repairs to communal buildings, and to guide homeowners as to how to maintain their personal residences.

The Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act, Section 3 reads that the body corporate, and those they employ, must “maintain all the common property and keep it in a state of good serviceable repair”. For the benefit of all involved, it makes sense then to see both a development’s body corporate and its resident homeowners and tenants as a team – because the failure on one side of the team to uphold the property over which they are responsible could have an adverse effect on the rest of the development.

The obvious example is water damage from a leaking roof or pipe, which could cause a knock-on effect on walls and other facilities in the immediate vicinity. Fortunately, cracks in structures that fall under the body corporate’s responsibility can be repaired with a high degree of success if you research how to prepare an exterior wall and use the best top-coat paints on the market.

Carol Ras of Plascon Professional advises that you start by ensuring that the correct preparation work has been completed and that all surfaces to be painted are clean, firm and thoroughly dry – big paint jobs tend not to be scheduled for the rainy season for this very reason. “Any defects you notice should be filled with the appropriate Polyfiller, while new cement, plaster, concrete and bagged walls should be sealed with either Plascon Bonding Liquid or Plascon Plaster Primer – particularly in coastal regions where the damaging effect of the salty sea air should not be underestimated,” she states.

And what about previously painted cement, plaster, concrete and bagged walls in a poor state? “Remove all loose and peeling paint back to a firm edge by scraping, sanding or other suitable means, feather edges and ensure surfaces are dust free – and then proceed as you would for a new surface,” Ras advises.

Another partnership cog in the maintenance of a residential development involves the real estate agents and rental agents, whose job it is to sell or rent out the units in the best possible state, so that they can achieve the highest returns for their owners. If you’re an estate resident or member of a body corporate, and you notice wear-and-tear on the outer walls of a unit with a real estate signboard on it, don’t hesitate to make contact with the agent. It makes sense that you jointly employ the same high-quality products and expert maintenance teams, both of which you will have at your disposal. By the same token, if the property has a nominated realtor or realtors, then that agency should already have made contact with the body corporate or homeowners association regarding the preferred suppliers, products and aesthetic guidelines for property maintenance to units that are up for sale or rental.

When this way of working is a reality, both the communal areas of the estate – such as the security entrance, clubhouse,gym and boundary wall – and those of individual owners are serviced with solutions that are the best fit for the purpose. Examples include applying Plascon Plaster Primer to masonry and gypsum surfaces for a binding and sealing effect; and using Plascon Universal Undercoat more generally, on previously painted and suitably primed plaster, wood and metal. Just don’t omit the hard-working rafters, fascia, flashing and downpipes, which all take increased strain when the rainy season arrives.

“The coatings industry is an extremely dynamic and evolving one,” enthuses Ras, “meaning there is never the need to settle for a generalist top-coat on an external surface, when you have a particular concern that needs addressing.”

For instance, in a high trafficked area, Plascon Professional Superior Low Sheen is a wall coat engineered to allow for superior washability and stain resistance. Or, the popular Plascon Micatex, with a unique Weathertough™ formulation, is best for a long-lasting finely-textured, matt finish that can withstand the toughest weather conditions. There’s also Plascon Wall & All, a multi-surface exterior paint with a low sheen finish that offers a unique dirt barrier for high-impact walls.

And what about boosting the value of the overall estate by ensuring that its roofs are given the best possible care? A good choice here is Plascon Nuroof Cool, a low-sheen roof paint that is formulated to cool the interior of a home by up to 8°C in summer. A few selling points, perhaps, for your friends at the estate agency.

Estate maintenance is a rewarding business, especially when you’ve established a sound relationship with all the “team members” mentioned above. In this way, your best efforts will be seen, and appreciated, across both communal and owner-maintained areas of the property. All concerned are sure to be delighted, from a cost-saving AND quality perspective, that you’ve gone with the Plascon range that offers the best solution.