Protect outdoor surfaces from smog and rain

The application of exterior paints and coatings begins with site management : scaffolding, trestles, or platforms must allow for safe access to every point of the façade with sufficient freedom of movement. This directly impacts the quality of the application, as working while climbing or with precarious balance almost always leads to rushed and irregular work.

Weather conditions are a key parameter: excessively low or high temperatures, rain, high humidity, or strong winds can compromise the polymerization of the products, causing streaks, cracks, and excessively rapid surface drying. Therefore, work phases are planned by choosing periods and times compatible with the manufacturers' recommendations.

Exterior paints are often applied in two full coats , sometimes preceded by a pigmented undercoat or a thicker topcoat. Application can be done with a roller and brush, or by airless spraying, followed by rolling to even out the texture. The coats should be evenly distributed, always working "wet on wet" when filling in large areas to avoid differences in tone between coats.

For plaster and plastic paste coatings , the technique is different: the product is spread with a stainless steel trowel and finished with a plastic trowel, using circular or linear movements depending on the grain. The continuity of the movement and the size of the worked portions make the difference: stopping halfway up the wall and then resuming at a later point almost always creates visible separations.

Particular attention is paid to details : window surrounds, windowsills, balcony sills, metal elements, gutters, and downspouts. This is where exterior tape, plastic protectors, and precise brush cuts come into play. A facade can have the best cladding, but if the work around the openings is imprecise, the eye will immediately be drawn to the flaws.

In contexts with intense colors or sharp contrasts , managing the joints is even more delicate. A good technique involves defining clear lines, sometimes with the help of profiles or small recesses designed during the smoothing phase, so that the change in tone isn't simply due to a single edge of the tape.

A professional installation is recognized by uniformity of tone, the absence of "clouds" and halos, careful details around the windows, no drips or visible brush strokes . The facade appears clean and coherent, without any areas that betray haste or improvisation.