A socle is the ground (outer) part of the foundation of a building or the bottom of the ground structure of a house. This is one of the most vulnerable areas of the entire building. Around it, surface water constantly accumulates, and when it is cold, everything is frozen. Although the foundation itself is usually built of stone, then concreted, it nevertheless requires a reliable protective decorative coating. That is a special paint for the cap.
Not every decorative product used in the outer cladding can be used on this section of the wall. Finishing the foundation, including painting, require increased attention and patience in solving the problem.
The selected paintwork agent should be hydrophobic, non-toxic, create a strong elastic protective coating. The operational life of the mixture is also of great importance, because whoever wants to often arrange restoration work. Solvent-free alkyd facade paints have received so many positive reviews regarding quality and reliability. They lie well and dry quickly, have good resistance to moisture.
Let's talk in more detail about what kind of paint for the foundation happens, as well as how to paint the base with high quality.
to contents ↑Why paint the base
Under the inexorable aggressive influence of the environment (physical, chemical, mechanical), the foundation blind and the basement of the house suffer more than the facade. The durability of the building itself depends on how strong, stable and protected these elements are. Therefore, it is very important to choose the most reliable protective agent for decoration.
If the work is done poorly or the conditions for the use of certain materials are not met, the protective coating can quickly become unusable. A damaged protective layer cannot prevent the absorption of salts and water into the foundation of the house. Because of this, not only the base (base), but also the walls of the building can suffer.
When choosing suitable finishing materials it is important to consider the climatic and landscape features of the area.
Choosing the right paint
Finishing the base is not only painting, but also plastering, priming. Note that traditional puttying in the finish of the base is practically not used, since there is a high probability of decreasing the resistance to moisture.
Each solution used in the work must meet the highest technical characteristics of strength, reliability, durability. The mixtures used must have a high level of resistance to moisture, be inert to cold and heat, chemical and biological environments.
The choice of the coloring solution depends on many factors, including the construction site. The foundations of urban buildings are usually painted with acrylic solvent-based paints that have the ability to "breathe", that is, vapor-permeable. Bilateral air circulation does not allow condensation to form inside the house, while preventing the passage of moisture from the outside.
In rural areas and suburbs, more environmentally friendly materials - water dispersions are used to decorate the basement of the house. Here you can also opt for acrylic mixtures or choose a more durable protection - silicone paint.
Water-dispersion mixtures are distinguished by the type of base:
- acrylic;
- silicone;
- latex;
- silicate;
- polymers;
- alkyd resins, etc.
Organic solvent based paints may also contain these types of substrates. The most popular are polyurethane and alkyd.
All aqueous dispersion solutions are environmentally friendly, equally applicable for interior and exterior home decoration. One of the most important characteristics is moisture resistance, which will undoubtedly save concrete from quick corrosion.
The most resistant to mechanical stress are paints based on epoxy resins. And polyurethane - antistatic (repel dust and dirt), prevent the formation of fungal mold, have the longest service life.
One of the important aspects of the finish is the consideration of alkaline salt concentration in the soil. These substances can cause serious damage to the base of the building. Therefore, before applying the paint, primer should be primed with an insulating solution. This will protect the finish from rapid delamination under the influence of chemicals.
The base color allows for both smooth and textured finishes. Regardless of the composition, all materials have good adhesion, resistance to various influences, and durability. Solutions with dullness also perform a masking function: on the dull surface, base defects are not so noticeable.
to contents ↑Finishing work
Before you paint the basement at home, you need to go through a series of preparatory steps. How many of them will be and which ones depends on the chosen paint. It is known that a decorative layer is usually applied to a dry surface of the base. But epoxy paint can even be applied to wet concrete.
But in order to paint the base of the house with acrylic paints, you must first wash it from dust and dirt and dry it. Ice, efflorescence, mold, grease and other contaminants should also be removed. Note that a freshly plastered foundation can be painted no earlier than after a couple of weeks. But in this case, surface cleaning is required.
An important step is the application of soil. It increases the protective properties of the finish, improves adhesion of the paint to the surface of the base, and also reduces the consumption of the solution of the finish coating.
It is recommended to apply the paint in at least two layers, moreover, repeated coloring is done only on dry (that is, after the previous layer has dried). On average, the paint will dry for about a day. Some formulations do not exclude the possibility of applying the second layer without waiting for the first to dry completely.
The work uses traditional painting tools: brushes, rollers, spray guns. Be sure to follow the technical conditions: permissible operating temperature, air humidity (no precipitation), moderate windiness. Experts advise in sunny weather to start painting on the shaded side of the building.
If the technologies of all the stages of finishing the base are met, then on the surface a durable, strong protective film is formed, resistant to various external influences.
