Hi, we’ve had the brick/masonry/sand and cement windowsill on a Victorian bay painted with Farrow & Ball masonry paint. The builder we use insisted on using a Ronseal two-part wood filler to fill in some of the cracks that were present in the sill. He had raked out the cracks and filled with this and when sanded and then overpainted the areas which have had this filler in the paint is peeling after 6 months. Farrow & Ball said that the filler shouldn’t have been used, which I know. Is there any way without just removing all the filler and filling with sand and cement of making the paint not peel? What could I use as a barrier between the two or something that would prevent the masonry paint from flaking? The other option is to just give it a gentle rub and an extra coat on these areas every six months and the bay is on the ground floor but I would prefer a more permanent solution hopefully without having to remove the filler.
Any ideas?
Thanks
I am a decorator. If I was presented with a smooth, previously glossed window sill, I too would use 2 pack filler. Why? Because it feathers out better than any other filler (including epoxy fillers).
I could use one of the excellent exterior Toupret powder based fillers but you would be able to see a very, very slight step between the filler and the old gloss.
Farrow and Ball only make water based paints. Personally, if a customer says that they want me to use their paints, I try to convince them to get the colour mixed in another brand, unless it is a really matt/chalky coloured finish. I last used their paints in march. I had had forgotten how awful they can be. It was a Victorian house. I used oil based paints on the picture rails/skirtings/architraves. 3 days after applying the OB eggshell, the F&B paint was fisheye-ing.
IMO, your builder/decorator is not (necessarily) at fault, other than not perhaps using the overpriced F&B primer, but if that was the case, why didn't F&B say that rather than passing the buck and maligning him? I do not recall ever seeing anything in their literature that says you should not paint over 2 pack fillers. I would suggest that you push the point with F&B but in my own experience they just pass the buck. By way of a contrast, the last time I had a problem with Dulux trade paints, they sent out vouchers to my customer to replace the 15L of emulsion that she had purchased.
My professional advice would be to paint the sills with exterior oil based undercoat and gloss (after sanding to provide a key).
I appreciate that might not be what you want to hear though. Nevertheless, it is the advice of someone that has been decorating for over 30 years and does not advertise, relying solely on word of mouth.
